83%

268 reviews

Worth It Rating Our index shows the percentage of community members saying this was "Worth it". See cosmetic treatment rankings

Facelift Cost ≈ $12,100 average cost

Write a review | Ask a Question

How Can I Avoid Getting a Pulled Up Look from a Face Lift?

anything i should know before getting a face lift so I won't end up looking all pulled up? I think they call it "wind swept" looking? this is NOT the results I want from surgery!

Tags:

sagging results skin wind swept

Your surgeon should be artistically skilled in facelift surgery

The pulled look results from many factors, all of them avoidable. As a lay person, you may not be able to list each one, but you know pulled when you see it. 1. Bad direction of pull. When the facelift is directed very high at the side of the face, pull is created preferentially on the side of the face, and nothing is done for the middle of the face. This yields an unnatural change in direction of the skin. It also sacrifices the sideburn, which in women is not replaceable. How to avoid:... more

Doctor's Website

Brent Moelleken, MD

Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

+11

A Facelift , Facial Rejuvenation Should Look Natural

I prefer the term 'facial rejuvenation' over the more antiquated term 'facelift', as many patients that I see who seek a more youthful and refreshed facial appearance undergo a set of surgical procedures very different from what would have been considered a 'facelift' twenty-five years ago. The word 'rejuvenation' means, literally, 'to make young again'. In each individual, different facial changes occur with age. One person may be unhappy with... more

Doctor's Website

Michael Law, MD

Raleigh-Durham Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Easily avoided

The windswept look should not happen after a well performed lower facelift procedure. This usually occurs in settings where either just the skin is pulled tight or the deeper structures are not addressed properly. A facelift aims to reverse some of the signs of aging. Part of the aging process is descent of the tissues of the face including the muscles and other structures which live below the skin. The skin envelope will then stretched to accomodate the descent. By pulling the deeper... more

Doctor's Website

D.J. Verret, MD

Dallas Facial Plastic Surgeon

The wind swept look is an old fashioned looking result...

The wind swept look is an old fashioned looking result of a facelift that results from a hard pull on the skin in an upward direction in front of the ears. Old techniques relied on the pull on the skin to lift the sagging facial features. Modern facelift techniques recognize the unnatural look this creates and lift the deeper tissues of the face in a vertical direction but take the skin excess off in a more natural direction and under less tension than in the old techniques. Make sure you... more

Richard P. Rand, MD, FACS

Seattle Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Avoiding a pulled look from a facelift

A pulled look or 'wind swept' look is a common problem after a facelift that can be easily avoided. The key word to remember is -"vector." Most patients believe that a pulled look is due to tension caused by excessive skin removal during surgery. Although that is a possibility, most of the time it is caused by the surgeon who pulled the skin or excess skin in a wrong direction or vector. If facelift is performed with this natural vector in mind, you will NOT have a pulled look to... more

Kyle S. Choe, MD

Virginia Beach Facial Plastic Surgeon

Facelifts should look natural

The goal I have for my patients is for them to look like a younger, refreshed and well-rested version of themselves, not someone else. The key to this is good surgical technique. This will vary with the patient, but may involve a combination of repositioning of deep tissues, volume replacement and skin tightening. The correct procedure for you will depend on examination by a competent, experienced surgeon who understands all of the issues that result in aging of the face. more

Sam Most, MD

Bay Area Facial Plastic Surgeon

Motorcycle ride Facelift

The improperly done Facelift may be the most common type of procedure out there. This includes pulling on the skin around your ear in an effort to hide the scar. The truth is that this simply doesn't work. Look in the mirror and pull on your skin. No matter how young you are, or how good your skin is, it's going to look pulled. Now lay down with a handheld mirror. This is more like what it would look like if every layer on your face was suspended back up against your bony structures. ... more

Ricardo A. Meade, MD

Dallas Plastic Surgeon

ASPS

How not to get a pulled look after a face lift

I see that many of my colleagues are telling you to choose a good surgeon. Obviously a good surgeon would know exactly what to do. But i think you are asking a question to help you understand yourself what needs to be done. The wind tunnel appearance is often the result of an uneven or incomplete pull of your skin. For example a person ideally needs a face lift and a brow lift but only a face lift is done. The lower face would be tight but on the side of the eyes, one would notice a crowding... more

Farhad Rafizadeh, MD

Morristown Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Look at past results

Different surgeons have different aesthetic eyes. The only way to really determine what kind of outcome you can expect is to look at the results of the surgeon. Most surgeons do surgery the same way each time and therefore their results tend to be consistent. Find a surgeon who you like and whose results you like.

Christopher L. Hess, MD

Fairfax Plastic Surgeon

ASPS

A proper analysis preop will prevent the windswept look

The windswept look occurs typically in patients with thin faces and varying degrees of bone and fat atrophy. When they get the muscle and skin lifted, there in no volume to shape around and they end up looking flat and pulled. If you have a rounder, more full face, than you will have minimal risk of getting the pulled look. But if you have a thin, gaunt face, you will need some volumization in addition to the lift. I like using a patient's own fat to fill up areas of deflation. I also... more

Manish H. Shah, MD

Denver Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Windswept or overdone look following facelift: how to avoid?

The most important thing you can do as a patient is to do your homework about the physician you are seeing in consultation. They should have specialized training in cosmetic surgery of the face. Their overall philosophy about what "looks good" should be similar to yours. Their patient results either by viewing pictures or speaking directly to them should be similar to what you are looking for. Finally, and most important, you should feel completely comfortable with your physican... more

Jeffrey Kenkel, MD

Dallas Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Avoiding the "pulled up" look with a facelift

Congratulations on considering a face/neck lift. That procedure can rejuvenate a face in an amazing way! In my opinion, the "pulled up" look results from one of a few misguided ideas: 1: Trying to avoid surgery in the neck by pulling up hard on the sides of the face to make the neck look better. The best way to avoid this look is to treat the neck thoroughly through a hidden chin incision, then lift the sides of the face conservatively 2: Trying to "stretch out" wrinkles... more

Doctor's Website

Laxmeesh Mike Nayak, MD

Saint Louis Facial Plastic Surgeon

Lateral sweep is a tell tale sign of old face lift technique

The main factor in this case is the choice of your surgeon. The lateral sweep is a tell tale sign of old face lift techniques. The key is proper choice of vectors, addressing deep tissues and avoiding skin tension. The natural face lift result is a reversal of the aging mechanism.

Hisham Seify, MD, PhD

Los Angeles Plastic Surgeon

ASPS

Avoiding the windswept look after facelift

Without getting too technical, there are many different ways of doing a facelift and some of these can lead to this look. My best advice is to look at photos of the surgeons work, of patients 1 year after surgery and, if he/she has them, of patients 5 or 8 years after surgery. This will give you some idea of the type of result the surgeon produces. Of course if they use a new technique, the patient he/she operated on 8 years ago did not have the procedure he/she is using now. Ask people... more

Tracy Pfeifer, MD

Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Qualified Facial Plastic Surgeons will be best suited to achieve natural results

The pulled look happens when the underlying muscle and fat is not addressed. The only way to avoid a pulled look is to go to a qualified surgeon, board certified in plastic surgery that specializes in facelifts. He or She should have experience with the type of problem you are presenting. Someone specialized will address the underlying anatomy instead of just pulling the skin.

Vivian Hernandez, MD

Boca Raton Facial Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS

Make sure to choose your Facelift surgeon carefully

There are many different techniques for face lift surgery, and each utilizes a technique to "pull up" the underlying tissues as well as remove extra skin. If you want to have a more natural look, the underlying pull should be in a vertical direction to correct sagging from gravity and time. Depending on how much skin also needs to be removed, you may also benefit from one of the "short scar" approaches. The bottom line is to choose a cosmetic surgeon who has significant... more

Michael H. Rosenberg, MD

White Plains Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Avoid the windswept facelift by supporting underlying structures

A pulled or windswept look after a facelift is usually the result of putting too much tension on the skin and not tightening the underlying structures (fat and muscle). Particularly if the facelift takes only an hour or two, this is probably because just the skin is tightened. I take almost that long just to close the incisions to avoid unnecessary scarring!

Jonathan Hoenig, MD

Beverly Hills Oculoplastic Surgeon

Avoiding the pulled look with facelift

A pulled look is produced when the skin is pulled tight in order to smooth out the face. This most often occurs when patients demand a mini-facelift since the only thing being done is pulling on the skin. In a traditional facelift, the skin is elevated and the underlying tissue is elevated in a superior or oblique vector (direction), the skin is then gently placed back in place over the rejuvenated facial structures. This is what would give the most natural look.

Doctor's Website

David Shafer, MD

New York Plastic Surgeon

ASPS

Avoiding the wind swept look after a facelift

Avoiding the wind swept look after a facelift is easily accomplished by not having it done in the first place. What I mean by that is when seeking a facelift, ask the surgeon to make sure that you are not overpulled. The only advantage of overpulling is to avoid the inevitable relaxation that occurs within the first year of the procedure. I advise my patients to have a more natural look by gently lifting the tissues to their more normal positions and remove a conservative amount of skin to... more

Scott Trimas, MD

Jacksonville Facial Plastic Surgeon

Avoiding The Pulled, Windswept Face Lift

The key to avoiding a windswept pulled face lift is to do a multi-layer face lift and choose an experienced plastic surgeon that performs an individual approach to facial rejuvenation and respect the patient’s inherent facial structures and asymmetries and restore them to a more youthful state based upon concise facial analysis. Facial aging is very scientifically pre-determined. Face lift techniques must be designed to restore natural beauty and youthfulness without violating... more

Rod J. Rohrich, MD

Dallas Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

How can I avoid getting a pulled up look from a face lift?

Pick your surgeon wisely. Make sure that you go to a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon preferrably one who has had an aesthetic fellowship and one who has trained specifically in this area to prevent this deformity.

Robert Heck, MD

Columbus Plastic Surgeon

ASPS

A Natural Looking Facelift is Possible!

A facelift that pulls the skin tight will look wind swept. For a natural look after a facelift. you must reposition the loose internal muscles and fat. It will reduce the tension on the skin and round up the cheeks and recreate the jaw line. Then the skin excess can be removed without tension and a better facelift with a natural look will be the results.I suspend all my face lifts internally for a rounder youthfull look and the jawls will also be repositioned with internal sutures. The... more

Luis A. Vinas, MD

West Palm Beach Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Best facelift result looks so natural that others cannot figure out what you’ve had done to make you look so good

What you call the “wind swept” look I refer to as the “wind tunnel” look. I would definitely agree that this would be an undesirable result. The best facelift result is one that looks so natural that others cannot figure out what it is that you’ve had done to make you look so good. In order to accomplish this, the incisions are hidden above the hairline and behind natural contours, and the tightening should be performed deep to the skin,... more

Doctor's Website

Michael R. Macdonald, MD

Bay Area Facial Plastic Surgeon

Face Lift, Mini Face Lift, The Palmer Celebrity Face Lift, Beverly Hills Face Lift

The pulled or sometimes referred to as the "wind swept" look is in fact a result of pulling the shape out of the midface during a Face Lift. If you take your hands and pull your skin towards your ears, you'll notice the excess skin and muscles are tighter but the front part, of your face...the cheeks, are pulled smooth and flat making your face look like it's in a wind tunnel. Any Face Lift that tightens and pulls your face in the same manner will have the same... more

Francis R. Palmer, III, MD

Beverly Hills Facial Plastic Surgeon

Natural facelift

The pull for the facelift should be straight back and only slightly superior to bring up the jowels. When a surgeon pulls too tight in a upwards direction you will get a windswept, unnatural look