Atlanta facelift surgeons are variable in the extent of their training and the techniques they use to rejuvenate the aging face. A facelift describes a procedure that rejuvenates the lower third of the face (jowls) and neck. As we age, skin looses elasticity and subsequently, elongates and sags. A facelift is designed to remove the excess skin while tightening the muscles of the face, the SMAS. The longevity associated with a particular facelift technique is solely dependent on the technique used to tighten the muscles of the face because the SMAS supports the lift. The primary reason that facelifts fail early is that the majority of surgeons perform abbreviated, less comprehensive SMAS lifts because they are uncomfortable with the delicate anatomy of the face and unfamiliar with more comprehensive techniques.
With less comprehensive techniques, such as plication or lateral SMASectomy procedures, there is less skin removed, the results do not last as long, and they are not as dramatic. Although much of the marketing about the less comprehensive techniques is geared towards promising minimal healing times with equal results, the counter opposite is true. Healing times are equal or even shorter with more comprehensive techniques such as the mini deep plane facelift, and the results are better with improved longer term results. The most comprehensive facelift is designed to last eight to ten years, but with other techniques results can fail as early as one year after surgery.
Most patients prefer to have fewer surgeries with the longest lasting outcomes. Revision facelift surgery is done for two reasons: because of suboptimal results from a previous suboptimal surgery, or as a natural consequence of the continued aging process after a facelift. Even with the best facelift techniques, patients may undergo several facelift surgeries in their lifetime to maintain a youthful look over the last two to four decades of their lives.
The most proven facelift techniques are the extended sub-SMAS and deep plane facelifts. Both techniques can now be performed through the most state of the art Mini Facelift incisions. Older, more traditional facelift incisions were unnecessarily long, creating more obvious scars that required patients to change their hair styles to camouflage their incisions. With contemporary, shorter incision techniques, patients can wear their hair as the desire, even in a pony tail.
Facial plastic surgeons are highly skilled, specially trained physicians that are exclusively trained in head and neck anatomy and surgery with additional, advanced training in facial plastic and reconstructive surgery procedures. When choosing a facial plastic surgeon, one should look for a surgeon that is dual board certified in Head and Neck Surgery and Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. This insures that the surgeon has met the rigorous standards required for training and certification to become a facial plastic surgeon. Finally, when choosing a facelift surgeon, a patient should choose a surgeon they trust and have a good rapport with, in order to avoid suboptimal and sometimes disastrous outcomes.
