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Sagging Skin? Why the Facelift is Still the Gold Standard in Facial Rejuvenation!

By Dr. Patrick Flaharty

As most of the people reading this blog know, I offer free consultations at Azul to anyone who wishes to take the first steps in rejuvenating their appearance. This puts me in contact with so many different people. I meet those who just want a tiny refresh or those who wish to completely rejuvenate their face. One of the things that I hear the most often is, “But do I really need surgery?”

Over the last few years, there have been tremendous advances in non-surgical cosmetic procedures. CoolSculpting, for example, is a fantastic non-surgical alternative to liposuction. For non-surgical facial rejuvenation, we offer the Liquid Facelift, a combination of non-surgical procedures that add up to a noticeable refreshing of your appearance. Some of the Liquid Facelift procedures, such as Botox, are fantastic for touchups and fixing little issues such as wrinkles around the eyes. So with this in mind, you might ask, “Why would I need to get a facelift if you offer so many non-surgical options?” The answer is simple: the facelift is still the gold standard of facial rejuvenation.

Facelift and Neck Lift

As we get into our 40s and 50s, we start to notice that our facial skin doesn’t snap back in quite the same way it did when we were younger. We might notice big changes to both the surface and the underlying structure of our faces. If you’ve begun to notice pronounced signs of facial aging, such as jowls, sagging skin and severe wrinkling, your best bet for a full rejuvenation is a surgical facelift and neck lift. Although fillers and skin resurfacing can be helpful to restore some of the lost volume and tautness of the skin, they just can’t match the result of a surgical facelift when it comes to correction of laxity of the jowls and neck.

The old perception of the “stretched back” facelift has thankfully started to fade, as more and more people realize that a modern surgical facelift can get them incredibly natural-looking results. A modern facelift not only includes the tightening, lifting and reshaping of the face with removal of excess skin and fat, it also incorporates a fat transfer procedure to replace lost facial volume. When I talk to patients about getting a facelift, most of them just want the person in the mirror to match the way they feel inside. Our physical appearance is strongly linked to our self identity, and when our appearance doesn’t match our perceptions, it can cause problems with our self-esteem and confidence. The beauty of a surgical facelift is that it is possible to restore that face in the mirror and bring back your personal confidence.

I’ve been performing facelifts for over 20 years now, and I’ve refined my technique to create long-lasting and effective results for every patient. After all, every face is different, so there needs to be a high level of personal attention for each rejuvenation. With a facelift, you want a harmonious result. This means that, rather than just doing isolated procedures on the face, we want to address all of your aging issues at once. A partial rejuvenation can actually draw attention to the parts of the face that haven’t been treated yet. We want to unify the entire face and neck to create a longer-lasting and more natural-looking result. This means that your facelift will be customized to your needs. For example, we might combine a facelift and neck lift with an endoscopic brow lift and eyelid lift, so the area around your eyes will look as refreshed as the rest of your face. With good technique you can avoid the tell-tale signs of facial surgery, such as overly stretched skin or visible scarring. I take great pride in delivering the best possible result for each and every patient.

Another advantage of a surgical facelift is how long your results will last. With a non-surgical facelift involving dermal fillers and Botox, your results will typically last 6 months to a few years.  These treatments require some maintenance to keep things looking their best. With a surgical facelift, you don’t have to worry about that. Although your aging process won’t be halted, you will continue to see the results of the facelift for up to a decade or more.

Now, there are a few drawbacks to surgical facelifts compared to non-surgical procedures, the first one being that it is, well, surgery. This means that it will require a recovery period to allow the facial tissues to heal. This shouldn’t be too extensive, about two weeks, but it will take time for the swelling and bruising to go down so you can see your final results.  Although all the sutures used in a facelift procedure are dissolvable you will have some tightness and numbness in the treated areas which can take a few months to resolve.

Even as you read this, you might still be thinking, “But surgery just isn’t for me,” and that’s absolutely ok. If you aren’t ready for a surgical rejuvenation yet, we have many non-surgical procedures that can give you a noticeable and worthwhile rejuvenation. But I firmly believe that, if you want a fully harmonious facial rejuvenation, you need to go with the gold standard: a surgical facelift. If you’d like to learn more about our facial cosmetic surgical procedures, please visit us at www.azulbeauty.com. I invite you to come in for a free consultation with me. All you need to do is give us a call at (239) 415-7576 to book your appointment. I can’t wait to meet you and help you on the road to a fully harmonious facial rejuvenation.

Posted in: Procedures

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