Posts Tagged ‘limited facelift’
Saturday, January 15th, 2011
Q: Please tell me the procedure for the neck lift that is natural looking, no downtime and no bandages. I’ve done a lot of research into plastic surgery, worked with plastic surgery patients, so just want to know about the procedure and cost. I don’t want to make an appt to ask questions until I know what it is about and have done my research. Thanks so much.
A: Thank you for your inquiry. As you may know, there are a variety of limited neck and facial procedures for improving the signs of jowl and neck ptosis that occurs with age. In reality, these are all forms of more limited facelift type procedures although they are usually referred to by patients as ‘necklifts’. Many of these have branded and marketed names that imply rapid recoveries and minimal downtime. They are all based on the same structural premise which is neck liposuction (maybe with a little submental platysmal plication) and a preauricular-jowl skin flap with SMAS plication.
When the necklift procedure is done this way, there is virtually no downtime (very mild swelling and little bruising usually), no sutures to remove (all dissolveable sutures), no drains used, and no dressing. (sometimes only a head wrap for the first night only) This is quite a different early postoperative look than what one would be familiar with in the more traditional full facelift approach. The procedure generally takes about 90 minutes to do as an outpatient.
The success of this type of facial rejuvenation procedure is based on patient selection. It is not the best procedure for patients with substantial neck and jowl sagging where a fuller facelift version would be more appropriate. But for mild to moderate jowl and neck issues, and as a secondary tuck-up to freshen up an old facelift result, this approach can be very useful. Generally, the total costs of the procedure is going to be in the $4500 to $5500 range.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis Indiana
Tags: dr barry eppley, indianapolis, limited facelift, plastic surgery
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Monday, October 25th, 2010
Q: I am interested in what a limited facelift or lifestyle lift might do for me or if I can get away with fillers or something like that. What is the comparative recovery time? Costs? How long do they last?
A: One of the common misconceptions in management of the aging face is that injectable fillers and some form of a facelift treat the same problems. They do not and, as a result, are not comparable treatments. They are often companions (done together or in separate stages) but are never substitutes for each other. Injectable treatment are for the central part of the face and do things that surgery generally can not either achieve or do very well. These include Botox for forehead and eye wrinkles and fillers for nasolabial fold depth reduction and lip wrinkle reduction and lip size increase. Any form of a facelift deals only with the sagging skin and excess fat in the neck and jowls, lower third of the face sagging.
There are procedures touted as ‘liquid facelifts’ but these are a bit (or maybe a lot) misleading and are associated, in my opinion, with a relatively poor value. By using injectable fillers, the sides of the face and cheeks can be puffed up which does create a mild temporary lifting effect due to the expansion of the tissues. The operative word is temporary (six months or less) and, when one compares the cost of numerous syringes of injectable fillers, one could already be more than halfway to one of the variations of a facelift. This injectable approach will also do nothing for the neck area which is the primary target of facelift surgery.
For the patient with lesser amounts of facial aging, the combination of a limited facelift (aka Lifestyle Lift) and injectable fillers can create a very dynamic effect by being able to treat the entire face more effectively. There is a very definite role and benefit to injectable fillers but their results are not comparable to facelift surgery.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana
Tags: dr barry eppley, indianapolis, injectable fillers, lifestyle lift, limited facelift, plastic surgery
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Tuesday, September 14th, 2010
Q: I am interested in getting a mini-facelift done. I would like to know some information about it and the cost.
A: The mini facelift to which you refer is also known by many marketed and highly promoted names. Its primary effect is to dramatically improve saggy jowls, smooth out the jawline and have some secondary effects in the neck. It is different from a full facelift because it is not effective for the really saggy neck. It is often combined with other facial rejuvenation procedures such as neck liposuction, chin augmentation and eyelid tucks. It takes just over an hour to perform and is usually done under IV sedation or general anesthesia. In my Indianapolis plastic surgery practice, it is not usually performed under local anesthesia. While the use of local anesthesia is an understandable attraction point for many patients, it makes the operation longer and takes an already limited operation and makes it more’limited’. The limited facelift is an outpatient procedure that uses no drains or sutures that have to be removed. One can shower and style their hair normally the next day after the overnight dressing is removed. While there is someswelling and bruising, this is more limited than what occurs in a full facelift. One can expect a complete social (how do I look?) recovery in 7 to 10 days.
The average cost for a limited facelift, all costs included, is in the range of $5,500 – $6,500
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis Indiana
Tags: dr barry eppley, indianapolis, limited facelift, plastic surgery
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Monday, August 23rd, 2010
Q: I am interested in having a jawline tuck procedure. The only part of my face that bothers me as I have aged is along the jowls. That is the only place where I have some excess skin that affects my appearance. Please tell me where the incisions area and what part of the face this operation does, and does not, affect. Thank you!
A: Basically, a jawline tuck is a simple modification of a limited or mini-facelift. It is similar to the advertised and marketed ‘Lifestyle Lift’ which is a franchise approach that offers a very similar procedure. As the name would imply, it is a facial rejuvenation procedure that has very little downtime hence the branded name. The fine line incision starts at the top of the front of the ear, goes inside the ear behind the tragus, and then around the back of the earlobe. Through this hidden incision, any loose skin along the jawline (jowls) is lifted smoothing this area out. There is some benefit in the neck area but not as significant as that of the jowls. This procedure is as described….a tuck for the jawline or jowls. It does not affect any other part of your face.
Many times other facial procedures are done with this ‘little’ facelift such as neck liposuction, laser resurfacing or chemical peels, and eyelid tuck procedures. But when done alone, there is less than a week of any visible swelling and bruising so recovery is quite rapid.
The key concept to grasp is that a facelift is an isolated jowl and neck procedure. A limited facelift or jawline tuck is just a smaller version of it.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana
Tags: dr barry eppley, indianapolis, jawline tuck, lifestyle lift, limited facelift, plastic surgery
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Friday, May 7th, 2010
As people age, two of the most noteworthy and bothersome facial changes is what occurs along the jaw line and neck. These two changes are usually progressive, first comes the jowls then goes the neck. Like wax melting off of a candle, cheek skin and fat begins to slide off of the face creating those fleshy droopy folds at the jaw line known as the jowls. Recent research also indicates that it is more than just gravity that causes jowls, it is the shrinking of facial fat as well.
The appearance of jowls will eventually occur in everyone with enough time. Jowling creates an undesireable change in facial shape, making it wider and more rectangular in the lower face which is characteristic of an older person. It also causes a distinct disruption of a smooth jaw line from the chin on back, which is characteristic of a more youthful appearance.
Jowl correction is generally part of a facelift procedure. This is done during a facelift by either trimming the jowl fat, suturing the jowl fat back up to a higher level, or some combination of both of these manuevers. Facelifting is a relatively common procedure as evidenced by the 95,000 performed in the U.S. in 2009 according to the American Society of Plastic Surgery.
When only jowls are present and the neck has minimal loose skin, a different variation of a facelift can be done. Scaling back the ‘size’ of the facelift procedure can very effectively eliminate those troublesome jowls. Known by a wide variety of different names, the limited or downsized facelift tucks up the hanging loose jowls with very minimal recovery. Unlike a traditional facelift where incisions are made in front of and on the back of the ears, the jowl facelift only uses a fine incision in the front. The lack of any significant recovery is noted by the different names that are used to describe it, such as Lifestyle Lift, Swiftlift and EZ Lift. Expect one week for the significant recovery period of some mild swelling and bruising.
One of the great advantages of a jowl lift or ‘short scar facelift’ is that it also addresses a common facelift fear, that of looking unnatural. Few patients that I have ever met want to look like they have had a facelift. These procedures have no risk of that ever happening as they deliver a more subtle and less dramatic result. One will never look have that windwept or overdone look as, by definition, the procedure is more limited.
Tags: dr barry eppley, facelift, facial aging, indianapolis, jowls, limited facelift, plastic surgery, short scar facelift
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Saturday, May 1st, 2010
Q: Dr Eppley I have had my lower eye bags and lids done and also had a MAC facelift with liposuction to my neck all at the same time. I now have two eyelids that are different and am not pleased with the result of my lower neck. I went back to see the surgeons yesterday and they said they would have to do the two eyelids again but can’t do the neck any better. I am 65 years old and after reading your article about a low horizontal neck lift I wonder if this is would nto work for me. That procedure has given me hope but I can’t trust my previous surgeons to do it.
A: The MAC facelift, like all forms of limited facelifting, is a great procedure for the right patient. The right patient for it is one that doesn’t have a significant neck problem or a lot of loose neck skin. These limited facelifts are primarily jowl reducing/smoothing procedures with some minor improvements in the neck area. Those improvements are helped through the use of neck liposuction, but the key to getting a good result is that the neck skin must not be too loose.
When one has a more significant neck issue, a full or more traditional facelift procedure is more appriopriate. This is a much more powerful neck procedure. One of the problems with these limited facelifts is that they get used in patients that really should have had a more complete necklifting procedure. As a result, they can often be disappointed with the neck result. I suspect this is what has occurred in your case.
Once can always have a secondary more complete facelift done to improve your neck result. Having had a MAC facelift does not preclude that. Saying that ‘no more can be done’ suggests to me that they are either unwilling or incapable of doing a more complete facelift procedure.
A low horizontal neck lift is always an option and certainly is simpler and easier than reverting to a complete facelift. As long as one can accept a fine line scar in a low neck crease, this could be an option worth considering. That could even be done local anesthesia.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Tags: dr barry eppley, facelift, indianapolis, limited facelift, MAC facelift, necklift, plastic surgery
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Friday, April 16th, 2010
Q: As I am getting older, I don’t like my neck which is getting looser and lower. I think I may need a facelift but am scared to death to go through it and it will likely cost more than I have. I have read and seen pictures about the Lifestyle Lift and that really interests me as it doesn’t look like surgery is needed and the results are great. Do you think that will work for me?
A: As we age, the very common signs of facial aging is in the development of a saggy neck and jowling. These loose facial skin issues are exactly what a facelift treats, contrary to what many patients believe that a facelift is.
Facelifts can be done in a variety of ways but fundamentally there are two types, limited and full. For smaller neck and jowl issues, a limited facelift can be a very good rejuvenative procedure. For larger neck wattles and jowls, a full facelift is often needed to get the best result.
The Lifestyle Lift, a tradename and franchise approach to delivering cosmetic facial surgery, is a variation of a limited facelift. Many patients have commented to me that they did not think it was surgery based on the ads and the TV commercials. But a Lifestyle Lift is surgery and can be combined with a wide variety of other facial procedures and injectable treatments. Usually a combination of ‘small’ procedures can collectively create a significant facial improvement.
The limited facelift approach has been around for a long time, dating even back to the early part of the 20th century. It has re-emerged in popularity today because younger patients are seeking facial improvements. They don’t want to wait until they need a complete facelift and have such a dramatic change. Plus, they want to maintain a more youthful appearance as they are in their prime work years. About half of the facelifts I now do are of the limited variety because it fits many patient’s age, lifestyle, and budget.
When you see a good before and after picture of a significant facial change, you should know that is not possible without some form of surgery. There is no magical cream, laser, and other ‘magic’ that can create what a facelift operation can do. We all would like there to be but it does not exist. Remember a basic plastic surgery rule…’small changes require only small procedures, big changes come from big procedures.’
Dr. Barry Eppley
Tags: dr barry eppley, facelift, indianapolis, lifestyle lift, limited facelift, plastic surgery
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Sunday, March 14th, 2010
While the way and the changes that a face undergoes as it ages may not have changed since time began, the treatment of it has. Facelift surgery used to be an extensive operation largely because it was done on older people. (who needed a lot of work!) In a generation past, most people (primarily women) underwent a facelift when they retired, rewarding themselves for a lifetime of work and when they can most afford it.
But today’s approach to facial aging is different and reflects changes in both society’s attitudes and plastic surgical techniques. People now want to age less obviously and remain youthful appearing in middle-age as they participate in the ever competitive workplace. As a result, facelift surgery has adapted to these needs becoming less invasive and suited for less severe signs of aging that exist in the 40 and 50 year-old ages.
Besides the common misconception of what a facelift really, most people perceive that it is a highly invasive procedure that requires a long recovery. These two perceptions are tied together under the belief that a facelift is a ‘scalp to neck’ lift. In reality, a facelift only changes the lower third of the face…a neck and jowl improvement. It does not change the mouth, cheek, eye or forehead area. These require separate and often combined procedures with a facelift to create a complete facial makeover. When one understands the more limited scope of what a facelift is, it becomes less scary and intimidating.
Facelifts have evolved into two different types, complete and limited. The difference is in the amount of neck improvement that is obtained. Since many younger patients have more jowling than sagging neck issues, the limited facelift has become widely used. The surge in the number of facelifts has been because of this scaled down version and accounts for at least half of all facelifts now performed.
The popularity of the limited facelift can be seen by the numerous marketing approaches taken by both plastic surgeons and franchises alike. Catchy names that imply the ease of recovery, such as Swiftlift and SimpleLift to name a few, are used to differentiate this technique from that of the historic facelift perception. Promoting surgery under local anesthetics, one hour procedure times, and a few days of recovery, it can make it seem that it is hardly surgery at all. I have seen numerous patients initially seen at these franchise establishments and they were surprised to find out it was an actual surgical operation.
But limited facelifts are real surgery, even if it isn’t the same as an extended full facelift. It can become a more extensive procedure if combined with other facial aging treatments such as eyelid tucks (blepharoplasty)or browlifts, which is quite common. The concept of several smaller operations at a younger age is a sound maintenance approach that may make the need later for a full facelift unnecessary.
Limited facelifts, however, are not just for the young. For the older patient, who may really need a full facelift for the best result but does not want it, the limited facelift offers moderate improvement with less recovery and costs.
Contemporary plastic surgery is about adapting the operation to the magnitude of the problem. The limited facelift is a great illustration of that principle.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Tags: dr barry eppley, facelift, indianapolis, limited facelift, plastic surgery, swiftlift
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Saturday, January 30th, 2010
The greatest misconception about facelift surgery is that it does very little for what most people think of as their face. A facelift is really a neck and jowl lift, changing only the lower third of the face or the neck. Facelift surgery is also not a ‘one size fits all’ operation. Facelifts come in a variety of variances that are customized to the each patient’s specific problems. Subtle differences in each facelift do make each one a little unique.
Despite many nuances in each patient’s facelift surgery, they are done in fundamentally two ways or types, limited and full. The differences lie in how much work is done in the neck area.
Limited facelifts affect mainly the loose skin in the jowls with some minor effect on the neck. Often neck liposuction is done as part of the procedure. This type of facelift has become popularized by different surgeons and companies that implies its simplicity and ease of recovery. Despite these name differences, they are are essentially the same operation. It is a good procedure for those who have early to moderate signs of face (neck and jowl) aging. The recovery is quick, one week or so, and in my Indianapolis plastic surgery practice the limited facelift makes up about one-half of all facelifts that I do.
A full or traditional facelift is an extension of the full facelift. More skin is undermined in the neck and the platysmal muscle is often sewn together as well. It is reasonable to think of a full facelift as about twice that of a limited facelift. The surgery is twice as long, the amount of work done is about double. This is a better procedure when one is older and the facial (neck and jowl) aging process is more advanced. If you have significant loose skin in the neck, then a full facelift is probably needed.
One of the fears that many patients have is that a facelift involves a lot of pain, swelling, and an extended recovery. In reality, this is simply not true. One of the main reasons people think this goes back to a basic misunderstanding of what a facelift really is. (it does not involve any operations above the mouth…..while many other facial procedures can be done with a facelift, they do not count as a facelift) Isolated facelifts are much easier to go through than most imagine. Even a full facelift takes only slightly longer than a limited one.
Unfortunately, the fear of what a facelift may entail after surgery prevents some people from even considering this very effective procedure. Once I explain in detail the type of facelift a patient may need and what is really involved to go through it, these fears subside and the process to get what one wants is no longer so daunting.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Tags: dr barry eppley, facelift, indianapolis, limited facelift, plastic surgery
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Saturday, January 30th, 2010
Due to the marketing and appeal of a facial rejuvenation procedure called the Lifestyle Lift, many people have at least heard of it. A scaled-down version of a facelift, the Lifestyle Lift is not unique or new but is actually a common procedure performed by many plastic surgeons. Todays trend toward less invasive plastic surgery and beginning facial rejuvenation earlier has led to the marketing of an otherwise routinue facial procedure.
Unknown to most, the Lifestyle Lift is a branded name and is a blended marketing and service approach to delivering minimally invasive facelift surgery. In essence, it is a franchise approach to selling surgery with office locations in 22 states. (the closest office to Indy is in Cincinnati)
While there is nothing wrong with that concept, the Lifestyle Lift company was recently fined $500,000 in New York where its corporate headquarters is located.. The attorney general there has settled complaints against the company as it has admitted that it used its employees to pose as satisfied customers in online ads. Apparently the company ordered employees to write positive reviews of the Lifestyle Lift on message boards and other internet forums to appear as unsolicited testimonials and endorsements, thus violating consumer protection laws. (proving once again that www. really means the wild wild west…believe at your own risk!)
While the company and the way it operates may have some deceptive marketing practices, the actual operation however is still a sound one. The limited facelift or short scar facelift (a.k.a Lifestyle Lift) is very popular and highly successful. It is a scaled down version of a more extended facelift into which many other smaller facial procedures can be added as well.
Younger patients today want to treat jowl and neck sagging early rather than wait until it looks worse. Therefore, their facial concerns are less severe and they do not need a full facelift operation. The limited facelift is often combined with other smaller procedures (e.g., Botox, injectable fillers, laser resurfacing, neck liposuction, eyelid tucks) to create an even better overall result without extending one’s recovery. Older patients (who really do need a bigger operation but do not want it) can still get a simpler and less invasive operation that will provide some real improvement. (although less than that from a full facelift) This usually fits their financial situation and allows them to have surgery that they can afford with a recovery that fits into their work or leisure schedule.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Tags: dr barry eppley, facelift, indianapolis, lifestyle lift, limited facelift, plastic surgery, short scar facelift
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