Best Options for Aging Face, 65 Year Old Woman? (video)

Thank you for your question and the photos.

A full facelift is likely your best option. If you do not wish to have surgery, aggressive fractionated laser resurfacing with some strategic botox and injectable fillers can give you partial improvement.  If you go the nonsurgical route, multiple treatments would be necessary and these costs add up over time.

To be sure, see two or more board-certified plastic surgeons in your area for a full and complete evaluation to make sure you are a good candidate and that it is safe for you to have surgery. I hope this helps.

 Thanks for posting your question and video.  Your face show the typical signs of aging as does the neck.  A minimal incision Face Lift with shaping of the cheeks anteriorly (front) would rejuvenate the face making it appear more feminine and naturally attractive.  This can be performed using smaller incisions in about 90 minutes with a quick recovery time.

 The neck is the issue that would need to be determined as it constitutes the majority of the excess skin, surgical time and recovery.  If you are happy with a 60-70% reduction of excess neck skin, a limited procedure would be applicable for a 65 year-old.  If, on the other hand, you're looking for a smooth neck...then a full Neck Lift would be required.  This adds approximately 3 hours of surgery time and 10 days to the recovery due to the amount of tissue dissection and blood vessels within the neck.

 Disregard any specific board or member that touts superiority over any other in performing Face Lifts.  These claims are disingenuous and unsubstantiated...in fact if any one board should claim superiority in Face Lifts, wouldn't it be Facial Plastic Surgeons who are board certified in Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.  These arguments are self-serving, childish and off topic IMHO.

 I have performed Face Lifts for over 25 years and IMHO, you as a consumer, should seek out the most experienced Face Lift Surgeon that you can find that understands and follows the proper aesthetics of facial beauty for the creation of a naturally, more attractive face...not one that is wind-blown or makes the face look like the joker.

There are lots of nonsurgical options offered, but none of them will give you the results you want so it is best not to waste your resources in that way. Rejuvenation in your case means repositioning the tissues, especially the deep tissues, to take away many of the changes due to gravity. If you simply lay on your back and hold a mirror directly over your face you will get a good approximation of the changes you can get from a good facelift. There are no shortcuts to that. You mentiioned a Lifestyle Lift, but that is a surgical procedure best reserved for a younger person seeking minimal changes. And even that is a surgical procedure. Interview 2 0r 3 surgeons in your area that do a large volume of facial cosmet surgery and you will have a change you like that will last for years.

Patients who desire facial rejuvenation that is affordable, quick, and effective should consider the Lite-lift™. The LiteLift™ is an innovative facelift developed by board-certified plastic surgeons Dr. Larry Nichter and myself which benefits many male patients. The goal of the #LiteLift is to provide a less invasive natural looking option for both men and women desiring to refresh their appearance with less downtime and risks. The LiteLift® is a “real” facelift, which does address the underlying muscle, tissue and overlying skin.
The technique requires limited incisions and takes a vertical lifting approach, in contrast to the traditional facelift, which requires extensive incisions and lifts or pulls the face towards the ears horizontally. The modern techniques used allow us to perform most LiteLift® procedures in the office under local anesthesia. Also, removing the risk of general anesthesia opens the door for more people to pursue facial surgery. All too often people do not move forward with undergoing the desires facelift surgery due to their overwhelming fear of the risks associated with general anesthesia.

This is a modified facelift that can be performed in the office with a local anesthetic and improve signs of aging around the neck, jawbone and lower face. These procedures are not "Thread-lifts" or "String-lifts". We do not use the "barbed" sutures employed in these other lifting operations. The Lite-lift™ uses longer lasting techniques that are discussed below. Because the incisions are limited, there is less bruising, swelling and healing time for most patients. Many patients can be back to work in one to two weeks looking rested and more youthful.
The best candidates for #LiteLift are non-smoking patients 35-60 years old with stable skin elasticity, well-defined bone structure but showing early changes of the lower face and the neck. Older patients who cannot or do not wish to have a longer operation or general anesthetic can be improved with a Lite Lift™. All in all, Lite Lift™ surgery is individualized for each patient.

   I would recommend a full face and neck lift to address your concerns.  This can be performed with a short scar facelift.  Find the plastic surgeon with ELITE credentials who performs hundreds of facelifts each year.  Kenneth Hughes, MD Los Angeles, CA

Thank you for your video. Your desire to avoid surgery is natural however the issues you are concerned about when you lifted your cheeks and neck can only be addressed surgically. That being said, there are numerous options for the kind of surgery you can have. I have specialized in facial aging procedures (non surgical and surgical) for about  20 years and wrote a book "The Fine Art of Looking Younger". There is no shortage of gimmicks in the field of Cosmetic Medicine. Non surgical facelifts, liquid facelifts, radiofrequency or "1 hour miracle procedures" consistently over promise and under deliver. I have spent many years performing the type of procedure you need under local anesthesia with sedation ("twilight") such that the majority of my patients feel comfortable and look very good in as little as one week. Many times, I have found people like yourself to be hesitant to have surgery from knowing people who had problems o results they don't like or seeing problems on sites like this as well as other sites and magazines which feature "plastic surgery disasters". I recommend you save your money and avoid non surgical procedure and "revolutionary 1 hour facelifts" and look for a surgeon who you feel will connect with you. I think that once you've developed a sense of trust and confidence in a surgeon, you will ultimately look the way you want and be glad you had the right procedure.

You don't have to have a facelift to look rejuvenated. But sometimes a facelift can help with your jowls and neck. You should look into filling your face in just the right way. If done thoughtfully, you can make your face smaller and more youthful at the same time.

Thank you for the photos and the video was fantastic. You will see a variety of procedures advocated or even promoted on the internet. No one procedure is best. In general the surgical procedures with a shorter downtime often have a less dramatic result. You need to let your surgeon know which is most important to you. Most patients will not have the dramatic improvement that surgery can offer with non surgical "fillers"  . Fillers however can most definitely add to the results of surgery so I would encourage you to have an open mind about an integrated approach.   Best of luck