What a Facelift Can and Cannot Do

Facelift Houston txFacelift surgery continues to be an outstanding approach to correcting the signs of aging. Because many people come to a point at which they begin to consider the value of a surgical facelift over the temporary results of injectables, lasers, and light treatments, it is important that we discuss what this anti-aging technique can and cannot do.

A facelift can eliminate loose, crepey neck skin and refine the jawline.

One of the primary benefits of a facelift is the effect that this surgery has on the neck and the jawline. With age and collagen loss, tissue from the cheek and mid-face area drops, landing squarely at the sides of the jawline. Sagging here is known as jowls. When tissue droops downward, the neck also changes in appearance. The delicate skin here may start to hang, turning the contour beneath the chin into a turkey-gobbler. As effective as certain non-surgical therapies can be for tightening skin, none can achieve what a facelift can in terms of improving the contours in the lower part of the face.

A facelift can only work with what you’ve got.

This is an important detail about facelift surgery because it affects the outcome of treatment. For the person with strong facial structures, such as rounded cheekbones and an angular jaw and chin, the lifting technique may be sufficient for rejuvenating the face. More often than not, it is necessary to enhance the lifting of a facelift with facial contouring techniques such as fat grafting, facial implants, or dermal filler injections.

Facelift surgery can lift drooping facial muscles.

Historically, facelift surgery was focused primarily on the skin and uppermost dermis. Essentially, this achieved an overly-tight appearance for many patients. Today’s facelift techniques revolve around the SMAS, or the superficial muscular aponeurotic system. This layer of tissue is the muscle that supports the fat pads that give the cheeks their contouring. Drooping muscle tissue causes the cheeks to flatten and the jawline to sag into jowls. It can also create hollows beneath the eyes and cheekbones that further age the face. Lifting this deeper layer of tissue recreates the foundation on which a youthful face sits.

Facelift surgery cannot get rid of lines and wrinkles, undereye bags, or forehead lines.

Even a full facelift does not address all of the signs of aging that present concerns. This surgical technique focuses on the lower two-thirds of the face. As such, it is possible that a facelift will reduce the severity of certain creases, such as nasolabial folds. However, the finer lines and wrinkles, puffiness and other signs of aging that develop around the lips and eyes are not likely to improve with lifting surgery.

We are proud to serve patients from Sugar Land and Houston with personal, quality aesthetic care. Learn more about facelift techniques by contacting us at 713.271.9000 to schedule your consultation.

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