Facial Rejuvenation:
A Word From Dr. Repta
Aging is a complex and individualized process that results in changes to the skin, fat, and, deeper tissue if the face. Because of this no two people age the same and therefore each patient requires their own special facial rejuvenation treatment.
There are three main parts of facial rejuvenation.
- Treatment of the skin
- Treatment of the underlying fat
- Treatment of the deeper tissue
Skin treatment can be anything from proper skin care and Botox to laser resurfacing. The basic idea is to help the skin have as few lines and wrinkles as possible and to remove sun related color blemishes and improve collagen and skin vitality.
Treatment of Underlying Fat
Treatment of the underlying fat is often focused on improving volume. Since aging results in volume loss, volume replenishment with fillers or fat transfer is often beneficial to restore the natural youthful fullness that is often associated with beauty.
Treatment of Deeper Tissue
The deeper tissue of the face consists of the platysma muscle and the SMAS.
The platysma muscle starts low down in the chest area actually near and below the collar bones and rises up onto the neck and over the jaw line. It transitions seamlessly into the SMAS tissue somewhere in the cheek area and continues into the temple area as yet another tissue called the superficial temporal fascia.
This entire layer of three tissues can be used to lift and reposition the deeper tissue of the face. By doing so, the face is “lifted” and tension is placed on the deeper tissue, leaving the skin to be supple.
What Does a “Facelift” Really Mean?
A word or two about what a “facelift” means. There is no true procedure that defines what a face lift means. In fact, there are many procedures named differently that have similar types of effects on the face. Procedures that have facelift-type effects include:
- Cheek lift
- Jowl lift
- Cheek tightening
- Facial tightening
- Neck tightening
- Facial rejuvenation
Similarly, there are many names for types of “facelifts”, including:
- Skin only face lift
- Deep plane face lift
- High SMAS face lift
- SMAS face lift
- Multi-plane face lift
The key is not to focus on the name or the terminology of the procedure, but rather on the result that you would like to accomplish and what procedure(s) would serve you best.
This is why having a consultation with a well-trained board certified plastic surgeon is so important. You will want to share your desire with your plastic surgeon and your plastic surgeon should be able to give you a handful of options based on your anatomy and goals, and describe the advantages and disadvantages of each.
All the best,
Dr. Remus Repta