Is laser resurfacing okay to perform during a facelift?

Question

Hello, During my facelift consult, the doctor recommended a mid facelift and a mini facelift along with full face ebrium laser resurfacing. Is laser resurfacing okay to perform during a facelift?

Donald Groves, MD · Answer

Hello and thank you for your question. I would not recommend performing the laser resurfacing at the same time as the facelift. The reason is because during a facelift, you dissect the skin and subcutaneous fat from the mid/lower face and neck off of the deeper structures (SMAS layer in the face, and platysma muscle in the neck). This results in a vascular insult to the skin from below- it is then relying purely on undissected blood vessels and largely their distribution of blood, oxygen and nutrients through the random deep dermal capillary network within the dissected face/neck skin. Assuming the patient is a nonsmoker, this is usually more than sufficient and heals very well. When you perform laser resurfacing, you damage the skin from above, as you remove some of the outermost layer(s) to allow new, better quality skin to heal in from below. As a result, when you perform both a facelift and laser resurfacing at the same time, you are introducing insults to the skin from both above and below, further stressing/compromising the vascularity, and increasing the risk of skin/wound complications (e.g. delayed/poor wound healing, skin ischemia/necrosis, infection, etc). 
Based on all that, my practice separates these into two separate procedures. The only exception for me is when I am performing laser resurfacing on an area which is untouched/uninvolved during the facelift (e.g. laser to eyelids during surgical facelift), since this only introduces one insult to the skin at each location. Every surgeon is different, and some still feel it is safe to perform facelift and laser resurfacing at the same time. I hope this helps!
Best wishes,
Dr. Donald Groves
Plastic Surgeon

Anil R. Shah, MD · Answer

It is common people get laser resurfacing at the end of the facelift procedure. Most of the time when you are under anesthesia already the provider can go deeper with the laser because you will not feel the effect of it at the time and can create better end results. It will help with tightening the skin as well.

Cory Bovenzi, MD · Answer

I will very commonly provide facial laser resurfacing at the same time as facelift surgery. It is safe to do so as long as your surgeon takes care to allow for sufficient blood flow to the areas of laser treatment (e.g. ensuring to have a substantial thickness of the skin flap and avoiding heavy laser settings to the most distal areas of the skin flap). In this way, you can have a single downtime and recovery period.

Mark G. Albert, MD, FACS · Answer

Hello,
Thank you for your question. Laser or peels are routinely done at the same time as facelift. Of note, facelifts can be done wide awake using local anesthesia and oral medications to help you relax. Patients do incredibly well with this and it avoids the side effects of general anesthesia.
Mark G. Albert, M.D., F.A.C.S.New York, NY

Saad Alsubaie, MD, FACS, FRCSC · Answer

I usually combined my facelift with laser resurfacing . This is a fantastic and safe way to rejuvenate the skin in addition to addressing the deeper structures of the face.

I am generally skeptic when it comes to mini facelift since this procedure only address the skin and the deeper tissue . The skin unfortunately sag again in 2-3 years after the procedures. Regarding mid facelift , a deep plane facelift should address and correct the mid face laxity and drop sometimes without the need for mid facelift .

For more information please visit our social media platforms and website or check out our Youtube educational materials. Good luck !

Jonathan Kulbersh, MD · Answer

Thank you for your question. Non-surgical procedures, such as laser resurfacing, are often combined with a facelift to enhance results and diminished aesthetic concerns not addressed by surgery. Laser resurfacing treatments are ideal for reducing fine lines and wrinkles, treating uneven pigmentation and texture, and improving mild skin laxity.

I recommend scheduling an in-person consultation with an experienced, board-certified facial plastic surgeon. They will be able to answer any questions you have and determine the best treatment plan for you.

Timothy Osborn, MD · Answer

It should be. For many of the facelifts we provide, we will add on a deep chemical peel. It makes the recovery a little more intense, but it will still be just one recovery; and with a better outcome.

Jacob Tower, MD · Answer

Good morning, that's a great question. Simple answer: yes. Facelift surgery is routinely combined with laser resurfacing with the benefit being the recovery is experienced all at once rather than separately if the procedures are staged at different times. 
Cheers,Dr. Tower

Richard Baxter, MD · Answer

Laser resurfacing is frequently done at the same time as a facelift but usually not over skin that has been undermined. For example it may be done around the eyes, mouth and chin with a full facelift to address areas that the facelift doesn't.

Stephen Prendiville, MD · Answer

The brief answer is "Yes", performing both procedures at the same time is safe.  I routinely perform a deep plane facelift and concomitant fractionated CO2 laser resurfacing.  In many circumstances, especially in SWFL, patients with extensive skin damage will be underwhelmed by the facelift alone and require fractionated CO2 laser resurfacing to get a result that they will be happy with.

Is laser resurfacing okay to perform during a facelift?

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