Fraxel and Facelift Done Within the Same Year?

It is perfectly acceptable to perform either the facelift or the Fraxel first; it does not really matter. The Fraxel is performed for smoothing out the skin color and tone and getting rid of age spots. The facelift is done to tighten up the deep structures such as tightening of the neck muscles, eliminating jowls, removing fat in the neck both above and below the platysma, and tightening the gristle layer underneath the facial structure called the SMAS. Thermage will do none of the... more

With minimal excess skin, and skin texture or skin quality problems, the fraxel treatment may be adequate. If there is moderate or significant excass skin, a facelift would be a better choice. The fraxel treatment could then be used for refinement of the surgical result about 6 months later. I know I have used subjective terms such as "minimal" and "moderate" in my response; that is why you need consultation wih a physician who uses both approaches.

Dear SaggySkin, The question is how saggy? If you have excessive loose skin of neck and face, then a face lift would be indicated. If you have minimal to moderate skin laxity of your neck and face then a Fraxel repair (or two, 4-6 months later) will give enough tightening to avoid surgery. In addition, your skin tone, texture, and color will be rejuvenated. The patient in photo #3 of the before and after pictures of the web reference below presented to my office with your exact question. ... more

The best option may be a facelift and carbon dioxide laser resurfacing. These can be done at the same time. If you were to consider both treatments though, I would not do the laser first followed by the facelift because you will not get the maximum benefit from the laser. Thermage will not effect either procedure and if you have signficant skin laxity and aging changes, it is no surpise that you did not see a change after Thermage. As always - an evaluation by a facial plastic surgeon or... more

 If you have skin pigmentation,etc. then the Fraxel is for that. If you have sagging skin primarily, a facelift is what you need. Do which of these bothers you the most.

HI--I agree with Dr. Lupo. You would benefit most from a combination of laser resurfacing (Fraxel repair and others) and a surgical lift . In our practice, we have dwermatologists and plastic surgeons working together as a team and we will often do these procedures on the same day, which is great for the patient as this yields the best results, and allows for one recovery period. I have posted some photos on my profile which show some nice results using this combination approach. Take... more

Dont' waste your money on Fraxel, you already wasted it on Thermage. If you qualify for a Facelfit then Fraxel will not fix your problem. Regards

Hello Saggyskin, You have already received excellent advice from Drs. Rosen & Lupo, I would just add from a surgical perspective that if your anatomy is such that your case requires addressing both loose skin / sagging muscles and improving skin tone / appearance then you should consider having a facelift first and then fraxel (or other laser treatment / chemical peel). A facelift will address the "core anatomy" of your face - improving jowls, removing excess skin and... more

Our routine current facelift now includes the use of the Mixto laser usually as part of the same session. It is entirely safe (we have already done over 50 patients since we acquired it the Mixto.) This allows us to remove surgically excess skin, tighten the remaining skin, as well as deal with weathering and fine wrinkles at the same session. It gives a tremendous amount of improvement using less invasive techniques and making the most of "synergy" where each modality... more

You are talking apples and squash here. Facelifts are for loose skin. It will not give the face fullness or softness (like a filler would), nor will it improve texture, color and fine lines (like resurfacing with laser or peels) will. Fact is, most people need all three. If you just get a facelift, your face gets smaller, your skin is tighter and sagging is improved, but you won't look younger unless you also get some volumetric filling. If your skin color and texture is poor, just pulling... more

For sagging skin at the face and neck , there really is no substitute for a good facelift. "Skin tightening" procedures such as Thermage and Fraxel can only deliver a tiny amount of tightening (we're talking millimeters). I would not recommend that you waste your time and money on Fraxel (or Thermage) treatment prior to facelift, as the lift will accomplish most of the work. If you wait several months after your facelift, you could consider having Thermage or Fraxel if you... more

Dear SaggySkin Your name tells me a lot. I will assume (and that may be a mistake) that you feel you have a fair amount of excess skin on your face and it is hanging. If that is the case I don't think Thermage will have a significant effect but it does take 3-6 months to see the effect from Thermage and you have to look at your pre and post op photos to evaluate this effect. I like to think of a facelift as alterations and laser as pressing. Sometimes you need just one and sometimes you need... more