Age 38, can a facelift make me look less gaunt & remove the jowls? (Photo)

Question

I have lost a lot of volume and my Jowls have appeared in the last few years (now 38). Can a face lift make me look less gaunt and remove the Jowls, like the look I have created by pulling my skin tight on one side?

Selcuk Inanli, MD · Answer

Hello ! Thank you for your question l recommend you mid face lift your face will look tighter with this surgery and it will look more attractive for the stretched
Thank you ! regards

Suleyman Tas, MD, FEBOPRAS · Answer

Dear Kind805070,

From your picture you seem like a great candidate for facelift surgery as well as necklift and fat injections into your smile lines. Furthermore, the upper part of your face can also be discussed and addressed at the same time as the midface lift procedure. We recommend doing the vertical facelift and not horizontal to ensure not to have a pulled or artificial appearance and instead have a natural look post surgery. Please find the attached link for necklift procedure.

Best Regards,
TAS TEAM

Jonathan Kulbersh, MD · Answer

Thank you for your question and photo. Due to your age and limited loose skin, you may want to consider a mini facelift to reduce early signs of aging, such as jowl formation. This procedure can rejuvenate the appearance of the face by tightening the underlying facial muscles and repositioning them as an anchor to support the skin. 
The jowls can also be addressed and the jawline angulated to create a favorable contour. I recommend scheduling an in-person consultation with an experienced, board-certified facial plastic surgeon who can conduct a thorough physical examination and suggest the best treatment option.

Sam Speron, MD, FACS · Answer

Thank you for sharing this photo and this question. It can be confusing to try to figure out which procedure works best for the aging face and who to ask. A facelift can usually be an option on most realistic patients anytime after the age of 35-40. It really depends on your anatomy and genetics. It is best to talk to your surgeon because everybody has different techniques and recovery time is usually based on a number of factors but there's no set number on age. Sometimes even younger people are candidates because of their anatomy or if they have gone through certain medical conditions.

Surgery is not for everyone though. In today's day and age, there are many nonsurgical options to consider although surgery usually gets the most improvement specifically of the neck and jowls. Aging lip lines, forehead wrinkles and skin tone can be nicely improved with injectables and laser treatments.

I would recommend that you see a board-certified plastic surgeon in your area that is a member of both ASPS & ASAPS and performs a lot of facelifts and neck lifts but also offers all the nonsurgical options such as injectables and laser treatments. Go over your concerns with them and make sure above all, you walk out of there with several options and an idea of the pros and cons to each of them as well as realistic expectations.

I hope this helps and wish you all the best in your surgery and event. If it does, please take a moment to up vote this answer on the “respond” button on the top right.

Thomas A. Mustoe, MD, FACS · Answer

At age 38 you have early changes if aging around the mouth and jowls, and I think the best operation for a natural and lasting result is a deep plane approach that releases the attachments of the superficial muscle-fascia plane (SMAS) and truly repositions them rather than merely dragging with sutures. I would visit 2-3 experienced surgeons and look at training reputation and before and after pictures.  Most mini facelifts which are tempting will not give lasting results.

Ronald J. Edelson, MD · Answer

You’re a bit on the young side for a facelift but it would not be unreasonable in your case. You would get some worthwhile improvement

Michelle Copeland, MD, DMD · Answer

With a mini-lift, only the lower face -- from cheek to chin -- is lifted, which effectively eliminates jowls and redefines the cheekbones. As with a face-lift, the mini-lift is often accompanied by a neck lift, which removes fat from below the chin and tightens the neck's platysma muscles, all through a tiny incision under the chin. The best candidates for the mini-lift are those who are unhappy with the contour of their lower face and neck, and whose skin has good resiliency.
You may also be a candidate for a Threadlift. A non-surgical face-lift that is minimally invasive and addresses signs of aging in the face, including droopiness of the skin of the brow, cheeks, jowls, and neck without incisions or scars. Threads are inserted painlessly under the skin to lift and contour the tissues, providing an immediate tightening. The procedure can be performed using local anesthesia, and most patients can return to normal activities the next day. 
Thermage® is a safe, non-invasive, radiofrequency (RF) cosmetic procedure that’s clinically proven to help smooth, tighten and contour skin for an overall younger looking appearance. The treatment delivers natural looking results with little to no downtime —on all skin colors, on and off the face, all in a single procedure.
Thermage® uses radiofrequency to treat sagging skin, loose jowls, lack of definition in the jaw line, sagging neck skin (“turkey neck”), wrinkles and fine lines.
Injected fillers are a quick, easy way to see how you would look with more definition to your cheeks. These can help angulate your face so it doesn't look as long. The hyalouronic acid fillers such as Juvederm and Voluma can be used or Radiesse made of hydroxyapatite is also effective in the cheek area. It's also possible to use your own fat to improve facial contour.
I suggest you make an appointment with a board certified plastic surgeon who will examine you and go over your surgical options in detail.

Ian MacArthur, MD, FRCSC · Answer

Thank you for your question. A facelift would certainly be able to remove the jowls around your jawline. Volume restoration in your cheeks with HA fillers or facial fat grafting could also be considered. Take care.

Thomas Spalla, MD · Answer

In short, yes, a limited facelift could result in the change you seek. That being said, you may wish to try non-invasive skin tightening procedures first as they don't pose the same risk/downtime/scars and you'll always have the option of a facelift in the future. You're quite young and have many years ahead of you, so I'd recommend starting conservatively.

Eric Maiorino, MD · Answer

The short answer to your question is yes, a face lift will tighten that area and improve the very mild ptosis or sagging you have. However, given your young age and lack of skin excess, you might want to consider other, less invasive options first such as CO2 laser, microneedling with radiofrequency, etc to help tighten the skin a bit more prior to jumping to a surgical treatment.

Age 38, can a facelift make me look less gaunt & remove the jowls? (Photo)

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