Face Tightening After Facelift?

Question

I had a SMAS facelift 2 years ago -age 55. My skin was not pulled tight but was draped naturally. Good news -no one could tell what I had done. Bad news- it loosened in a year. So I had a mini tuck (skin only) a year later. People thought I was in my 30's. Now 1 yr later the mini tuck has loosened up. I have thick Greek skin with no wrinkles. So what can I do to tighten up my skin again? I was considering Ulthera. I would love another mini tuck but am not sure how often it can be done.

Babak Azizzadeh, MD · Answer

Without being able to examine you, it's difficult to recommend a treatment that could meet your ideal needs. Ulthera is a great treatment to help upkeep a facelift, as it works to tighten and tone minor sagging skin without surgery. If you're skin is drooping excessively, another facelift may be a viable option. Subtle volume augmentation may also be needed with fillers or fat grafting. I recommend consulting with an expert facial plastic surgeon to determine the best course of action.

Vincent N. Zubowicz, MD · Answer

I've tried a number of techniques that are noninvasive to "tighten" the skin. This includes laser, ultrasound, and radiofrequency. I don't think they work. I think this website will demonstrate that as well.

Evan Ransom, MD, FACS · Answer

Thank you for this interesting question. The durability of a facelift has many factors. Among these are your skin and soft tissue characteristics, but also the surgical technique. Skin-only facelifts and SMAS plication lifts may not be durable enough for thick-skinned individuals. A deeper level of dissection, such as a deep-plane facelift, may be a good option for a longer-lasting, natural-appearing result. You should discuss this with your qualified facial surgeon.

Kenneth Hughes, MD · Answer

Ulthera could certainly be considered. There are no hard and fast rules on intervals between facelifts. I like to see at least 2 to 5 years out of a facelift, but it may be reasonable to do more often. Discuss these items with your plastic surgeon.

William Portuese, MD · Answer

It is rather unusual to see someone at age 55 with olive complected skin to have to undergo 2 or 3 facelifts by that age. The skin on the neck is usually more lax than the skin on the face because the skin in the neck is tightened from behind the ears. A conservative revision face/neck lift will help tighten any excess skin and retighten the fascia and muscle layers underneath the skin. If there is sagging in the cheek area, cheek implants should be considered.

Face Tightening After Facelift?

Answers (8)