Facelift procedure types - what are my best options? (Photo)

You've got beautiful facial structure, and I am sure your surgeon is excited to help you achieve your facial rejuvenation goals! It is completely understandable to be nervous, and rather than focus more on the specific technique or combination that will be employed, find a skilled surgeon whom you trust and feel a connection with and discuss your goals.
But to actually answer your question, if you want to address both the jowling and your mid-face volume deficit, you will need a procedure that lifts the SMAS and fat grafting. When done correctly, this is a powerful combination for a refreshed appearance.

You should not have this much anxiety about a facelift procedure. They are generally very safe and you should look great and heal well within 7-10 days. I believe SMAS facelift techniques yield natural results with good longevity.

Deciding on the type of procedure that you think will help you is less important than choosing the right Surgeon who will choose the correct procedure to address your concerns. In my hands, a deep plane facelift offers the best, most natural, and longest lasting results for my patients. Go and see a few Surgeons, look at their results and make your decision based on the results you see, the way that the staff treat you, and whether you find the Surgeon credible. It's always better to see a Surgeon focusing on Faces.

Yes, all the different terminology can be quite confusing. The most important thing to do is to see multiple experienced surgeons, look at his or her photos, and get a feel of what the best procedure would be and how you feel about him or her personally. Make sure the credentials are in order, he or she has hospital privileges, as well as significant experience in facelift surgery with the photos to back it up. I would recommend having a deep plane facelift performed as that gives the longest result and look very natural when performed well.

Your picture does not show your neck or your lower face so it is hard to provide any guidance. You should not be worried about the technique as long as your plastic surgeon is experienced in that particular technique if it is the best option for you. This is the conversation that you will have at your consultation with your board certified plastic surgeon.

It's completely understandable to feel nervous and overwhelmed when considering a facelift, especially with the various types available and the prospect of surgery.

Each type of facelift you mentioned – SMAS, MAC, endoscopic, deep plane, mini deep plane, and mini lift – has its own advantages and targets different aspects of facial aging. Generally, the newer deep plane techniques tend to provide more long-lasting results compared to shorter scar or minimal manipulation techniques like the SMAS plication or mini lifts. These deep plane methods address not just the skin and underlying layers laterally, but also structures more medially such as the nasolabial folds and jowling, which can lead to more significant and enduring improvements in skin laxity and aging changes.

Regarding your concerns about recovery, it's important to remember that while post-surgical images might appear daunting, these represent just a phase in the healing process. The introduction of new technologies such as lightstim and laser therapies can indeed help reduce scarring, swelling, bruising, and pain, which can lead to a more comfortable and expedited recovery.

I encourage you to focus on choosing the right surgeon for your procedure. Look for someone with extensive experience in facelift surgeries, especially in the technique that aligns best with your goals. A skilled and experienced surgeon can not only provide a safer surgical experience but can also tailor the procedure to your specific needs, ensuring a rewarding outcome.

It's also important to have a thorough consultation where you can discuss all your concerns, understand the different options, and get a realistic idea of what to expect in terms of results and recovery. This will help alleviate some of your fears and prepare you mentally and physically for the procedure.

Remember, while the decision to undergo a facelift is significant, it can also be a very positive and transformative experience when done for the right reasons and with the right professional guidance.

Wishing you the best in your journey towards rejuvenation.

Most facelifts have more similarities than diffferences. The fancy word speak means very little. The important factor is your choice of surgeon. Forget all that other stuff

Hello, hope you are well. Thank you for submitting your questions and photo. Based on what can be assessed in the photo you have attached, a deep plane facelift would offer you the best result. There are many advantages to this approach, but suffice it to say that a greater and more comprehensive lift with a natural appearance can be achieved versus the other options you listed. I'm not sure why you included the reference to a chronic wound dressing, but there are technologies that can be offered to help with recovery after a facelift (e.g. hyperbaric oxygen). Good luck!
Best,Dr. Tower

I recommend an in person consultation or at least a virtual consult for initial screening. Depending on your candidacy, treatment for the aging skin, descent of the facial fat compartments, and lax neck/SMAS would be ideal. I recommend a Board-Certified Craniofacial Plastic Surgeon who is an expert at treating the face and neck for best results.

For most cosmetic surgical procedures, there are two variables that matter when it comes to consistent quality outcomes.
Both of these variables are very important and I suggest patients focus on those two and skip the rest.
The two variables are the patients candidacy for the procedure, and the second is the skill and experience of the provider.
I suggest you try not to understand the difference between the various terminology or suppose advantages of each procedure.
In reality and the hands of the right surgeon, you’ll get the right procedure with consistent quality, long-term outcomes and high patient satisfaction.
To find the right provider, I suggest scheduling multiple in person, consultations with plastic surgeons in your community who seem to Specialize exclusively in facelift surgery and have at least 10 years but preferably 20 years of experience doing facelift.
Look at providers websites to get an idea of which procedures they do a lot of.
For example, if there are hundreds of pictures of tummy, tucks and breast documentations, and two or three facelift Then this is probably not the provider you’re looking for.
Providers who have extensive experience with facelift surgery tend to be a little older.
A lot of this has to do with the clientele seeking this procedure.
Once you found a list of providers, who seem to really excel at this procedure or offer facelift exclusively schedule in person consultations.
During each consultation, ask each provider to open up their portfolio and show you their entire collection of before, and after pictures of previous patients, who had similar facial characteristics to your own.
Bring pictures of yourself to use as reference when reviewing before and after pictures.
Take a look at how plastic surgeons take before and after pictures to get an idea of how facial pictures should be taken.
We definitely need to see profile pictures as well as frontal pictures to make an assessment and you should have these as well.
Highly experienced plastic surgeon will, in fact, have access to 100, or even thousands of before, and after pictures to choose from.
Being shown a handful of pre-selected images, representing only the best results of a providers career may be insufficient to get a clear understanding of what average results look like in the hands of each provider, what your results are likely to look like or how many of these procedures they’ve actually done.
This is a finesse procedure, and there is an enormous difference between those who have mastered facelift surgery versus those who do them once in a while.
You’ll be reminded of the outcome every day when you look in the mirror for the rest of your life so please choose carefully.
There isn’t much you can do about your own candidacy. What you do have control over is provider selection and that is the one single variable that’s going to determine , if you get a quality outcome or not.
The name of the procedure is relatively unimportant.
Each provider will have worked out what works for them without branding titles, gimmicks or other way of trying to market their practice.
I generally tend to avoid anyone marketing, mini procedures, fast recovery procedures, or minimal scar procedures.
I personally had a facelift in my late 40s and have zero regret.
I also selected one of the world’s best facelift surgeons, and the experience turned out far better than I had anticipated.
Quality facelift surgeons typically charge significant amounts of money for their procedures.
There are no shortcuts when it comes to this.
There are also plastic surgeons who truly aren’t that great who also charge a lot of money so price alone is not an indication of skill or experience.
Very competent surgeons tend to be detail oriented usually spend a significant amount of time during consultations, and above all will typically present a collection of before, and after pictures that has what seems like an endless number of pictures to review.
There’s no correct number of consultations needed to find the best provider.
Considering the importance of provider selection, my recommendation is that patients should have at least five consultations before selecting a provider.
I highly recommend against having virtual consultations, and generally do not recommend people travel long distance as for elective surgical procedures, though depending on where You live sometimes travel may be necessary.
Best,
Mats Hagstrom, MD