This is a phrase I have heard from new patients as they talk to me about their facial changes: they dislike their wrinkles, their sagging neck, their nasolabial creases. Surgery can deliver dramatic results, but it isn’t always the answer to the problem at hand.
Here is my take on when the answer is surgery and when it is not:
If your concern is LOWER FACE SAGGING SKIN/JOWLS/TURKEY NECK
Then your solution is FACELIFT SURGERY
Facelift surgery is really more accurately described as LOWER facelift surgery. It is a procedure the addresses the neck, jawline, and jowls through surgical removal of excess skin and, sometimes, fat. It also repositions the structures under the skin to help avoid an overpulled-windswept look. It’s a procedure for excess laxity.
If your concern is DRAWN, FLAT, ANGULAR FEATURES
Then your solution is FACIAL FILLING
Look at any young face, and what you see are curves. Roundness comes from volume, which shifts as we get older due to gravity and loss of elasticity. Hollowed temples, flat cheeks, thin and disappearing lips… all of these are examples of loss of volume. While there is some surgery that can help this (fat grafting, commonly done with facelift), there are plenty of nonsurgical procedures that can make big improvements. Hyaluronic acid fillers (Restylane or Juvederm) are the most commonly used fillers, but other off-the-shelf fillers exist, from freeze dried fat or collagen stimulators. It’s a procedure to replace lost volume.
If your concern is WRINKLED SKIN, ESPECIALLY AROUND THE EYES AND MOUTH
Then your solution is RESURFACING
Thin and wrinkly skin, especially around the eyes and mouth, results from loss of elasticity, muscle movement, and sun damage. While pulling on wrinkled skin may smooth the effect in a mirror, the skin will relax and the wrinkles will recur. The treatment for diffusely wrinkled skin is resurfacing. Treatments include regular use of medical grade skin products, prescription based skin products, chemical peels, and lasers. For skin subjected to years of sun exposure, smoking, irregular skin care, and other bad habits, a deep peel with a long recovery may be required to make a difference.
For many, all three concerns will be present at once. A step-wise approach to a more youthful image is needed, as not everything can be done at once. For further discussion of solutions for facial aging, email info@delucapytell.com or call 248-885-8858.
Please take a look at the upcoming events hosted by Your Girlfriend the Plastic Surgeon, Dr. Danielle DeLuca-Pytell. We look forward to seeing you there!
