If you’re experiencing the first signs of aging, lines appearing on the forehead, the ‘elevens’ peeping out between the eyes or the crow’s feet perching alongside, you may be wondering which are the best treatment options for your age, your face and your goals. A surgical facelift, or non-invasive cosmetic appearance medicine treatments – or both?
You may have heard the term 'liquid facelift' so what exactly is it? Simply put, it’s a combination of injectable procedures – non-surgical – that are designed to address some of the issues associated with aging i.e., the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles and lose of volume. Injectable treatments, like Botox, dermal fillers injections are non-invasive, so there’s no need for anaesthetic or downtime after treatment. However, they aren’t permanent fixes – you will need to undergo them every six-to-nine months to sustain results. Essentially, most injectable treatments can be completed in a lunchbreak, and are aimed at rejuvenating, enhancing and volumising minus surgical intervention.
Facelift surgery – or rhytidectomy – corrects sagging facial skin to restore harmony, bringing back the jawline and re-establishing fullness in the cheeks. Typically, a surgical facelift will have a seven – 10-year life span. And, many women will seek a facelift around mid-40s/50s with a ‘refresher’ in the mid-to-late 60s. During surgery, cosmetic and reconstructive plastic surgeons lift and reposition underlying muscles under the skin (they don’t just ‘pull back’ or cut skin away). Stiches are engaged to tighten the connective tissue enveloping the muscles of the midface and neck, or alternately, the underside of the muscles, resulting in a deep-plane facelift. As part of any facelift surgery procedure, surgeons will also assess how much volume loss there is, the damage skin has sustained and the type of asymmetries the face shows. They’ll then recommend additional volume loss solutions as part of the procedure, these may include dermal fillers or fat transfer (fat taken from another area of the body and reinjected back into the face).
As with any cosmetic surgery or appearance medicine procedure, they have limits and are not all created equal for everyone. Certain combinations work better together to smooth, soften, lift, and target certain problem areas. For example, although Botox and dermal fillers both serve to refresh and rejuvenate, sometimes they don’t always restore where it’s needed most i.e., lower facial jowling or correcting a sagging neck.
This is why it’s essential to choose procedures that're akin to your individual facial goals. And, this begins by putting yourself in the hands of highly trained cosmetic specialists and plastic surgeons. Their expertise and experience are essential to best and safest results, and long-term success. Questions a surgeon will consider include: How much volume loss your face has, the damage your skin has sustained, the type of asymmetries your face shows, and how likely you are to follow post-surgical care instructions.
Face the future with lift, balance and rejuvenation attuned to you, reach out to a trusted team of cosmetic surgery and appearance medicine experts.
