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Sweep Marks After Mini Lift?

asked 3 years ago by hellofromteresa in Sacramento, CA
Latest answer by Steven Wallach, MD
Question viewed 4,031 times
Tags: jowls, marionette lines, loose

I had marionette lines and loose skin in the jowl area. They were not fatty. I had a Mini lift that included lifting and trimming of the SMAS muscle. Now my jowls look like this. I am not happy with this. My doctor's only solution is to do either Lipodissolve or liposuction.

Updated 5/22/09:

I hope this isn't confusing. I added another photo (more photos are posted in my review). The doctor swears that he lifted my SMAS muscles. The left side of my face was aggressively pulled higher than the right side. Leaving the right lower side of my face sagging. And a horrible sweep mark on the left side. He will only do lipo to correct my lower face. But honestly he says he can't see anything wrong.

Read my review "Unhappy with my Lopsided Quicklift Results"

12 answers to Sweep Marks After Mini Lift?

When you paint a house you paint the whole house, not just a touch up.

When patients want to undergo a rejuvenation of their appearance it is critical that their surgeon make a complete analysis of the changes that have taken place and how each adds to their aging look. Recently many people are enticed by marketeers who pray on unsuspecting patients. The old saying that if it sounds too good to be true you probably are right. We continually see the adds for lunch time rejuvenation, mini lifts, laser correction of sagging skin. Wouldn't it be great if these... more

Carl W. "Rick" Lentz III, MD
Daytona Beach Plastic Surgeon

"mini" procedures are notoriously unpredictable

While it's difficult to know exactly the issues based on these photos, in general we see a lot of patients who have had mini or "quick" facelifts elsewhere unhappy. While some patients with limited signs of facial aging may be satisfied with these minimal procedures, the results are not as predictable as traditional approaches. In your case, I would give it some time, a minimum of 6 months before considering any revision surgery. Most small asymmetries settle by then, but... more

Shahram Salemy, MD
Seattle Plastic Surgeon

Sometimes complete facial rejuvenation makes more sense than a limited procedure.

Quick lift, Mini lift, Lifestyle lift, One-stitch lift.... Patients always gravitate to these procedures because they like the cost, they like the marketing, but they don't ask what the long term results are. The question to ask is not how good you look at 7 days (which is the marketing pitch), but how good you look at 1 year or longer. I would not advise any lipodissolve or liposuction.

Francisco Canales, MD
Santa Rosa Plastic Surgeon

Mini lift works well for most early signs of aging

The mini lift which we also call a soft lift is a variation of traditional facelift with a short scar. Another term is a limited incision facelift. How the actual incision is made depends on what an individual surgeon has found to work best. We also will plan the incision according to individual patient needs. Through the small incision the deeper tissues can be adjusted and supported and the skin lifted in an upward direction to reduce laxity. The result is a substantial reduction in and... more

Peter E. Johnson, MD
Chicago Plastic Surgeon

A Quicklift may only last a 'quick time'.

There are a whole lot of 'face lift' procedures which are being heavily marketed at this time. If theycut less, and if they heal faster, and if they cost less, you can only expect lessof the result. There is no easier, better replacement for the real face lift. You only get what you pay for. Go get a real face lift and you will be happy with the result.

G. Gregory Gallico III, MD
Boston Plastic Surgeon

Can you post a before photo also please

You have a heavy appearing face, one which a mini lift won't do much for. It would be very helpful to see what you looked like before and therefore what changes you got and didn't get. Avoid lipodissolve as it is NOT FDA approved and avoid liposuction to your face as it can cause grooves and lines from being too close to the skin.

Richard P. Rand, MD, FACS
Seattle Plastic Surgeon

Mini lift

Without seeing good befoe and after photos, it is hard to comment. Usually in patients that require a full facelift, a mini-lift just doesn't do the job.

Steven Wallach, MD
Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

Sweep marks from mini face lift

Looking at your pictures, I think your before your before pictures are better than your after pictures. You needed a full face lift, brow lift with weakening of the corrugator muscles. Mini face lift would not correct the aging changes you had. I usually do not like to do liposuction to the face except in heavy faces. Lipodissolve is not approved and still under study. We lose fat with aging, so we must replace the fat back where it belongs. My advise to you is to see a Board Certified... more

Samir Shureih, MD
Baltimore Plastic Surgeon

Appearance after your mini-lift.

Dear Teresa, I read your question and your unhappy review. I'm unable to comment on your outcome without seeing your pictures from before the face lift and brow lift. The pictures you provided do not demonstrate an "operated", asymmetrical, or disfigured appearance. I've never met the doc that operated on you, but since you're dissatisfied, definitely get a second opinion from a board-certified facial plastic surgeon. I hope this is helpful, and best regards.

Eric M. Joseph, MD
West Orange Facial Plastic Surgeon

You can't always get major results with a mini procedure.

Without reviewing how severe your jowls were before surgery, it is nearly impossible to judge the efffectiveness of your mini lift. If you had advanced jowling, I would consider this an acceptable result. a

Otto Joseph Placik, MD
Chicago Plastic Surgeon

I checked your pre op photo

Hello Teresa, I went back into your old question posting about SMAS and saw your pre op frontal photo. I dare say that you look better now despite the fact that additional views would be more reflective of your results. Your results may be subtle, but you opted for a less invasive procedure, which generally gives a more subtle result. You don't tell us how long ago the surgery was performed. If it was recent there is still time for improvement with the healing process. Good luck!... more

Kenneth R. Francis, MD
Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

Need before and after photos form different angles

You don't say how far out from surgery you are, and before phaotos from different angles would be helpful. Also the terminology mini-lift can be confusing. It depends on exactly what was done at the time of surgery as to what results you should reasonably expect.