Facelift and skin resurfacing, same time or one before the other?

This is a great question. I have performed these two procedures in combination hundreds of  times over the years. The type of facelift and the power settings on the laser determine the risks to the circulation for healing along with any compromising medical conditions. For example, a person with diabetes or a history of smoking would be treated more conservatively.  I do not usually laser directly over the elevated skin flaps except to feather the edges to avoid abrupt demarcation. Fortunately, the skin flaps usually require less treatment anyway. If necessary, they can be done several weeks later. The advantages of doing it together are shared anesthesia time and simultaneous recovery time. In many cases the effects of combining these treatment appear to be synergistic.  

Best to You,
Dr.Stephen Fink
Newport Beach

Combining Facelift and Skin Resurfacing is done very often in my office.  I feel it is safe even with aggressive settings as long as the area immediately in front of the ears is not treated.  It is nice to recover from both at the same time, one overall recovery.  Remember that recovery from a facelift is relatively easy compared to recovery from skin resurfacing.  So, when you combine the two, it is that much more difficult, yet still very doable.  Adding skin resurfacing to a facelift can produce our most beautiful results, despite the difficulty of the recovery.