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  • Can a Single Facelift Be Substituted With Several Smaller Procedures?
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Hi, I'm Dr. Epstein. I'm going to answer A question that was posed to me on RealSelf. The question reads as follows, "I wanted a facelift but I'm not quite ready. Are there some non-invasive options that can replace surgery but yet give me similar types of results?" That's essentially the way the question is phrased. I guess before answering this question, I think it's important that an individual should know that the aging process is something that occurs and starts from birth, and there are essentially three things that are going on that occur throughout your life that tend to worsen and complement each other. The three things that occur are essentially volume depletion, loss of elasticity in the skin and underlying soft tissues, and of course gravitational changes. The three are so intertwined that it is sometimes very difficult to just treat an aged face by only treating one of those particular problems.

When thinking about rejuvenating a face, it's important that we talk to a patient about adding volume or replacing volume with either filler or structural fat grafting that can be done in the operating room. We talk about doing something to improve the integrity of the skin and that can be done in a whole host of different ways with either light chemical peels, things like Dermaplaning, Dermapen. It can be done with laser resurfacing. You want to perform some kind of insult to the skin that's going to essentially create collagenesis so new collagen is being formed and it improves elasticity.

The third thing is trying to correct the gravitational changes that occur with aging. The best way to do that is really with surgery. It is possible, on occasion, to use a neurotoxin such as Botox or Dysport to create some kind of lift of certain portions of the face. But to achieve long lasting and more natural looking result, surgery is probably the best way to correct some of the gravitational changes. Before answering this particular person, I'd have to of course examine them. I would always recommend that they be seen by an experienced board certified plastic surgeon that is well versed in treating the aged face so that they can get certainly all of their options displayed out there and pick the best possible treatment plan for them. I hope I was helpful in some way. Thank you.

Can a Single Facelift Be Substituted With Several Smaller Procedures?

Dr. Michael Epstein answers a question from a RealSelfer regarding non-invasive treatments for the face. What can be done if you're not quite ready for a facelift?