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

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!

Tying your hair up like you mention will simulate a brow lift as you have noticed.  An actual facelift is intended to lift the neck, cheeks, and jowls.  Your question is not a silly question at all.  Anything that helps you communicate better with your plastic surgeon is of value in obtaining the result you want.

Don't be embarrassed at all. What you are describing is very common. Many of my patients will simulate what type of result they are looking for by pulling the hair or facial skin up and back. They often do this in the mirror to imagine how they would like to change there face. Keep in mind however that not all of the areas you can pull with your hair or fingers can realistically be pulled with surgery. See a facelift surgeon in our area and don't be embarrassed to show them how you would like to look and find out from them what procedures might be helpful.

Hairline raised to alter facial shape is one way to show what you want. I would need to see you to determine if this can be done, which it probably can. Some combination of forehead and or facelift should do this.

Be very careful of pulling your hair too tight, this could cause traction alopecia and permanent baldness.  A comprehensive face/neck lift involves not only tightening the skin, but also the facial muscles as well as removing submental fat.  Pulling your hair tight will only mimic a very minimal skin pull and is not representative of a full face/neck lift.

If you can mimic the results that you would like, don't be afraid to discuss this with your surgeon.  If he "laughs you out of the office" or makes you feel uncomfortable, it doesn't mean you are asking a ridiculous question, but rather that your surgeon isn't the right fit for you.  Keep looking.

Chances are, after a consultation with a board-certified surgeon, you should be able to get a good idea whether or not what you see yourself in the mirror will be what the results of your surgery give you. 

Hope this helps,

Dr. Hall

I see this often in my office. The one thing that it helps is the skin redraping. Face lifts should pull on the skin because the skin stretches and your results go away. I would show your doctor this to demonstrate what you would like to achieve. He should totally listen and tell you what he thinks if this is achievable or not. A browlift laterally could also help you.

You really should not be embarresed to discuss these issues with a plastic surgeon.  Just to let you know, old-school stage actresses do nearly the same thing, but even use skin colored tape and rubber bands to get the lifted effect.  Because you have been experimenting with different vectors of skin pull, you can have an intelligent discussion with a facelift surgeon, and together you can decide what version of the operation is correct for you (facelift vs brow lift, scar location, etc.)

Best wishes,

Dr.B

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.