As we age, our bodies change in a variety of ways. We may gain or lose weight, skin may start to wrinkle and sag, and nowhere are changes more apparent than in the highly visible face area. Luckily, there are cosmetic procedures to address nearly every aging woe, from non-invasive peels or laser treatments that improve fine lines, pigmentation, and more, to facelifts intended to correct major issues like laxity, sagging, and wrinkles.
If you’re thinking about a facelift, you should know there are several options to explore, with various outcomes to meet your specific needs. Here are the different types of facelift procedures you may want to consider, and how you can decide which one is right for you.
Upper Facelift
Some of us are born with a naturally expressive brow, complete with strong forehead muscles that showcase our surprise, skepticism, or concentration. The unfortunate side effect of all this emoting can be heavy forehead and/or brow creases that age you or make it seem like you’re wearing a perpetual scowl.
If you want to lift sagging skin or address deep wrinkles in the forehead area, an upper facelift might be the solution you seek. A full brow lift will deliver dramatic results with incisions around the hairline that allow the skin of the forehead to be moved vertically, alleviating sagging and wrinkling, and even showing improvement to droopy upper eyelids, resulting in a more youthful and alert appearance.
For patients seeking something more subtle, a temporal brow lift allows for tightening toward the temples (rather than the top of the forehead), which can help with some laxity and wrinkling across the forehead, brow, and temples, and even provide a slight lift in the upper cheek area. This procedure tends to have a shorter recovery time than a full brow lift.
Midface or Cheek Lift
The area that extends from the lower eyelids down through the cheeks and nasolabial folds is often a spot of some concern as we age, and there are a couple of cosmetic procedures designed to improve sagging and wrinkles throughout the midface and cheeks. If bags under your eyes are making you look tired, even when you feel youthful and energetic, you might want to consider a lower eyelid lift or Blepharoplasty to remove excess fat and tissue, along with sagging, bagging, and wrinkles.
You could also undergo a cheek lift to address sagging skin and more significant creasing of the nasolabial folds. This may include incisions along the hairline above the ears, as well as incisions in the mouth to reposition tissue over the cheekbones. In some cases, a cheek lift is performed along with the lower eyelid surgery to address several issues simultaneously.
Lower Facelift/Neck Lift
You may be perfectly content with a few crow’s feet and smile lines that give your face character and serve as a hallmark of a life well-lived, but when it comes to a sagging jawline and neck that are telltale signs of advancing age, you might be less inclined to let it slide. This is where a lower facelift can help.
Typically, this type of lift involves incisions around your ear lobes that may extend to the hairline, as well as an incision under the chin, hidden in a natural crease. This allows for the removal of excess skin so that the jawline and neck can be tightened to reduce sagging and create a more defined and youthful appearance. In some cases, this procedure may be paired with a midface lift for better effect.
Complete Facelift
A combination of upper, midface, and lower facelift procedures, a complete facelift is exactly what the name implies, with overall tightening that reduces sagging, wrinkles, and excess skin all around for dramatic results and a comprehensively younger appearance.
If you’re dissatisfied with facial sagging and wrinkles that age you before your time, contact the experts at Beverly Fischer, MD and The Advanced Center for Plastic Surgery today at 410-308-4700 or online to learn more about your options and schedule a consultation.
