Face Lift - Methods

At some point, wrinkles appear in everyone's face. This is primarily due to age, but is also promoted by factors such as excessive sunlight, stress, diet, nicotine and alcohol abuse, weak connective tissue, or skin that is overly thin. These so-called orthostatic folds, which can be attributed to gravity, can be softened through a face lift.⁶

A face lift can generally be performed after one's 40th birthday. A fundamental requirement is overall good health, which is a prerequisite for all operations conducted using general anaesthesia.^2,3

For face lifts, various operational methods can be distinguished; their application in each case depends on, among other things, one's personal wishes and desires. The primary distinction is made on the basis of which facial regions are to be treated. The so-called upper face lift covers the tautening of the forehead and area around the temples; the lower face lift covers the tautening of the neck and cheeks. In addition to these, there are operative procedures that focus on a particular region of the face, e.g. the forehead lift or the neck lift.⁷
More pronounced wrinkles between the sides of the nose and the corners of the mouth, the so-called nasolabial folds, can generally only be reduced and require more complex methods. Wrinkles on the outer corners of the eyes (crow's feet) as well as in the area of the upper lip can generally only be softened through other techniques such as laser treatment.⁴

A second distinction is made based on the depth of the tautening undertaken. In a modeling lift, this simply involves a tautening of the upper layer of skin. A classical face lift is also known by the name SMAS (sub-muscular aponeurotic system), or double-layer lift, and refers to the tautening of the connective tissue beneath the skin.⁴
With a triple-layer depth lift, muscle, skin, and tissue are lifted and corrected.⁸

A final distinction relates to the manner in which the incisions are made. An endoscopic face lift is especially applicable when lifting the eyebrows and forehead as well as in cases where facial changes are still minimal. The procedure is executed with the aid of a hose-shaped instrument; because the incisions made are smaller, the resulting scars are also smaller. In a classical face lift, incisions are made around the ear and either in the area of the border between the forehead and hair or on the scalp where hair is present. In addition, there are special operational techniques such as the biolift, in which tautened layers of skin are fixed using a special adhesive in addition to stitches.^4,9

The doctor who is treating you will gladly clarify the above described operational methods as well as alternative possibilities.