Goals
Think about what you are trying to achieve with a procedure. A lifestyle lift is advertised as a 1 hour procedure performed under local anesthesia, designed to tighten your jowls and face. A lifestyle lift (as advertised and promoted) alone will not contour a heavy neck. More substantial procedures are required to address a heavy neck and will take quite a bit longer than an hour. Would you like to sit still while awake for a 3-4 hour procedure? Few people would.
Anesthesia
Is Anesthesia a bad thing? If you are a brittle diabetic with coronary artery disease and chest pain, clearly Anesthesia is not for you. If you are a healthy person who has received medical clearance under Anesthesia, ekg, and bloodwork, chances are you will do just fine. Many surgeons prefer to do facelifts under monitored (ekg, oxygen stauration, and pulse rate monitor) IV sedation, which is a combination of propofol (an inducing agent), versed (short acting medication similar to valium), and fentanyl ( a synthetic form of narcotic). This technique is very safe is very similar to what one receives during colonoscopy. Ask yourself this question: Do you really want to be aware of what is going on during a procedure? My impression is that for the vast majority of patients I have seen, Anesthesia is a blessing because it relieves anxiety and discomfort in a very safe fashion.
History
Facelift was 1st described in 1911 as a short incision procedure. A lifestyle lift is a short incision facelift. There are obviously reasons why more substantial procedures were developed. The rational is simple: short incision facelifts are most appropriate for patients with minimal indications. Patients with severe skin laxity, a heavy neck, cervical obliquity, and/or severe jowls will require a more extended facelift procedure.
Marketing
When someone tells you they can deliver a result, dig a little deeper. Are you being recruited for a procedure by a Board Certified Facial Plastic Surgeon or Plastic Surgeon or a marketing/sales representative? Most ethical Board Certified Facial Plastic Surgeons or Plastic Surgeons will not provide guarantees for their work, because Medicine and Surgery have some degree of variability in outcomes. Likewise, most ethical Surgeons will not accept patients for a procedure if the patient has the wrong indications. However, if you are being sold a procedure by a marketing/sales representative, can you be sure your indications are correct for the procedure? Remember that it is your face.
Follow Up
Most Board Certified Facial Plastic Surgeons or Plastic Surgeons have a very vested interest in your outcome. They are generally working to build or maintain an excellent reputation and hold a great deal of pride in their work. The community will see their work over a period of years and only the strong survive. However, a Surgeon working for or freelancing for a company may not necessarily hold to this model. Ask the Surgeon how long he has worked for and how long he intends to work for the company. It is unlikely (but not impossible) that most well qualified Board Certified Facial Plastic Surgeons or Plastic Surgeons will view an opportunity such as working for lifestyle lift as a career move.
Cost
Review all of the factors above first, then consider the cost. A cheap facelift may not leave you more satisfied than seeing a Board Certified Facial Plastic Surgeon or Plastic Surgeon and spending a little more.
