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Facelift Without Surgery

What's the best procedure that works like a facelift with minimum fuss? I am 52 years old and have decided that I want to improve the look of my face. My choices are filler injections or the new signature lift, which takes about 90 minutes. After reading some of the reviews on the injectables, I am a little apprehensive. I have a wedding to attend in July and I want to look my best. Can someone please let me know about the best procedures that I can do that does not require general anesthesia, with minimal down time and allows me to look like I had a facelift?

Asked 33 months ago by Gatormom in Florida

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Non Surgical Options for Facial rejuvenation

For any given aesthetic concern, there are both medical and surgical enhancements which are possible. Additionally, skin care treatment options are also available which are less invasive than surgery, but more invasive than typical medical spa treatments: BOTOX ® injection for facial wrinkles and lines, Juvederm injection for lip enhancement and softening of deep facial folds and creases, laser treatment of facial veins and rosacea, and non-invasive laser skin tightening for... more

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Michael Law, MD

Raleigh-Durham Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Facelift without surgery

Unfortunately.....no such thing.......any other answer is someone who wants your money and will get you absolutely no results or improvement. If you want a natural looking result that makes a noticable change you have to have at least a conservative facelift. The good news is that an experienced facelift surgeon can do this easily under local anesthesia in less than one hour. I might also add that fillers enhance facelift work they don't take the place of facelift work. more

Richard Galitz, MD

Miami Facial Plastic Surgeon

Facelift options

There are many names for variations of a facelift but they all lead to the same destination; rejuvenating the face. Without a picture it is difficult to advise you. A mini-lift of the cheek and jowl area can be done in two to three hours under mild sedation. You should always look for a procedure with some lifting of the SMAS. A skin lift alone is useless. If you have a sagging neck then a general anesthesia is probably required. If it sounds too good to be true... more

Talmage J. Raine, MD

Chicago Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

A facelift is best

If you want the results of a facelfit, then get a facelift. It is the best way to improve the laxity in the lower face, no question. A minilift can be performed in the office setting and requires no general anesthesia. Downtime is minimal and you should look good in a week, and great in 2-3 weeks. If you desire a non-surgical alternative, then combination therapy is probably best. I would personally recommend a combination of fillers, botox, and Ultherapy. Ultimately, your particular... more

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Andrew Campbell, MD

Milwaukee Facial Plastic Surgeon

Hard Question to Answer Without Pictures

In some patients of your age, fillers are absolutely the right thing to do. In others a mini-lift is appropriate, and in others still a Facelift is the best procedure. It is hard to determine what to do without pictures. In my hands as with many posters on this website, mini lifts and Facelifts are performed under twilight IV sedation (very similar to the sedation for a colonoscopy); general anesthesia is rarely used. The take home points I would suggest are: 1) don't focus on the "90... more

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Stephen Prendiville, MD

Fort Myers Facial Plastic Surgeon

Mini facelift vs fillers?

Mini facelift = Mini results Minimum fuss: Injectables Of course, there is no free lunch. In Plastic Surgery, the price you pay for convenience is either short acting solutions or subtle, rather than dramatic results. In your particular case, injectables seem like an ideal solution to get something done before the wedding, and to start looking into good reputable surgeons in your area. Ask to see pre and post op pictures of their work.

Ricardo Rodriguez, MD

Baltimore Plastic Surgeon

ASPS

Facelift without general anesthesia

There are lots of "fears" about having a Facelift. With the right surgeon you can have a great procedure without a lot of downtime, without looking stretched, and without general anesthesia. Things are done differently by different surgeons and there are a lot of surgeons getting into mini-lifting that have not had formal education with face lifting. We do the entire range, from "mini lifting" to full face lifting, all under local with twilight sedation. it is easy and it... more

Phillip Langsdon, MD

Germantown Facial Plastic Surgeon

I would recommend a "Mini-Lift," but be careful.

There are multiple options for rejuvenating the face. Basically, for the problem you outline, there are only 2. One is to use fillers to return the fullness of the face and to disguise the sagging from the pull of gravity. The best way to correct the effects of gravity, however, is surgical. Terminology for the different methods of surgical correction varies. Some of these are classified as “mini-lifts” or “designer lifts.” Not all of these are equal. Most... more

Robert T. Buchanan, MD

Highlands Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

There is more to making a face look young other than pulling or filling the skin.

I know this is hard to explain but I will try to relate this to something that is more concrete. The face is a complex anatomic structure and is constructed of many layers. Approaching it with only one technique will give you limited results with a very defined improvement. If you take a 90 year old house and give it a new coat of paint it will look better but that is very unidimensional thinking. Likewise with changing any single component of the house. If you change only one aspect of the... more

Otto Joseph Placik, MD

Chicago Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Facial Rejuvenation without surgery

Dear Gatormom!! A proper facelift is the best approach for long term excellent results. The operative time is important as it will indicate the detail in which the surgeon is providing for the long term results that you want- 7 to 10 years! This can take 3 to 5 hours depending on the surgeon- and if there is one part of your body that you do want to cheat on is your face. Fillers, Botox and Thermage can give nice results and freshening with minimal downtime- and some patients I see prefer... more

Trevor M. Born, MD

Toronto Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS

Be careful, it's too close to the wedding

Hi Gatormom! When a patient such as yourself is looking for improvement within a short amount of time, I always tell them to look at the "worst case scenario". I will explain this. As you have heard in the other surgeons' answers, the "signature" lifts are often marketed heavily. They are not anything new. They have been an option for early aging for many years, and lie on a spectrum of facial procedures ranging from least to most "invasive". One thing that my... more

Behrooz Torkian, MD

Beverly Hills Facial Plastic Surgeon

Single stitch facelift sound too good to be true.

Dear Gatormom BT Barnum once said that no one ever went out of business underestimating the intelligence of the American public. Very few people are excited by the prospect of surgery. This creates an opportunity for sharp elbowed marketing types (which also include surgeons) to take advantage of this need or desire. SIngle point suspension of the face and particularly when no skin is removed will never provide a long term result. I think that it is interesting that of the various... more

Kenneth D. Steinsapir, MD

Los Angeles Oculoplastic Surgeon

Different stages of aging require different treatments.

Methods for rejuvenating an aging face lie on a continuum. There is no one procedure for all individuals. Most of what you need is dependent on where your face is along this scale. I acknowledge your desire to have minimal down time and no anesthesia but sometimes cutting these corners will leave one dissatisfied with the end result. The rule of thumb is ; mini procedures give mini results. Fillers work great on folds and superficial wrinkles. If what you have is loose hanging skin in the... more

Leslie H. Stevens, MD

Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Fillers and limited facelifts

Fillers are good procedures to give you a greater degree of plumpness to the face in selected areas, but all of the fillers with the exception of fat will disappear with time, leaving you without any improvement. Fat may be the only filler that will leave you with some improvement since some fat will survive, but not all of it. Surgical lifts, whether they are called signature lifts, contour lifts, lifestyle lifts or image lifts are nothing more than short scar lifts, which any... more

Francis (Frank) William Rieger, MD

Tampa Plastic Surgeon

ASPS

Facelift results without a facelift

Hard to say without seeing you in person, but things to consider would be fillers such as Restylane and Sculptra along with chemodenervation agents like Dysport or Botox. In general I tell patients to beware of any surgical procedure that has a catchy marketing name, for the most part, they are lots of hype in an attempt to make a variation of an old procedure sound like something new and improved.

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Julio Garcia, MD

Las Vegas Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Facelifts Without Surgery

There is no such thing as a facelift without surgery. There are “liquid facelifts” that are marketed online as a “non-surgical facelift”. One can use fillers or fat along with Botulinum Toxin Type A to help shape the eyebrows, plump the cheeks, and improve facial shape. If one truly has jowls and facial aging there is no substitution for surgical facial rejuvenation which is a combination of deep layer structure repositioning as well as soft tissue augmentation of the... more

Rod J. Rohrich, MD

Dallas Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Facelift without surgery?

First off, a facelift does not require general anesthesia. Local anesthesia with sedation offers a twilight type of anesthesia which is my first choice in doing this procedure. I am not certain but I think that the "signature" lift you refer to is simply a small incision face lift, not dissimilar to other "trademarked" names for small incision lifts. Facial resurfacing and volume augmentation are non incisional procedures which also help... more

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Lawrence Kass, MD

Saint Petersburg Oculoplastic Surgeon

Minimally invasive facelifts, filler facelifts, fat transfers

A minimally invasive facelift can be done under local anesthesia. You really need a qualified surgeon to examine you to make recommendations. Having said this, I think many of my patients do exceptionally well combining minimally invasive lifts (weekend lift, signature lift, smas plication lifts, s lifts, etc) in combination with volume replacements. Fillers can be synthetic manufactured or you may be able to use your own fat for a very suitable augmentation that looks natural and gives... more

Todd Christopher Hobgood, MD

Phoenix Facial Plastic Surgeon

Facelift Look without Surgery

I am sorry to say that you are a little out of luck to achieve everything you wish. But, you can achieve nice improvements with non-invasive treatments including facial tightening (i.e. Ultherapy), dermal fillers (i.e. Radiesse or Perlane) and Dysport/ Botox. After your wedding you still can consider more. We do not perform facelifts under general anesthesia. But still, you will need to plan for the recovery, usually 12-14 days before you are presentable. (But still not quite ready... more

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Frank P. Fechner, MD

Worcester Facial Plastic Surgeon

From the "liquid facelift" to the full monty - prevention of aging is a lifelong process for looking your best

Restoring the youthfulness of your face can be done with *many* different techniques, and it may be hard to decide which is best for you. Just remember that prevention of aging is key! Protect your skin from the sun, don't smoke, eat healthy, and baby your skin with the help of a skin care expert through a balanced regimen of exfoliation, retinoids, and hydration/moisturization. This will delay your need for surgery. Signs of aging develop slowly as you celebrate more... more

Ariel N. Rad, MD, PhD

Baltimore Plastic Surgeon

ASPS

Facelift without a facelift?

Rafael C. Cabrera, MD

Boca Raton Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Improvement of facial contours using injectable tissue fillers (i.e.,“liquid facelift”) is excellent way to improve / rejuvenate

Improvement of the contours of the face using injectable tissue fillers, popularly known as the “liquid facelift”, is an excellent way to improve and rejuvenate the facial contours without surgery. A number of different tissue fillers may be used to accomplish this goal. However, in patients who are apprehensive, my filler of choice would be a hyalauronic acid such as Restylane® or Juvederm®. These offer rejuvenation of the face that lasts from 10-14... more

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Michael R. Macdonald, MD

Bay Area Facial Plastic Surgeon

Avoid "gimmick" procedures

At 52-years-old I suspect that a facelfit would be very appropriate for you. I do not, however, recommend any of these gimmick procedures that promise the world with little effort. Typically these procedures simply tighten the skin which produces a short term result at best and at worst results in horrible scars from placing too much pull on the skin. If the deep tissue layers aren't separated form their attachments and moved to heal in a new location, don't expect... more

Louis W. Apostolakis, MD

Austin Facial Plastic Surgeon

Facial Rejuvenation Options

You will need to decide what exactly bothers you about your facial appearance and what your expectations are for your result. Then find a reputable expert in your community and educate yourself thoroughly on the available options, which range from non-surgical to surgical, with signficantly different indications and result potentials, as well as varying downtimes and costs. Your principal focus should be on the final result you are seeking as that will determine your... more

Stephan Baker, MD

Miami Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Facelift or fakelift?

Sadly, as of 2011, nothing but surgery truly improves jowls and sagging necklines in a meaningful, predictable, and enduring way. Reversing 5-15 years of aging changes takes 5-15 days of recovery time, but that's a pretty good trade! Short of surgery, fillers to the smile lines, puppet lines, cheeks, and jawline can make some pretty amazing improvement, but nothing "picks up" the face as well or predictably as surgery.

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