Understanding Face Lifts: Your Guide to Facial Rejuvenation

If you're exploring options for facial rejuvenation, you've likely encountered a plethora of terms about different types of facelifts, including ‘mini facelift’, ‘MACS facelift’, ‘lifestyle lift’, ‘neck lift’, ‘mid facelift’, and so many more. It can indeed be overwhelming. Here’s a simple breakdown of how facelifts can differ, aimed at helping you understand what might be best for you:

1. Scar Length and Placement:

• The scar from a face lift is strategically placed to be as inconspicuous as possible. For women, the incision is  hidden in the natural contours of the ear and extends behind it. In men, the incision is placed behind the beard in front of the ear, to avoid bringing hair-bearing skin onto the ear. Depending on the extent of rejuvenation needed, this incision can extend upwards into the frontal hairline to address upper face sagging and backwards into the occipital hairline for neck lifting. The goal is always to achieve the desired lift with minimal visible scarring.

2. Focus of the Face lift, face lifts can target different areas of the face:

• Midface/Cheek: To restore volume and lift sagging cheeks.
• Jawline/Jowls: To sharpen the jawline and reduce the appearance of jowls.
• Neck: Specifically for sagging skin, bands, or excess fat under the chin. 
• Forehead: Often combined with brow lifts to address forehead wrinkles and heavy, inferiorly displaced brows.
• Comprehensive: a full facelift can address all these areas for full facial rejuvenation.

3. Layers of the Face Involved, facelifts work on various layers of the face:

• Skin Layer: Including superficial facial fat, where the focus is on trimming excess  skin, but not overly tightening, to avoid the 'windswept' look of an 'overdone' facelift.
• SMAS Layer: The Superficial Musculoaponeurotic System is a deeper fascial layer. Techniques that involve this layer can provide longer-lasting results by addressing the structural support of the face, not just the skin. The variations surrounding the SMAS layer are plication (where the layer is imbricated upon itself to tighten the fascia), resection (cutting out a portion of the fascia and sewing it together to tighten the layer), and deep plane (going beneath the facial layer, which can produce a more aggressive result, but can risk injury to the facial nerve, which lives below the SMAS layer).

All these types are variations on a theme, and the extend of your incision, facial skin undermining, and management of your SMAS layer will vary based on your goals and your surgeon's expertise. What matters most is a holistic assessment tailored to your goals and facial aging profile. The 'right' facelift for you will involve the appropriate surgical maneuvers to meet your aesthetic goals while ensuring natural-looking results.

At Dr. Carpenter's practice in Coral Springs, we approach face lift and neck lift surgery as part of a multimodal strategy for aging gracefully. The objective is not just to remove excess skin but to rejuvenate your face in a way that reflects a refreshed, younger, and more vibrant version of yourself. Our mission is to help you feel confident and beautiful, maintaining your individuality while enhancing your natural features. 

If you're considering a facelift or any other cosmetic procedure, we invite you to schedule a consultation by calling 954-344-4344. Let's discuss how we can achieve your vision of beauty, together.