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Would a facelift rejuvenate my appearance?
A 59-year-old woman had Botox for her forehead creases and Radiesse for volume to her cheecks
and reduction of nasolabial creases. Her eyelids are droopy and her lower face has saggy skin.
Her nasolabial folds are very prominent and there are many vertical lines above her lips.
The skin on her neck has also started to sag. She is considering a facelift and would like
input for help with her decision.
Dr. Amiya Prasad, a oculofacial cosmetic surgeon explains that there a lot of non-surgical modalities and
injectables to combat facial aging. As what he described in his book "The Fine Art of
Looking Younger", facial aging is a combination of volume loss which is bone, muscle and fat
as well as sagging which is the loosening of the deeper tissues and skin.
Dr. Prasad thinks that a facelift would be a benefit for someone who has facial aging.
The purpose of a facelift is to reposition sagging skin and cheek tissue and also to
improve the neck. However, it does not restore volume. His approach to someone who has facial
aging and volume loss is he first does the face and neck lift and then he can create
a strategy to enhance the volume. Sometimes he combines a face and necklift with the placement
of sub-malar or cheek implants. It is remarkable how much this improves the volume in the cheek
area. In addition to someone who has a weak chin, he can add a chin implant.
The patient must understand that surgeons don't do a procedure the same way. The surgeon's
role is to inform the patient the many different options and if the additional procedures such
as the cheek implants and other things are worth considering. Some people are afraid
of implants because of a lot of bad-looking implants. If someone can tell that someone
has a cheek implant, that's not a good thing. When a surgeon tries to restore volume that's
lost, it's more of a correction than an enhancement. For example, a breast augmentation is an enhancement
while a cheek implant for facial aging is a correction.
The other part of the strategy after the face and necklift is considering injectables such
as Radiesse, Botox and Restylane. There are a lot of ways to enhance the appearance for
someone to look their best at the age they are at. A surgeon can never make a 70-year-old
look like a 30-year-old, but he can make a 70-year-old look really great for their age
range. Typically, they'll look 5-10 years younger. More often than not, they feel great
when they see themselves in the mirror and still recognize themselves.
Her best option right now is to meet with several surgeons and understand that there
are many different specialties which provide care and surgery as well as non-surgical solutions
to the face. Once she meets a surgeon she is comfortable with then she should move forward
with her procedure.