Sun exposure, living a happy life, and gravity all cause a little facial wear and tear. As you age, the elastin in your facial tissues becomes weak, and your skin begins to droop. However, the weakening of the skin isn’t the only cause of an aging appearance. A larger factor in how firm and youthful your face appears is actually the underlying muscular structure. If your muscles are loose, then the skin that sits on top of it will appear that way as well. Many people carry the misconception that a facelift targets A) only the skin and B) your entire face. This is, in fact, not true.
What Is a Facelift, Really?
Facelift surgery has a bit of a deceptive name; there isn’t much lifting of your entire face. Many patients pull back the skin around the temples and cheeks, which makes the skin taunt. This is the effect they desire from their facelift, but achieving that aesthetic through surgery requires work in a very different area of the face. What seems to be a tightening of the overall face is actually tailored restructuring of the underlying musculature of the lower face.
Incisions are created along the hairline at the temples that run down toward the ears. The skin is separated from the muscles, and the cheek and jaw muscles are repositioned and stitched together so they appear and feel firm. The skin is then redraped over your new muscle contour, and unwanted excess skin is trimmed away. The remaining skin hugs your new muscle structure, which now appears firm and youthful. It is important to remember that this surgery only targets the middle and lower half of your face.
Full Facial Rejuvenation
What many patients fail to realize is that an aged appearance can also be due to sagging skin around the eyes. Heavy, drooping eyelids can cause you to appear fatigued, angry, or even sad. Eyelid surgery can be performed in conjunction with your facelift in order to achieve full facial rejuvenation. Additionally, JUVÈDERM® is an injectable filler that can be used to fill in deep, hollow circles around the eyes.
For eyelid surgery, incisions are created in the natural contours of the eyelids to minimize the appearance of scarring. Excess skin and fat are removed from the upper lid to eliminate a heavy, hooded lid. The same is done to the lower lid, which alleviates puffiness and dark undereye circles.
Combining procedures can save you money and precious recovery time. Brighter eyes and firmer skin will have you looking years younger in no time.
If you think you’d benefit from full facial rejuvenation, facelift surgery, or eyelid lift surgery, schedule your consultation with the Birmingham Specialists today. Contact our office by calling 205-298-8660 or filling out our online contact form here for more information.