Ask the Doctor: Facelifts

Do smaller and faster-healing facelifts really work?Many new procedures and technologies have emerged in cosmetic facial surgery. Some of them are true advances and many of them are hype. Facelift surgery has become easier, as it is less invasive; anesthesia is simpler; and most lifts can be performed outside a hospital — this much is true. But if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is! A mini-facelift is a good choice for a patient who has only "mini-aging," but a patient with a large amount of skin will require a larger or more comprehensive lift. Younger patients or patients who are willing to accept moderate improvement are probably good candidates for the mini procedures. Joseph Niamtu III, D.M.D., F.A.A.C.S. 95150i2.jpgIn addition, many of the less-invasive facelifts may not last as long the more comprehensive lifts. Patients must remember that just because something is new, it is not necessarily better. Surgeons have been performing facelift surgery for almost a century, and if a new "miracle" facelift truly were available, all surgeons would be performing it — not just doctors scattered throughout the country. If a patient truly wants to dramatically reverse a half-century of facial aging, he or she should not consider a recovery of several weeks an insurmountable drawback. When patients read about facelifts that can be "done in an hour," they should carefully investigate the situation and the longevity of the result.