Facelift after Extreme Weight Loss

Q: Dr. Eppley, I’m 31 years old and I’ve been overweight for most of my young adult life. I’ve spent the last three years trying to lose weight and I’ve managed to lose a whopping 110 lbs. 

I am proud of myself for what I have achieved thus far, but a problem remains. As I am still young, I was counting on my skin elasticity to bounce back and tighten up everything. It’s worked slightly for the body, and I’ve accepted that later on I’ll need a surgery to remove the excess skin if it doesn’t retract further in the future as I continue to lose weight.

However, my deepest concern lies with my face. Around the back end of my jaw especially, I am able to pinch and pull a lot of excess (of what I think is excess skin and stretched tissue?) The chin area has done better – I have no jowling of the noticeable sort. 

My body does bother me but at least I can hide it under clothing. My face on the other hand, is a problem. I feel like a bulldog. 

I feel as if there is too much excess to have any worthy outcome from any lasering or tightening treatments. Dr Eppley, what are my options here?

Is a facelift  an option in my case? I have no medical knowledge of any kind but is there some sort of lift procedure for the face where the SMAS is left alone but the excess skin on top is cut off?

A: Thank you for your inquiry and congratulations on your efforts at weight loss. Any person that loses as much weight as you have will develop loose/extra skin around the jawline and neck. Such excess tissue is into going tor respond to any non-surgical tightening methods. Only a lower facelift (neck-jowl) lift will suffice to lift and remove what is likely inches of loose skin.

I would need to see pictures of your face to provide a more qualified answer as to your exact needs for improvement.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana