The face is the most individualized and identifiable human characteristic. The magnificence of its form is rivaled only by its amazing functional abilities. By virtue of the complex array of anatomic features that make up the human face, it can transmit an unbelievable wealth and variety of expression, telling the most complex story in a matter of seconds.The face is responsible for communication and for recognition. It is what defines us as unique and allows us to recall an individual in our memory. It can attract the interest of others.
What draws us to an individual's face, however, varies individually, culturally, ethnically and geographically, as do most aspects of the human form. A naturally youthful and healthy facial appearance, however, is almost universally perceived as beautiful.
Dr. Belsley recognizes the care that must be taken when discussing options intended to improve the appearance of this amazing instrument. The results of these efforts must enhance natural beauty, promoting symmetry and proportion.
This case depicts a 57 year old woman who wanted to achieve a more youthful appearance. She underwent an upper and lower eyelid lift, a face lift and a neck lift.
Her post-operative photographs show her just under six months after surgery.
The gentle curve of the neck after surgery approximates the appearance of this individual's neck when she was in her 20's.
This case depicts a 52 year old woman who underwent an upper eyelid lift and a short scar face lift.
Her post-operative photographs depict her appearance at approximately four months after surgery.
Although a short scar face lift does not require any incisions beneath the ears, it can have a profound effect on the jowls and the skin and fat beneath the chin.
This case depicts a 60 year old woman who wished to undergo facial rejuvenation. She underwent an endoscopic brow lift, upper and lower eyelid lift and a short scar face lift with liposuction of the upper neck. Her post-operative photographs show her at approximately three and one half months after surgery.
Because the brows frame the eyes, a brow lift is as important for rejuvenating the appearance of the eyes as an eyelid lift in certain individuals. The two combined can achieve a result that neither alone is able to obtain.
The following photographs depict a 59 year old woman who wished to undergo facial rejuvenation to achieve a brighter and less tired appearance. She underwent a short scar face lift, involving no incisions behind the ears, liposuction of the neck and an upper eyelid lift.
The post-operative photographs depict her approximately 15 months after her surgery. New techniques in plastic surgery have made more individuals candidates for procedures involving shorter incisions. Although the incisions are shorter, the results are comparable to the traditional techniques which involved longer scars.
This case depicts a 59 year old woman who wanted to achieve a more youthful appearance. She was specifically concerned with her jowls and the fullness beneath her neck. She underwent an upper eyelid lift, a lower eyelid lift, a short scar face lift and ultrasound assisted liposuction of her neck and jowls.
The pictures show her approximately six months after surgery. The lower eyelid lift performed in this case did not involve removal of the fat that normally resides in the lower eyelid.
Instead, the fat was repositioned to fill in the hollows of the lower eyelids, making the transition from the lower eyelid to the cheek smoother and more aesthetically attractive.
This case depicts a 49 year old woman who wanted to achieve a more youthful appearance. She underwent an upper and lower eyelid lift, a midface lift and a short scar face lift with liposuction of the upper neck and jowls.
Her post-operative photographs show her approximately six weeks after surgery.
In appropriate individuals, liposuction alone can achieve a youthful, attractive appearance of the neck. This allows for shorter incisions and often a more rapid recovery.
This case depicts a 56 year old woman who wished to improve the appearance of sagging skin that she had developed as a result of age and dramatic weight loss.
She underwent an endoscopic brow lift, upper and lower eyelid lifts, a short scar face lift and a neck lift. Her post-operative photographs depict her appearance at approximately 4 months after surgery.
Although a properly executed short scar face lift can effect some improvement in the appearance of sagging skin in the neck with no incisions behind the ears, individuals with an extensive amount of skin and muscle descent require longer incisions and a formal neck lift to achieve dramatic results.
This case depicts a 55 year old woman who wished to achieve a more youthful facial appearance. In addition, others felt that she often appeared "angry." She underwent an endoscopic brow lift, upper and lower eyelid lifts and a short scar face lift which addressed the skin and fat beneath the chin, the jowls and elevated the midface. The post-operative photographs depict her appearance approximately three and a half months after surgery.
A short scar face lift often requires no incisions behind the ears and can achieve an excellent result in appropriately selected cases. The recovery time ranges from two to four weeks, although some individuals return to work as early as one week after surgery.
This case depicts a 56 year old woman who wished to achieve a more youthful facial appearance. She underwent an upper and lower eyelid lift and a short scar face lift.
This short scar face lift addressed the skin and fat beneath the chin, the jowls and elevated the midface.The post-operative photographs depict the patient's appearance at just under four months after surgery.
This case depicts a 58 year old woman who wished to achieve a more youthful facial appearance.She underwent upper and lower eyelid lifts and a short scar face lift which addressed the skin and fat beneath the chin, the jowls and elevated the midface.
Her post-operative photographs depict her appearance at approximately nine months after surgery.
I try to perform a "mid-face lift" or "cheek lift" as a routine part of a short scar facial rejuvenation procedure. In individuals who have full cheeks that have descended over time, this portion of the procedure complements an aggressive correction of the jowls.
Questions Related to Face Lift
Aesthetic Description of Facelift and Philosophy
My goal is a natural result. I would rather leave something alone than risk a result that looks “operated.” An operated looking result is one that often cannot be corrected and therefore is best avoided. A well performed face lift, however, produces a result that fillers and Botox alone cannot achieve.
More >>Face lift is a unique procedure
There is no “one procedure fits all,” it’s not like an appendectomy where a set piece of the body is removed. Face lift, a rhytidectomy on a large scale, is a balance between minimising the surgical interference and maximising the alteration: a reconstruction of the facial skin. As such, it is on every occasion an agreement between what the patient would like to have changed and how the surgeon thinks it can best be carried out. In principle, the incision is made far back in the face, anterior (sometimes only, or also posterior) to the ear, and the facial skin tissues are lifted from the deeper tissues by undermining them. When the skin and subcutaneous tissues have been lifted as a unit, necessary tightening up (plication) of the muscular aponeurosis is performed as the surgeon considers indicated. The freed skin of the face is then drawn back and up to the incision line, and the newly defined excess quantity is trimmed off.