Deep plane facelift for African American skin - is this type of facelift good for darker skin tones?

Question

Hi, I am wondering if this type of facelift has great results for darker skin tones. The reason I am asking is that I don't see any or barely see any photos of African American or dark-skinned people in the before and after photos on any sites where this procedure is done.

Bora Ok, MD · Answer

Hello from Istanbul! Generally speaking, drooping of the skin is seen less in African American patients in comparison to those with lighter skin tones. Certain type of scarring may be more worrisome for these patients, which is why fewer African Americans prefer this type of surgery. However, scarring differs greatly from patient to patient. In case of drooping, sagging skin, a deep plane face lift may be safely and effectively performed on African American patients as well, as long as the surgery, suturing techniques and skin care are all tailored to the needs of the thick-skin patient. Hope this helps.

Jacob Tower, MD · Answer

Hello, hope you are well. The answer is yes, a deep-plane technique is a good choice for African American skin / darker skin tones. Deep to the skin, we all share the same anatomy with relatively minor variations (irrelevant to skin tone). The most important consideration with melanated skin is the higher frequency of keloid formation which is an overexuberant type of scar. Whatever facelift technique is chosen, ensuring a tension-free closure is the most important controllable factor to reduce the risk of keloid formation. Not all facelift techniques are tension-free, but a well executed deep-plane technique allows for this. In addition, you will want to follow-up routinely with your surgeon after so that if any unfavorable scarring begins to occur, it can be monitored and modulated (steroid injections, etc).
Best,Dr. Tower

William Portuese, MD · Answer

The type of SMAS tightening used during a facelift doesn't matter with African-American skin. What matters most is how the skin incision is meticulously closed under no tension, which is trying to avoid any hypertrophic scarring or keloid formation. Follow up with your operative surgeon is also important to monitor for any healing issues for several months after the procedure

Deep plane facelift for African American skin - is this type of facelift good for darker skin tones?

Answers (3)

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