How Do I Know If a Facelift Is Really for Me?
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Do you spend time looking at old photos of yourself, imagining what it would be like to have youthful contours and tight, elastic skin back again? Maybe you look in the mirror and gently pull back your facial tissues just to see what you would look like.
If you can relate to this, you are not alone.
Facial aging eventually hits everyone, and its arrival is not always welcomed. While you may not be able to prevent aging from occurring, you can reduce its effects.
You can try at-home solutions for addressing aging skin, although the older you get, the harder fine lines and wrinkles become to target. Some men and women resort to cosmetic treatments when creams and scrubs provide them with little results.
So, are you the right candidate for facelift surgery?
Table of Contents
Why Should I Consider a Facelift?
Am I the Right Age for a Facelift?
Are You Looking for Permanent Results?
Are There Non-Surgical Alternatives to Facelift Surgery?
Is Your Facial Aging Localized to Your Lower Face?
Why Should I Consider a Facelift?
Desiring more youthful contours is more than simple vanity — in fact, vanity has very little to do with it.
We all associate how we look to who we are — to some extent, at least. It can be difficult when your aged outer appearance does not match the inner vitality you feel. Suddenly, your aging skin can make you feel disconnected from how you see yourself.
When this occurs, why not consider a cosmetic procedure that can help change that.
Facelift surgery can be that procedure.
Facelift surgery is performed for patients who are unsatisfied with how natural aging is changing their facial appearance.
Fine lines, wrinkles, loss of volume, jowls, and vertical banding on the neck are all common effects of the aging process.
Fortunately, facelift surgery minimizes or erases these signs and restores natural-looking youthfulness to the middle and lower regions of your face and neck.
Am I the Right Age for a Facelift?
Many men and women wonder what the best age for facelift surgery is.
Are they too young? Too old?
In truth, your age plays an insignificant role when it comes to determining facelift candidacy. Everyone ages at a different rate, so it does not make sense to generalize age ranges.
Genetics, sun exposure, lifestyle factors like smoking and alcohol consumption, and skin care regimens all contribute to the rate at which your skin ages.
So, instead of thinking about facelift candidacy in regards to the number on your driver’s license, think about it in terms of your physical signs of aging.
Are You Looking for Permanent Results?
No facial surgery guarantees permanent results, as no cosmetic enhancement can stop the natural aging process; however, facelift surgery is at the top of the list when it comes to long-lasting facial rejuvenation.
Facial injectables are ideal solutions for diminishing fines lines, wrinkles, and creases; however, most of these treatments are temporary.
Injectables, such as BOTOX® Cosmetic or dermal fillers (like JUVÉDERM®, Restylane®, or RADIESSE®), only provide results for a few months to a year and a half (depending on which type of injectable was used).
The constant maintenance and follow-up treatments for injectables can become frustrating.
Someone who wants more permanent results may want to consider surgery. The outcome of facelift surgery may not be permanent, but it does provide long-lasting facial rejuvenation.
With a healthy skin care regimen, facelift patients can enjoy their results for many years!
Are There Non-Surgical Alternatives to Facelift Surgery?
The increasing popularity of non-surgical facial rejuvenation continues to grow in the cosmetic surgery market.
The most popular of these are injectable treatments, including:
- BOTOX® Cosmetic
- XEOMIN®
- JUVÉDERM®
- Restylane®
- RADIESSE®
- BELOTERO BALANCE®
Most people can find a less invasive solution to smoothing dynamic facial wrinkles. However, other people who are not achieving the results they want might be better suited for surgery.
Do You Have Sagging Skin?
Non-surgical procedures are designed to smooth facial lines and add fullness to the face; they do not correct sagging skin.
Patients who have loose, hanging skin on the cheeks, chin, and jowls may need facelift surgery.
The procedure can help a person restore their mid and lower face by having the facial tissues tightened and excess skin removed.
During a consultation with Dr. Wilson, you can discuss the best technique suited to you and your goals.
Is Your Facial Aging Localized to Your Lower Face?
Occasionally, patients looking for facelift surgery are better suited for a different facial technique or a combination procedure.
Upper and lower eyelid surgery (blepharoplasty) and brow lift surgery are commonly performed with facelift surgery.
With these procedures, patients can also reduce skin laxity and wrinkles around the eyes, brows, and forehead.
Patients with depressed facial areas can restore volume with fat injections. BOTOX® Cosmetic and injectables can also be used as “touch-ups” for regular facial maintenance.
What Are My Facelift Options?
Fortunately, facelift surgery can be customized to fit your needs. There are different “levels” of facelift surgery, ideal for patients ranging from the early stages of facial aging to deep-set wrinkles, folds, and jowls.
The extent of your aging will be examined during your consultation to determine which techniques are ideal for you.
Short Scar Facelift
A short scar facelift is the most limited form of facelift surgery.
As the name implies, this technique uses short incisions to result in minimal scarring and less downtime.
The short scar facelift is ideal for patients who want to stay one step ahead of the aging game. This procedure focuses solely on reducing mild to moderate fine lines, wrinkles, and skin laxity on the lower and middle regions of the face.
It will not have much effect on the neck or restore lost facial volume.
Traditional Facelift
The traditional facelift smooths and transforms the contours of your mid-face, lower face, and neck. This is ideal for patients who have significant lines and wrinkles but still maintain skin elasticity.
During this procedure, more extensive incisions are made (starting in the hairline at the temples and going down and around the ear), through which the underlying muscles and fat are repositioned to their original locations and excess skin is surgically removed.
This technique results in a noticeable reduction of fine lines, wrinkles, jowls, and neck banding.
Full-Face Rejuvenation
Full-face rejuvenation is suggested when there is a significant level of visible aging across all facial regions.
This treatment starts with a traditional facelift. Unfortunately for patients with aging on the upper areas of the face, addressing the lower regions may create an unnatural balance between your facial features.
Full-face rejuvenation restores balance and harmony to your look by combining procedures that address the aging of the upper face.
These combinations can include an eyelid lift, a brow lift, or fat injections to restore lost volume. Combining procedures ensures that you will maintain a natural appearance.
Do You Identify With the Above? A Facelift May Be for You!
Are you tired of the aged appearance you see in the mirror? Dr. Wilson can go over your facial rejuvenation options and evaluate your facial anatomy to help you decide on the right treatment.
Contact us by calling (256) 551-2002 or by filling out our online contact form.