Indianapolis Facelift Specialist
Dr. Barry Eppley

Dr. Barry Eppley is a skilled plastic surgeon who is committed to helping his Indianapolis facelift patients achieve the best possible results. His dedication to facial rejuvenation can be seen on his face lift results page.

Early in life the face is full and firm due to tightness of the overlying skin and the fixed position of the underlying soft tissue which is attached to the facial bones. As we age, the influences of gravity, facial expression, and exposure to the sun weakens the underlying tissue attachments and slowly stretches out the skin. This begins initially as wrinkling around the eyes and forehead but eventually progresses to looseness of skin (bags) around the eyes, jawline, and neck as well as deep creases along the nose, mouth, eyes, and cheeks. Smoking and excessive sun exposure accelerate this process considerably.

Much of this natural aging process of the face can be reversed by the procedure currently known as a facelift or rhytidectomy. This procedure allows skin to be removed and tightened along the lower face and neck and results in scars which are inconspicuous at the ears and into the hairline of the neck. When combined with many other plastic surgery procedures (e.g., eyelid/forehead surgery, liposuction, chin implant, nasal surgery), remarkable improvements in one's overall facial appearance can be achieved. It is a procedure, however, that is often misunderstood by the public. A facelift improves the neck and jowl (along the jawline) areas mainly with limited effects on sagging tissues around the mouth. It does nothing for the aging appearance around the eyes and forehead. These are separate procedures (blepharoplasty, browlift), which while commonly done with a facelift to create an overall facial rejuvenation, are not included in the facelift portion of the operation.

Facelifts, today, are tailored to the patient's degree of facial aging, their concerns, and their age. There are basically two types of facelifts, limited and full. In the limited facelift, the incision is just in the fromt part of the ear and hairline and the improvement is primarily in the jowl and lateral neck areas. It usually is reserved for younger patients, patients with early signs of aging such as jowling, and for those patients who simply do not want a bigger operation and recovery. It goes by a lot of different names, such as short scar facelift, partial facelift ,quicklift, etc., is 'quick' to perform (one hour) and has a very short recovery (5 days). Full facelifts use an incision in both the front and back of the ear and are best used for patients with more severe jowling and neck waddles whose problem merits a bigger operation and a longer recovery.

Indianapolis plastic surgeon, Dr. Barry Eppley, performs other facial rejuvenation procedures in addition to face lift surgery. For Indianapolis rhinoplasty patients desiring a shapelier nose, he performs nasal surgery. And for patients who do not desire a surgical procedure, he offers Botox and a selection of injectable fillers such as Restylane.