Facelift, cheeklift, laser

There are many ways to reduce the appearance of wrinkles on the skin.

If the patient is looking for a temporarily or minimal solution, light peels, Juvederm, radiofrequency devices, etc wil help somewhat.  We have been discouraged by the string and ribbon lifts as they seem to have very limited longevity.

For patients wanting to obtain a more permanent result, a facelift will tighten lateral cheek skin best.  If a volume enhancing facelift is performed, especially with SMAS elevation and LiveFill (nonaspirated fascial fat grafts), even better.

For areas below the eyes into the cheeks (the midface), a facelift is usually a weak option, and the patient may wish to consider midface elevation with a cheeklift of some type.  There are several articles in our Mathes Plastic Surgery textbook chapter and Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery journal articles which highlight some of the current techniques.  http://www.drbrent.com/article_mathes.php

When a cheeklift is performed, the tissue of the midface (area below the eyes) can be lifted in a subtle fashion, tightening the skin.  This is not the same as performing a blepharoplasty and removing skin, since that can pull down on the eyelid and change its shape to drooping or round.  Our most advanced cheeklift lifts also restore volume to the lower eyelid (LUSIC cheeklift) with LiveFill, or fascial fat grafts obtained from the patient.  It is important to preserve the shape of the lower eyelid.  It is also important to restore lost volume whenever possible.

If the facial shape warrants it, a cheek implant may also be considered.  I usually reserve this option for patients who need three dimensional augmentation in the malar or submalar regions, not just to combat aging, although this is a controversial area even among excellent surgeons!

Last, conservative CO2 laser resurfacing helps to tighten the skin further, and reduce surface sun damage and wrinkles.

Dear Triss,

Of course the standard surgical facelift gives the longest results but is expensive and carries more risks than the quick fixes.  Most people prefer a quick easy safe procedure which is done under local anesthesia and gets you back to work in a few of days.  This describes the Silhouette/Ribbon Lifts which are threads and devices which are easily slipped under the skin to raise up the sagging skin.  They can last up to 3-5 yrs and cost roughly $3500-5000.

Other adjunctive procedures like fat injections or various fillers can supplement the Lifts quite nicely and are recommended as well but don't give as nice of results by themselves.  I like to combine them and also most patients benefit from a medium depth TCA chemical peel which can be done at the same time for an additional cost of roughly $1000 for the peel.

3 of 5 found this helpful

Helpful?

Contact the doctor