Facelift

Facelift Q & A

What is a facelift?

A facelift, also known as a rhytidectomy, is a cosmetic procedure that restores your youthful look by addressing age-related changes that affect the face and neck. More specifically, a facelift treats:

• Facial sagging
• Deep lines and creases around the mouth and nose
• Jowls
• Loose, saggy skin on the neck
• Displaced or diminished facial fat

Lines and wrinkles are a normal part of the aging process that occurs because of structural changes that affect your skin, including a decrease in collagen production and loss of subcutaneous fat. 

These structural changes cause your skin to loosen and sag, creating the lines and creases. 

What are the facelift techniques?

Dr. Urbinelli is an experienced and skilled plastic surgeon. He offers a full range of techniques for facelifts, so you get a personalized approach for the best, most natural results. 

Some of his facelift techniques include:

Minimally invasive and/or short scar

When considering a facelift to restore a more youthful appearance, most people want to look younger without looking like they had “work” done. When performing facelifts, Dr. Urbinelli uses minimally invasive techniques that leave very small “hidden” scars. 

This technique is often ideal for bald men (difficult to hide the scar in hairline), younger/middle-aged patients with little/no neck laxity, or patients who just request “skin only facelift” or a MACS lift (suture technique minimally invasive facelifts).  

These approaches can be powerful but less extensive and less longevity in the results compared to the following techniques, however, they are associated with less downtime after surgery.

Sub-superficial muscular aponeurotic system (sub-SMAS)

The sub-SMAS facelift is an innovative facelift technique that focuses on lifting the fat, muscle, and loose skin on the lower two-thirds of the face. 

During the sub-SMAS facelift, Dr. Urbinelli tightens SMAS layer, rearranges fat, and removes excess skin to improve jowls, flattened/depressed cheeks, deep nasolabial folds, and saggy skin under the chin.

Deep plane techniques

To give you a rested and youthful appearance, Dr. Urbinelli may use deep plane facelift techniques. With this type of facelift, he goes deeper than the sub-SMAS, elevating and releasing problem areas that require more extensive dissection and elevation, which ensures more powerful and durable long-term results.  

Am I a candidate for a facelift?

Dr. Urbinelli takes a patient-centered approach to care. When you come in for a facelift consultation at PNW Plastic Surgery, he will spend adequate time listening and discussing with you options, approaches, and expectations so he can fully understand your concerns and goals. 

He reviews your medical history and evaluates your face. You may be a candidate for a facelift if you have moderate to severe facial sagging that non-surgical cosmetic treatments cannot fix. 

To schedule your facelift consultation, call PNW Plastic Surgery, or book an appointment online today.