Moelleken Plastic Surgery - Santa Barbara

A: We have many patients , male and female, who are bald. They have had excellent results with a facelift. There are a several tricks to hiding incisions while preserving normal anatomy, ie ears, direction of pull, tragus etc. Also, while you have had a nice weight loss, you have lost volume in key areas of the face. This should ideally also be addressed during your facelift.

A: While performing a lip lift could pull down on the columellar tissue, the problem is a lack of volume in that area. Typically a cartilage graft is necessary. Remember that that area is very tight, so expectations must be realistic.

A: Many doctors are overly defatting the neck with Ultherapy, liposuction, Kybella, laser liposuction and radiofrequency in an effort to make the submental area look better and 'tighten' skin. Not a week goes by without me seeing a patient who has had their neck and/or face overly defatted. In my opinion, none of these treatments effectively tightens the skin, tightens the muscle and removes extra fat. So what is the solution to a double chin or skin looseness in the neck? Seen simplistically, three things can cause problems in the neck: extra fat, loose muscle (platysma) and loose skin. Loose skin is best treated by a neck lift or lower facelift. Neck banding is best treated by a platysmal tightening. Extra fat can be treated by one of the above techniques. So rather than select a doctor who is a one-trick pony, it's better to select somebody who does all of the above and is proficient at both minimally invasive devices and laser as well as facelifts, platysmal surgery as well.