Am I a Candidate for a Facelift at 32? (photo)

Hello,

  Thank you for including a photograph with your question.  It makes meaningful discussion about relevant therapies a little more attainable. 

  One of the most important aspects of whether or not you are a candidate for a facelift are your goals for the procedure.  A lower facelift is a great treatment for sagging jowls and to improve the contours of the neck.  The primary way this is accomplished is by removing excess skin and secondarily by elevating some of the deeper tissues. 

  I might suggest that your photographs illustrate aging in the midface to be greater then the aging of the lower face.  Subsequently, you would be better served with a midface lift then with a lower facelift.  With a midface lift the deep tissue of your cheeks and around the lower eyes are elevated and resuspended in a more youthful position.  During this type of procedure I would also recommend fat grafting to help restore some of the lost volume of the midface. 

Hope this helps.

 

During your #consultation, your skin texture and elasticity, as well as your underlying skin structure and your facial bone structure will be evaluated. Based on this evaluation, your board certified plastic surgeons will create a custom surgical plan, detailing specific techniques and recommendations to meet your goals. In doing so, he or she should be sure to have a full understanding of what results you expect.

The best candidates for our #LiteLift surgery are non-smoking patients 35-60 years old with early changes of the lower face and the neck. But whose skin has elasticity with well defined bone structure. Older patients who cannot or do not wish to have a longer operation or general anesthetic can be improved with a Lite Lift™.  If you are not a #candidate, your surgeon can make other suggestions to address your concerns and objectives. 

Younger patients may benefit from nonsurgical treatments before considering surgery. You may want to explore fillers, Botox and laser technologies first before considering surgery. However, seeing your photo, you may benefit from surgery as well considering the severity of your wrinkles and creases.

    Facial fat grafting or fillers would improve the facial wasting and allow you to avoid the scars of facelifting.  Kenneth Hughes, MD Los Angeles, CA

While it is difficult for me to fully make an assessment by photos, I can see that you have some early aging features that are typically addressed by some type of facelift procedure.  In general, the midfacelift, which elevates the cheek fat pad back to a more youthful position, and the jowls along the jawline, are nicely addressed, avoiding the more extensive work of the necklift.  For the nasolabial folds, in general a midfacelift or full facelift reduces them by 30 to 40%, or so, the remaining improvement taken care of by fullers.  Also, I would not immediately recommend a midface filler or implant, instead wait to see how much it improves with the midfacelift, assuming that is what you are planning on undergoing.

You have some volume loss in your face which should respond well to fat injections and give you a 'lifted' look without surgery

 

I think you summarized your options well. You have a sunken appearance in the sub-malar area. It's hard to tell from photos how "loose" or mobile your skin is. Either fat transfer or submalar cheek implants would be the way to go.

I agre with the other answers posted.  Generally in younger patients in their 30's to early 40's facial fillers, botox and facial resurfacing can provide significant antiaging benefits.  Facelift surgery generally addresses the lower face and neck. and  is not commonly performed in younger patients.  You appear to have lost facial volume which is common in patients who exercise significantly.  By adding  volume  with  facial fillers such as perlane, radiesse, juviderm you likely can signicantly enhance your facial aesthetics.  Fillers can also  camouflage jowels. and enhance the lower face.    

At 32, you are a bit young for a facelift.  However, many of the features observed in the photo can be improved with surgery.  Before any procedure or treatment, you would need a full examination and also history of skin disorders in case you have a collagen disorder which would limit any improvement from a facelift.  My first suggestion would be to try fillers such as Sculptra, Juvederm and/or Radiesse which may offer a great amount of improvement without having to have surgery.  

 

Good Luck.

From what you describe and from you picture, fillers may be all that you need.  Sculptra may actually be perfect for you as it can restore much of the lost volume of your face and fix the nasolabial folds.  Fat grafting may also be good...visit with your plastic surgeon to discuss that details and pros and cons of Sculptra vs fat grafting.