Facelift Techniques: More Ways to Help Patients Achieve Their Goals

Over the years, the staff at Jefferson Plastic Surgery has noticed that no two patients are alike, even if they are requesting the same cosmetic surgical procedure. Patients have different goals, skin types, and health risks. For many years, however, patients were all treated the same when it came to surgical techniques. There was little refinement or variety in how to approach surgery for different patients.

With the advances in cosmetic surgery, there are now a variety of techniques that can be matched to best suit the patient. This is particularly true in the case of facelift procedures. For many years, the only surgical technique involved pulling back the skin of the entire face. This procedure often left patients with a tight look that made it obvious that the patient had undergone a facelift. Fortunately, that look is now a thing of the past, as patients can choose from a variety of techniques to lift part, or all of the face, in order to reduce the appearance of sagging and wrinkles.

Traditional Facelift Technique

This technique is the one that has been used for many years. An incision is made from behind one ear, following just in front of the hairline, around the other ear. A second, smaller incision is made in the natural folds of the chin to address sagging skin in the chin and neck area. The skin and underlying tissue are then lifted away, pulled taut, and reattached to the face.

Superficial Musculo-Aponeurotic System (SMAS) Technique

The SMAS technique is probably the most common facelift technique used today. The main difference between the SMAS and traditional techniques is that the former also involves the muscular structure, which is both tightened and elevated.

Extended SMAS Technique

This is a variant on the standard SMAS technique, in which the muscle structure is also freed from the cheek ligaments. More tension is placed on this muscle structure, rather than on the actual skin flap itself. The advantage to this over a standard SMAS technique is that the tightened facial structures are better anchored to the face when they are sutured back into place.

Mid-lift and Temporal Facelift Techniques

These two techniques specifically target parts of the face, rather than lifting the entire face. A mid-lift focuses just on the cheek area and does not involve the neck or chin. This technique may be good for those patients with jowls that extend up into the cheek area.

A temporal facelift targets the upper third of the face. This technique corrects furrows in the forehead and between the brows. This can be done with either one incision following the hairline for the forehead, or with a series of small incisions and an endoscope.

With the continuing improvement of surgical techniques for facelifts, patients now have greater flexibility in the type of procedure that will best meet their needs.