Natural Facelift Results

A Blog on Natural Results by Dr. Loftus

We strive to achieve natural facelift results. There are many types of face lifts out there. It is difficult to generalize and say that one technique gives a more natural result than another. Part of this is because the surgeon’s artistic vision and skill are the biggest components of a natural facelift result. A skilled plastic surgeon can provide a good result with their preferred technique. However, there are some basic things that some techniques will do and others will not.
The biggest difference between facelift techniques is based on whether the skin and deep tissues are tightened together or separately. Many of the "mini" facelifts and brand name facelifts tighten everything by pulling on the skin. People are attracted to this because of the strong advertising and claims of minimal downtime. The reality is that we see patients that have had one of these brand name facelifts somewhere else a year or two later because everything is drooping again or they are just not happy with their result. They are looking for a better option. The story is usually something like "I looked good at first, then everything started to sag pretty quickly." Part of the problem is picking the right operation for the right patient. In our opinion, these procedures may be okay if you are potentially willing to compromise result for price and if you do not need much of a lift. However, most people need more of a lift than they think. Many people say they just want a little bit of lift, because they think that a lot of lift will make them look unnatural. In reality, lifting tissues in the wrong direction and using skin to hold up the lift is more likely to make you look unnatural. Also, failure to lift and support the tissues properly leads to recurrence of aging quicker than you would like. In other words, the result does not last very long. Further, the companies pushing brand name facelifts are often more concerned about marketing and selling cookie cutter procedures and less concerned about tailoring an operation to meet your specific needs.

As noted, skin-only mini facelifts are lacking in their ability to provide natural results. So why is it not ideal to just pull on the skin? These facelifts are inferior, in our opinion, because they use the skin to pull up the sagging facial fat. First, when you pull on the skin, it tends to flatten facial features and create an unnatural, windswept appearance. This is usually what people want to avoid.

Second, the skin and the fat need to be lifted in different directions for a natural result. The fat needs to be lifted in a more vertical direction and the skin needs to be lifted in a less vertical direction. If you are pulling on the skin to lift everything, you must lift everything in the same direction. Neither the skin nor the fat get lifted in the right direction, rather something in between. In our opinion, these compromises are what make you look unnatural with these techniques. Only lifting the skin is less invasive, but is it worth it?

Although these quickie lifts may be less invasive, you may be compromising your result. The alternative is the SMAS lift. The SMAS facelift lifts the skin and the fat separately. This way, they can both be lifted in the right direction. Also, the most tension is placed on the fat layer—this maximizes the correction of facial shape and maintains it with the strength of this deeper, stronger layer. This prevents excess tightness of the skin, which looks unnatural and has less result longevity.

If you are in the group of people who want to go for the less invasive procedure, because you only want a little lift based on a concern that too much lift will look unnatural, consider this: The SMAS lift is a versatile procedure that can be adjusted to your goals. If you only want a little lift for a few years off instead of maximum improvement, a SMAS lift can be performed with less "lift." That way you get the skin and fat moved in the right direction. The result is a more refreshed and younger looking version of yourself that lasts longer.

If you want maximum results, the SMAS lift is the best choice by far. We do not think any other technique has as much ability to deliver consistent, natural results that last.

Contact us for more information or to set up a consultation.