I Tie my Hair Up to Give Myself a Psedo Face Lift. Would an Actual Lift Give the Same Look?

   Without seeing a picture or having the benefit of an exam, the description you give will likely involve more than just a facelift.  Perhaps some form of brow lift with or without eyelid surgery may be appropriate.  Kenneth Hughes, MD Los Angeles, CA

Many women have come to my offices in New York with exactly the same strategy. Unfortunately, this practice of gathering your hair so tightly to lift the face slightly results in hair loss particularly in the hairline (referred to as "traction alopecia). My associate is Dr. Gary Hitzig, the creator of ACell and PRP (whom I coined "Hair Rescue" with) to treat male and female pattern hair loss, and we see this problem a lot with individuals who do this to that effect. As far as your concern about embarrassment, I doubt any surgeon who's been in practice for a few years would not have come across a situation like yours. For some of my patients who want to change their eye to a more almond shape with upturned corners, I perform Almond Eyelid Surgery. Some patients, depending on their whole face, may need a brow lift and botox injections or a face lift surgery to raise or lift that facial area. Meet with qualified and experienced surgeons and learn more about your options for facial surgery.

When you tie your hair back, you are affecting the skin in areas that a facelift alone may not address. There is a lot of tension being placed on your forehead/brow area, and you may benefit from a brow lift.  Typically, a brow lift can make the following improvements:

1) Improve a sad or tired appearance
2) Reduce the appearance of sagging skin in the forehead

 

A surgeon with a good aesthetic eye will not usually require a demonstration of how you would like your eyes to appear.  They will be able to make suggestions to determine what procedure(s) will best enhance your own natural look and make the greatest improvement to your appearance. I would recommend a consultation with a board certified surgeon that has a great deal of experience performing procedures the the eyes and brow. Thanks and I hope this helps!