Newer Procedures That Have Made Facelifts Less Invasive

Posted on: 23 October 2019

Undergoing a facelift used to be seen as a pretty extreme approach to improving your appearance. And since facelifts used to involve large incisions and a long healing time, this perception was not too far off from the truth. People are still undergoing facelifts today, and some still see this as extreme — but in fact, changes in the way facelift procedures are done have made the procedure far less invasive and painful. Here's a look at a few newer facelift procedures and techniques.

The S-Lift

The S-lift, also known as a mini facelift, is a newer procedure that focuses on lifting just the cheeks, jawline, and neck. It does not address any sagging in the upper face like a traditional facelift does. However, this works really well for many patients. Sagging is usually most noticeable in the lower face, and once that is tightened up, mild sagging in the upper portion of the face is likely to be less noticeable. If there is still some minor sagging or loose skin in the upper face post-facelift, that can be addressed with a few filler injections, which are much less invasive than a facelift.

So how does a mini facelift differ from the traditional approach? Mainly, the incisions are smaller. In a traditional facelift, a surgeon makes two big incisions — one on each side of the face stretching from the temple all the way down to the chin. These long incisions take a while to heal and affect the movement of your entire face as they do heal. With a mini facelift, the incision is much smaller. It mostly is situated behind your ear, sometimes reaching a bit further down to your jaw. Smaller incisions mean a faster healing process and less pain during healing.

Deeper Muscle and Fat Treatment

Initially, a facelift consisted of your surgeon cutting the skin, pulling it tighter, removing some skin, and then stitching you back together. Quite a lot of skin had to be removed to reduce sagging, and the results could sometimes look a bit tight and artificial. Today, surgeons are able to lift the skin tissue and make adjustments to the fat and musculature underneath. This allows them to remove less skin in the process yet still achieve a youthful, taut look. In other words, you can get just as dramatic of results without having as much skin removed, which is easier on your body. 

Surgical Glue

Sutures have long been used to close surgical incisions, like those made during a facelift. However, inserting the sutures would cause a little more damage to the skin. Sutures can become itchy during healing, and they may allow for an infection, too. Today, surgeons are often closing facelift incisions with a special surgical glue instead of sutures. This allows less damage to be done to the skin. You don't have to go back to have the glue removed, and the risk of infection and scarring is lower. Incisions can also be made a little further forward from the hairline when the surgeon knows they won't scar as badly, which may make it easier for your surgeon to perform the facelift without as much tissue rearrangement. 

If you are dealing with drooping skin and looking for an effective, long-lasting solution, a facelift may be right for you. This is a surgical procedure, and as such, there is healing time to consider, but new advancements have made this less of a concern than ever before. Talk to your surgeon to learn more about facelift procedures and what can be done to minimize your pain and speed your recovery. 

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