• Video
  • These Facial Rejuvenation Procedures Can Improve a Facelift's Results
{{ showTranscript ? 'HIDE' : 'SHOW' }} TRANSCRIPT
Woman: I'm going to have a facelift and I'm wondering what else I could benefit from. Planning a facelift on May 28. I would like an expert advice, suggestions, and what else along with the facelift will give me optimal results in turning back the hands of time. I appreciate feedback from you experts. Thank you in advance.

Dr. Amiya Prasad: Thank you for your question. You're planning to have a facelift and you've submitted photos - looking for suggestions of what else you think you would benefit from at the same time as your facelift.

Well, as a cosmetic oculofacial plastic surgeon practicing for 20 years, specializing in eyelid surgery and face-lifting surgery, this is a question that I think is something that we deal with every day.

When we look at facial rejuvenation, there are things that people come in to see us with that they're really concerned about. And so if you're considering a facelift, or face and neck lift, you're bothered by the loss of jawline definition, the sagging of the skin, and the sagging in the neck.

Now as individuals, we look at particular areas that we see that we don't like. And then we magnify those areas. But other people look at us in the big picture. So you submitted the photos - some good photos of your eyes. And I think it's very clear that there is a great opportunity to harmonize both - the full face by doing something to address the hooding over the eyes, as well as any puffiness, fine lines, and wrinkles under the yes. So those procedures would fall under the category of blepharoplasty - upper eyelid blepharoplasty, lower eyelid blepharoplasty.

In our practice, we also routinely combine eyelid surgery with face-lifting surgery. And in addition, we would also do something called fractional CO2 laser. CO2 laser helps to address the lines and wrinkles in the skin that have an impact based on skin quality. You see, there's a distinction - when we talk about face-lifting surgery - between skin quantity and skin quality. You can't pull all the wrinkles flat, because a lot of those wrinkles are static lines that are in the skin and will benefit from a procedure such as laser resurfacing or fractional CO2 laser.

We also routinely employ platelet-rich plasma injection, which helps, in a regenerative medical way, the quality of the skin by improving blood supply, collagen, and other factors that make the skin look healthier.

So in summary, I think that, in addition to your face and neck lift, consider having your upper and your lower eyelid blepharoplasty. Considering having something for your skin, whether it's a laser - and I didn't mention chemical peels is also something that people do during a face-lifting procedure. And also consider other things such as platelet-rich plasma injection.

Now a lot of these things can be done later. And so it's not too late after the facelift. In our practice, a lot of our patients want to take small steps. And so although they recognize that they want to have their upper or lower eyelid surgery done, but they rather get the facelift done first. We have no issue with that. We don't use general anesthesia routinely in our practice. We do everything under local anesthesia with sedation, which thereby results in a much quicker recovery. And so we actually are very comfortable with people dividing their procedures.

So again, this is a discussion I think to have with your surgeon before you move forward with the final surgical date, or at least a game plan for your final surgery. And understand the additional time required, the recovery involved. And hopefully, you'll come to a conclusion that will work.

In my experience doing eyelid surgery with the facelift, the recovery time is really not increased. Basically, they overlap in terms of the recovery. So our patients typically look pretty good in a week. And look really good in two weeks.

So I hope that was helpful. I wish you the best of luck. And thank you for your question.

These Facial Rejuvenation Procedures Can Improve a Facelift's Results

Dr. Amiya Prasad discusses other facial rejuvenation procedures that can really maximize the overall results of a facelift.