Mini facelift. Do all surgeons staple to the cheek muscle?

Question

Do all surgeons with a mini face lift staple to the cheek muscle .I was told it holds the lift in place. I don"t like the idea of having Ethibond sutures in my face.

Robert Deeb, MD · Answer

Hello and thanks for the question.  There are a variety of options for re-suspending the tissue during a mini-facelift.  For the deeper layers, it would be very unusual for staples to be used. Generally the muscle layer is resuspended with some type of suture, either absorbable or permanent. 
For the skin layer, some surgeons do choose to use staples for certain areas, often behind the ears. The staples are then removed 5-8 days later.  Skin can also be closed with absorbable or permanent sutures as well.
Hope that helps and good luck

Jonathan Kulbersh, MD · Answer

Every surgeon develops techniques over the years that work best in most of their patients. I don’t use staples in face lifts. I find that sutures are better able to withstand the downward pull of tissues, and hold the muscle and skin in place as they heal. The most important thing is to find a facial plastic surgeon who inspires trust and confidence. I hope this helps.

Jonathan Pontell, MD, FACS · Answer

Hi and thanks for your question.  I use dissolvable sutures to lift the muscle layer (SMAS).  I believe that most surgeons use dissolvable sutures as well.  The important thing is to see a surgeon who has a lot of experience and can show you many good before and after photos.

A. Joshua Zimm, MD · Answer

There are many techniques used to suspend the deeper tissues of the face involved in a mini lift.  It's best to rely upon a surgeon's judgment in terms of their technique if you trust the surgeon you are seeing.  There are many suspension methods that can get a nice result.  Best wishes.

Paul J. Leahy, MD · Answer

Thanks for your question. Surgeons may choose different suture types based on the particular case, but no, I doubt many surgeons actually use any staples on the deep tissues or the skin (except maybe in the scalp area). I prefer to use absorbable ("dissolvable") sutures throughout. Once several weeks of healing have gone by, the sutures really should not be necessary. I hope that helps answer your question.

Craig R. Dufresne, MD · Answer

Dear senia kazar,
Staples are usually only used if neccsery on the skin or scalp of a facelift. Ethibond sutures are used in the deeper tissues to suspend them. You can use disolvable sutures, but generally they do not give you the desired suspention but lasts for the facelift.

Matthew Kienstra, MD, FACS - Account Suspended · Answer

No - most of us do not use staples. Sutures are most commonly used to suspend the deeper tissues supero-laterally. These can be dissolvable or permanent. Both have worked well in the past. I can understand not wanting permanent sutures, but really they have been used for 1000's of cases without alot of issues.

Mini facelift. Do all surgeons staple to the cheek muscle?

Answers (7)

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