Face Lift Surgery: Mini Face Lifts and Laser Face Lifts – The Risks and Costs

A face lift, also known as a rhytidectomy, is a procedure performed to reduce the visible signs of aging that occur over time that occur on the face and the neck. Our skin naturally undergoes changes over time, becoming less elastic and perhaps less youthful looking.  Many factors contribute to this such as  a person’s genetics, their exposure to sun, their overall health, and whether or not they have a significant smoking history. Face lift surgery won’t stop the aging process of the skin. It can, however, reduce the appearance of wrinkles, firm up the skin and eliminate some sagging.

Face lift surgery is usually done to:

• eliminate the “sagginess” or jowls that may appear because of loss of muscle tone
• smooth out the deep creases, below the eyes and along the nose extending down to the mouth
• reduce or eliminate a double chin appearance, which may occur even in a person of normal weight due to loose skin and fat deposits under the chin and jaw

Procedures that are often performed at the same time as the face lift are a brow lift to correct a sagging or deeply furrowed brow, and an eyelid lift to improve the appearance of sagginess around the eyes.

What are the options available to a patient considering a face lift?

The general options are a full face lift, mini face lift and laser face lift surgery

• A traditional, full face lift involves an incision which starts at the hairline in the temple region, extends down in front the ear lobe and goes behind the ear to the lower scalp. The deeper layers of the muscle and tissues may be lifted, and fat may be re-sculpted and repositioned.
• A mini face lift may involve an incision which starts lower down, just above the ear or lower, and extends behind the ear to the lower scalp. It is used for less extensive corrections such as those which do not involve the forehead.  A neck lift alone may be performed with an incision that starts around the earlobe and extends around to the base of the skull.
• The cosmetic surgeon always makes the incisions in areas where they will be least noticeable after healing such as the hairline.

What about laser face surgery?

• A laser face lift does not involve surgery in the traditional sense as there are no incisions and there is no need for general anesthesia. A laser is used to resurface the outermost layers of the skin and improve the firmness of the underlying collagen matrix.
• It is similar to techniques such as dermabrasion and chemical peels, but with the laser more depth control is possible. It can be useful for smoothing out lines in the forehead, around the mouth, or other areas which have fine lines and wrinkles.
• The best candidates for laser face surgery have fair, non-oily, lightly pigmented skin who would like to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles
• You will probably experience discomfort and discoloration of your face for the first 2 weeks after a laser face lift

What can you expect when you talk to a cosmetic surgeon about having a face lift?

When you visit a cosmetic surgeon to discuss face lift surgery, a mini face lift, or a laser face lift you will be asked:

• about your past medical and surgical history, specifically cosmetic surgeries
• what medications you are currently taking
• what allergies you have (if any)
• whether or not you are a smoker
• what are your specific expectations from the facelift

The surgeon will want to make sure you are old enough (generally at least 30 years of age) and healthy enough to undergo surgery. If you are a smoker, you will probably be advised to quit, since it may interfere with post operative healing process, and in any case smoking definitely causes damage to your skin’s elasticity which will make you appear older.

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