Face Lift Surgery
Facelift or Rhytidectomy, is a surgical procedure to improve visible signs of aging on the face and neck. As individuals age, age-related changes occur in all layers if the face, including skin, superficial fat, deep fat and bone. The facelift surgery cannot stop the process of aging. It can improve the most visible signs of aging by tightening deeper structures, re-draping the skin of face and neck, and removing selected areas of fat. A facelift can be performed alone or in conjunction with other procedures, such as a brow-lift, liposuction, eyelid surgery, or nasal surgery. Facelift surgery is individualised for each patient. The best candidates for facelift surgery have a face and neck line beginning to sag, but whose skin has elasticity and whose bone structure is well defined.
There are many techniques of Face lift surgery –
- Subcutaneous facelift
- Skin only face lift is done where deeper tissues do not need doing
- Ideally for patients with only loose skin component
- SMAS Plication
- Skin is tightened along with manipulation of superficial fat by taking stitches and underlying facial layer (SMAS)
- Helps re-drape the skin and superficial fat plane in two different directions as needed.
- MACS (Minimal Access Cranial Suspension) lift
- Variation of SMAS plication technique whereby the it relies on multiple long stiches taken higher up on the forehead region.
- Deep plane facelift – creates a flap of SMAS, superficial fat and skin and all are mobilized and advanced along the same vector
- Dual plane – creates two flaps, the skin flap and the SMAS flap which are advanced along two vectors.
- Subperiosteal lift – surgery is performed on the level of just above the bone.
Face lift surgery is one of the most challenging procedures for any Plastic Surgeon, so as to achieve the desired results. Planning of the surgery and optimization of the surgical goals is very important in these surgeries and we have an in-depth discussion with the patient prior to surgery and clearly outline the planned surgical goals and expected outcomes from the surgery.
ALTERNATIVE TREATMENTS
Alternative forms of management consist of not treating the laxness in the face and neck region with a facelift (rhytidectomy). Improvement of skin laxity, skin wrinkles and fatty deposits may be attempted by other treatments or surgery such as laser resurfacing, chemical face peels or liposuction. Risks and potential complications are also associated with alternative surgical forms of treatment.