Professor Hernández Alfaro, Dr. Adaia Valls, and their research team have published in the prestigious Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery a new surgical technique to improve the contour of the jaw and produce a rejuvenating effect on the neck area
In humans, the normal aging process involves a visible, gradual sagging of the area of the salivary glands (below the jaw), which contrasts with the flat, smooth surface of a youth-appearing neck. To minimize these effects, the medical team of the Maxillofacial Institute has designed a new technique that is implemented as a complementary process during a surgery that involves a bilateral sagittal osteotomy (BSSO).
The technique consists of using the same incision that is made to carry out the osteotomy, reaching and elevating the platysma muscle (which goes under the skin and the subcutaneous tissue of the neck) to its highest position through a suture that is later suspended of the mini titanium plates placed in the jaw during orthognathic surgery.
In this way, the tension of the platysma elevates the submandibular gland and neck muscle to a more youthful position, improving the prominence and contour of the jaw without having to remove the salivary glands or carry out additional procedures to elevate the skin of the neck, like a neck lifting.
This procedure has proven to be clinically effective, minimally invasive, technically undemanding and with lasting results. The trial study of this technique showed high levels of patient satisfaction, minimal additional morbidity and no risk of surgical complications. Click here to read the original published article.
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