Stitches Vs Staples with a Face Lift?

You would really be surprised how many surgeons use staples on facelifts. Personally, I feel that staple are not, well, very "plastic surgeon- like", if you see what I mean. Your supposedly paying for a highly skilled artist. I think using staples are crude. I take the extra time and care to use sutures, even in the hairline. They give more precise closure and I feel that little details, even in hidden areas like behind the ear, really make a difference in the overall result. Using sutures is not as easy, but attention to detail really counts in plastic surgery.

Staples within the hair bearing tissue is a great idea as no hair need be shaved to prevent hair from being brought into the wound when tying sutures knots. My patients have not found them uncomfortable.On the other hand, staples should not be used in non-hair regions of the face.

Thank you for your question.  I use sutures not staples in facelift surgery.  The primary reason I do not use staples is that patients complain that they are uncomfortable especially when lying down at night in bed.

Some surgeons used staples in the hairline to lessen bleeding however staples should never be used in the non-hair bearing areas of the skin.

Although some studies disagree, I find that scarring is better with sutures than with staples.  Because staples are metal can compress the skin on either side of the scar and create cross hatch marks on the skin which I find sutures do not do.