As we age, our face starts to show jowling and loose neck
skin. This happens due to the pull of gravity on our facial
tissues whose attachments to the underlying bones and
tissues gradually loosens. While there are other signs of
facial aging, these are often the most bothersome to many
people. Most do not notice these facial aging signs that
much until they see themselves in pictures from a side or
profile view, to which they may be quite surprised that
their neck or jowls looked 'that bad'.
All facelifts are not done alike. Simplistically, they fall
into two main categories....full and limited. The limited
facelift has become quite popular and represents nearly 50%
of all facelifts that I do today. The limited facelift goes
by a lot of different names such as the LifeStyle Lift,
Quick Lift, Swift Lift, S-Lift. to name a few of the most
prominent and marketed. There are other names as well and
there will be more marketed and practice-branding names in
the future. But essentially they are all the same (despite
what each may claim) with a few minor variations that quite
frankly don't mean anything to you as a patient nor to the
long-term outcome of the procedure. The difference between
a full and limited facelift is.....that the limited
facelift is to no surprise more limited. Very little work
is done in the neck area and the procedure and scar is
isolated to in front of the ear. Mechanically, the upward
pull of the limited facelift is fairly vertical as opposed
to a full facelift which is closer to 45 degrees so that
the excess neck tissue can be worked out behind the ear.
The result of a limited facelift is obviously less than
that of a full facelift but the results in the jowl and
upper neck area can still be quite impressive nonetheless.
The key to a very satisfied outcome after a limited
facelift is in proper selection of the patient. My approach
in patient selection is that it is good for two types of
patients. The ideal candidate is the 'younger' patient who
has early onset or only a moderate degree of jowling and
loose neck skin. These are the perfect patients for the
procedure as they will get an ideal result. Furthermore,
their 'problem' doesn't merit a full facelift anyway. The
other patients who can benefit are those whose jowl and
neck issues are more severe, and they would get a better
result from a full facelift, but they desire less of an
operation for a a variety of personal reasons. As long as
they can accept and have been fully apprised that the
result will not be similar to a full facelift, they can get
good results also. For these type patients, its all about
understanding that the results are effort-driven. The less
of a procedure you do, the less of a result you will get.
Unlike some advertised plastic surgery procedures, the
limited facelift lives up to its hype. It is a 60 to 90
minute outpatient procedure that requires no drains or
dressings. A good social recovery (how do I look?) does
take only about a week. Other than some mild ear
tenderness, there really is no pain. When combined with
other facial procedures (which may require a more normal
recovery), even more dramatic changes can be achieved.
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Dr Barry Eppley, board-certified plastic surgeon of
Indianapolis, operates a private practice at Clarian North
and West Medical Centers in suburban Indianapolis. He
writes a daily blog on topics and trends in plastic surgery
at http://www.exploreplasticsurgery.com
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