Should laser resurfacing or deep chemical peel be performed before a face lift? (Photos)

I would highly recommend that you NOT get any resurfacing done before a facelift. The reason being that the resurfacing will change the skin for the better, but the facelift will lift the skin up over the jawline. That causes the neck skin, that hasn't been treated by resurfacing, to be pulled up and the line where the resurfacing ended can be seen. I personally prefer to do an Erbium laser resurfacing at the same time as a deep plane facelift. The deep plane technique allows for the ability to laser the skin safely due to a better blood supply to the facelift skin. That way, the facelift lifts the jowl, then the laser can be performed right down to the new jawline and "feathered" into the skin of the neck. Both heal at the same time, so though patient literally look horrible during the healing of a laser peel, by the time 7-10 days pass, things look pretty good. And by day 14, patients look great. The before & after photos on the link are patients that have had a facelift with laser resurfacing.Andrew Campbell, M.D.Facial Rejuvenation SpecialistQuintessa

Great question... typically I combine a facelift with a deep chemical peel or a fully ablative laser for facial wrinkles. We do this at the same time so patients only have to heal once.

I would definitely recommend doing any face lifting surgery prior to any deep laser or chemical peel resurfacing.  There is always a transition zone between the face and the neck under the jawline where the laser/peel treatment must end.  The neck can not tolerate deep resurfacing in the same way the face can. If you have the resurfacing first the more hidden transition zone under the jawline will be moved into a more visible location as the skin is re-draped for the facelift. This can result in a "line of demarcation" between the treated and untreated skin (either different color or texture) being much more visible. 

I think you are a wonderful candidate for a full face lift. If you really want a refreshed look and to know it our of the park, I recommend preparing your skin prior to your procedure with laser resurfacing. This will allow for the correction of texture, poor size, fine lines, wrinkles etc. By combining skin care with surgery, you will have a much nicer outcome. Be sure to consult with a board certified plastic and reconstructive surgeons to ensure all of your concerns are addressed and understood. Good luck!

Depending on your surgeon, many times a chemical peel can be done at the same time as the facelift. I also incorporate fat injections for many patients at the time of surgery, fat injections fill out the face where fat has been lost due to aging. Be sure to consult with a board cetified plastic surgeon. Good luck.

Thank you for the great question and the pictures. Face and neck lift are surgical procedures that will lift the facial skin and fat pads, as well as the neck skin and platysma muscle. The excess tissues are removed at the incisions around the ears and in the hairline. For the skin surface texture, however, adjuvant therapies are often required. Chemical peels or ablative laser resurfacing (e.g., with CO2) can dramatically improve the skin surface texture and add to the overall rejuvenating effects of the surgery. Best of luck moving forward!

A good option is to have the facelift Nd at the same time have a peel around the mouth.  This combination works well.  If you are considering a full face peel it would wait about three months after the facelift.

Facial resurfacing with laser or chemical peels is used to smooth out wrinkles around the mouth and eyes all the time. It is usually performed at the same time as the face lift because the resurfaced skin is not undermined and therefore not at risk for decreased blood supply and poor healing.

Dear spebe0122,Thank you for your question. I prefer laser re-surfacing to chemical peels for a variety of reasons. I believe lasers to be more controlled both is the delivery method and timing. This allows me to treat more skin types with less variability in the outcome. I used to perform my peels/laser during the facelift surgery, but I have now moved to performing them after. This allows me to be more aggressive with the laser/peel. It also allows me to re-assess the patient after the facelift and see if anything else is indicated (Botox for example). The laser procedure is performed with local anesthesia and nitrous oxide, so patients are quite comfortable during the procedure.Best regards,Nirmal R. Nathan, M.D.Certified, American Board of Plastic SurgeryMember, American Society of Plastic Surgeons

Thank you for your question and for attaching photos. In looking at the photos it appears you are an excellent candidate for both laser resurfacing and a face lift with upper and lower eyelid surgery. The best thing for you to do is to have a consultation with a Board Certified plastic surgeon who is a member of ASAPS to determine what options are best for you to achieve your goals. In my practice I often do laser resurfacing at the same time as a face lift depending on the quality of the skin. The downside to doing this is you cannot be as aggressive with the laser on the skin flap because of blood supply. The advantage is you have one recovery. Now the other option would be to do the face and eyelid procedure and then do the laser resurfacing 6-8 weeks later. This way the skin flaps are healed and you can be more aggressive. You can also laser over top of the incisions so they are made even better. The down side is two recoveries and the upside is the ability to be more aggressive in certain areas and the ability to go over the incisions. This said, in the right hands, face lift incisions heal extremely well and are hard to see anyway. It really will depend on your surgeon's comfort level and what your surgeon feels is best based on your physical exam. Best of luck.