Many men and women, at some point, start to wonder about facial rejuvenation. A lot of changes take place over the years, and these can affect how we feel about our overall appearance. It used to be that consumers perceived facelift surgery as a way to reduce the appearance of age by tightening the skin over the bony structure as much as possible. The result of the few high-profile individuals who followed through with such an unnatural idea was a loss of authenticity. Unfortunately, the facelift developed a bad reputation.
Facial aging is a huge concern for a large majority of patients we speak to. As much as we can accomplish with non-surgical methods, there are some very good reasons not to rule out a surgical facelift. Namely, the ability to correct some concerns in one fell swoop – without losing your natural beauty and the integrity of your face. Let’s take one area at a time . . .
The Jowls
Jowls. We love to hate them. When we’re young, we don’t even know what they are. Once we do, we think they will happen to “someone else,” at least until they show up in the mirror. Sagging jowls are the product of accumulated fat and sagging muscles, that’s it. Such a simple change, and for such as simple reason. The jowls sag due to relentless pull of time and gravity that loosen the supporting ligaments, muscles, and connective tissue. This volume settles in the lower region of the face because the higher-up structures, muscles, and skin, no longer support their weight. It is perhaps the reduction of jowls and the improvement of the jawline that are among the greatest advantage to the surgical facelift.
Cheeks
The problem of volume loss has taken center stage in recent years, as the use of dermal fillers has become more widespread. Across the mid-face, volume is needed to maintain proportions that reflect youthfulness. But the biochemical changes that weaken muscles, connective tissue, and the skin allow substantial loss of volume to occur on an accelerating basis as we age – some of this is a shift downward from gravity, and some is true loss of fullness. A properly performed surgical facelift can adjust the positioning of underlying structures in the cheeks so the volume that remains can be better supported in a more youthful position. Not everyone needs restoration of lost volume, but for those who do, our facelift procedures by Dr. Fante also usually involve transfer of your own fat into the mid-face area to restore contours to the cheeks.
Neck
Since everyone ages differently, there are those who are very concerned with laxity in the neck as well as the changes discussed above in cheeks and jowls. Rejuvenation of the neck is often accomplished at the same time, and is then called a face and neck lift. A face and neck lift can tighten the loose skin and muscles in the neck to restore cleaner lines and make the neck beautiful again. Sometimes, some fat is removed and sometimes the main problem is sagging neck muscles that need repair. We can improve both with face and neck lift, and we would be delighted to show you how in a personal and private consultation.
Don’t be too quick to rule out the value of a surgical facelift or face and neck lift. Call our Denver cosmetic surgery office at (303) 839-1616 to learn more.
