There Is No Substitute For A Good Facelift

As the babyboomer population ages, the demand to stay looking young has evolved and flourished. As no surprise, the number of cosmetic surgical procedures is increasing every year by an exponential rate. These procedures span not only the entire gamut of invasive techniques, but also noninvasive ones. Products like Botox and Restylane have quickly become household words. Yet prospective patients need to be aware that not all new techniques and technologies are valid. As with any other consumer good, cosmetic plastic surgery has become a buyer beware market.

Facial rejuvenation procedures continue to be in the top five cosmetic procedures performed. These include not only facelifts, but also eyelid surgery, forehead lifts, nose reshaping, and even cheek and chin implants. The classic facelift (rhytidectomy) has always been considered a dramatic procedure. The goal of this procedure is to reposition facial structures affected over the years by aging tissues, sun exposure, and gravity. The classic facelift addresses not only the face but also the jawline and neckline and can provide 10-12 years of durability. The scars, when done properly, heal extremely well and become nearly imperceptible blending into the naturally occurring folds and the hairline. A well-executed facelift, performed by a properly trained, board-certified plastic surgeon can provide dramatic results and can truly turn back the hands of time.

Unfortunately, prospective patients, influenced by trends in minimally invasive surgery, and constrained by a fast-paced, instant-gratification lifestyle want a quick fix. They want the results offered by the facelift procedure, but want them with little downtime, via short incisions or even no incisions at all. Spawned by such demands, there has been an explosion in unproven techniques and technologies offering “One-Hour Facelifts” and “Non-surgical Facelifts”, usually by unqualified physicians wanting a piece of the cosmetic surgical pie.

The so-called “One-Hour Facelift” is supposed to offer dramatic effects via a small incision in front of the ear with essentially no downtime. The technique usually involves placing several pursestring –type sutures in the deeper layers of the face in an attempt to tighten the facial muscles. The reality is that the technique does not work, has no proven anatomical basis and lures patients by false claims. A one-hour facelift will essentially provide you with one hour of results.
As for the “Non-surgical Facelift”, the technology behind this claim is Thermage. Thermage utilizes the use of radiofrequency energy that claims to tighten facial skin by stimulating collagen production, thereby offering facelift results with no incisions at all. In reality, as our experience with Thermage broadens, a patient can expect at best 30% improvement in facial wrinkles and skin laxity with at most a 6 month duration of effects before having to be repeated. 30% improvement also means 70% no improvement. Hardly worth $2000-3000 every 6 months.

In conclusion, do your homework. Seek out a qualified, well-trained, board-certified plastic surgeon. And above all, don’t believe everything you read and hear. If it seems too good to be true, it usually is.