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Facelift Surgery

What does Facelift Surgery consist in?

The facelift is an cosmetic intervention whose main purpose is to combat facial aging. To remove wrinkles and blemishes on the face and neck, the skin is tightened using minimally invasive surgery. It is an aesthetic procedure that is performed under general anesthesia without hospital admission.

The facelift is one of the best cosmetic procedures to end the global aging of the patient's skin, although some areas of the face need other complementary interventions apart from the lifting, especially to eliminate some wrinkles, spots or smaller imperfections. The ideal treatment for each patient is decided by the specialist in facial aesthetics on the first day of the visit.

Thus, the facelift is performed to:

  • Eliminate the deepest wrinkles from the entire face and neck.
  • Eliminate the furrows and folds of the lips, chin, forehead and neck.
  • Soften the well-known "crow's feet". These wrinkles tend to be quite fine and to eliminate them completely it is necessary to complement the lifting with some other aesthetic treatment such as Botox.
  • Eliminate deep wrinkles around the eyelids.

CERVICAL-FACIAL LIFTING

One of the most visible consequences of aging is the loss of volume of facial fat deposits, which over time give way to the effects of gravity. This, together with the loss of elasticity of the soft tissues, can lead to a gradual sagging of the skin, which ends up accumulating in the jaw and neck region.

The cervicofacial lift is the most effective treatment to counteract this accumulation of skin. This minimally invasive surgical procedure rejuvenates the patient's face, defines its contours and slows down the aging process.

The cervicofacial lift specifically targets the middle and lower thirds of the face and neck, achieving a rejuvenating effect in the cheekbones, jaw (double chin) and neck area.

THE MODIFIED DEEP PLANE APPROACH: MAXIMUM EXPRESSIVENESS AND NATURALITY

Conventional lifting techniques are based on the shortening of the SMAS (superficial musculoaponeurotic system) in its most posterior portion (close to the scalp line), without releasing the retention ligaments. By not releasing these ligaments, the mobilization capacity of the most anterior sector of the face (the one most affected by the aging process) is much reduced, and the traction on the nasolabial folds, the marionette lines and the fall of the cheekbone, which will not undergo major changes.

In the Deep Plane approach we apply in the Maxillofacial Institute, the retention ligaments are released, allowing greater mobilization of the tissues and acting on the nasolabial folds, which allows the cheekbones to be repositioned, the jaw line to be drawn much better, and all the muscles mobilized with total naturalness. Likewise, Dr. Alejandro Mazarro applies the technique called Extended Deep Plane, which also frees the cervical ligaments, which greatly improves the definition of the cervical angle. We call this combined technique the Modified Deep Plane approach.
Abordaje Deep Plane Modificado
The Modified Deep Plane approach allows greater stability of the result and more natural results thanks to the multivector approach (deep tissues and skin are tightened in different directions to adjust to the surface of the face) since each structure requires a different vector. Most of the incisions are made on the scalp and around the ears, so the scars are practically imperceptible once the healing time has passed (about 4 months)

 

Procedure

In our center we perform this intervention in around 3 to 4 hours under local anesthesia and sedation. The Modified Deep Plane approach we use consists of four steps:

1- Elevation of the skin
2- Access to the deep submuscular space (deep plane) and release of the retention ligaments (fibrous bands that help to keep the soft tissues in position)
3- Repositioning of tissues (muscles, fat packs and skin)
4- Elimination of excess skin, and suture

Sometimes it is necessary to work the neck from an additional incision, located under the chin, in order to perform a platysmaplasty, or neck lift.

The objective of this procedure is to create a muscular girth with the platysma muscle, which is made up of two muscle sheets that run from the jaw to the clavicle, and are not connected to each other in the midline. This nonunion is responsible for plastysmal bands (those vertical lines that sometimes appear in the central region of the neck) and deep fat prolapse (manifesting as a double chin). The surgeon will inform you whether or not this procedure is necessary during your cervicofacial lift.

THE 'REVERSE FACELIFT'

When the sagging of the skin is due to a poor placement of the facial bones, facial lifting runs the risk of accentuating the disharmony of the patient's face. In patients who do not have a good bony projection on the face, we recommend orthofacial surgery with bimaxillary advancement, or reverse facelift. Reverse Facelift

The reverse facelift is as its names indicates: instead of stretching the skin back, the bone structure is brought forward, thereby tightening the skin in a natural way, achieving a great rejuvenating effect and better facial harmony.

In this surgical procedure, the maxillofacial surgeon advances (and if necessary rotates) the mandibular and maxillary bones in block (so the occlusion is not affected). By projecting the facial bones to their ideal position, it is possible to provide correct support to the soft tissues, giving tension to the face in a very natural way, at the same time as achieving a correct balance of the patient's features. Thus, the reverse facelift achieves a great rejuvenating effect on the face and greater definition in the neckline, the jaw contour, the chin and the lips.

HOW DO I KNOW IF I HAVE A GOOD BONE PROJECTION ON MY FACE?


It is very simple, in a profile photo, locate the base of your nose and draw a vertical line starting from that point. According to the Barcelona reference plane designed and published by Dr. Hernández Alfaro, in patients with good bone projection, both the maxilla and the mandible must touch or be in front of said line, if this is not your case, it is very likely that your bones do not have the proper projection.

Our specialists will be able to confirm the diagnosis and recommend the best treatment to follow according to your unique needs and characteristics.

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