Types of Facelifts in Columbus, Ohio

A rhytidectomy, or facelift, can give your face a more youthful, fresher look, but while facelift surgery has become the third most desired facial plastic surgical procedure, it is typically one of the least understood.

What Is a Facelift?

In years past, the word “facelift” referred to a surgical procedure that corrected skin laxity along the jaw line and neck. Facelift patients often stayed in the hospital for 3–4 days after surgery and seemed to drop out of society for many months. When they reappeared, the changes were so dramatic that everyone knew they’d had plastic surgery.

Although the term “facelift” still refers to corrective cosmetic facial surgery, advancements in facelift surgery in recent years have allowed plastic surgeons to target specific areas of the face. Today’s facelift lifts and tightens the skin, muscle, and soft tissue, resulting in a more natural appearance, longer-lasting improvement, and in many cases, faster recovery. The new techniques, however, have contributed to the confusion about what a facelift really is and who is best qualified to perform one.

Proven Procedures:

Whenever Dr. Michael Sullivan is asked to examine someone’s face, he likes to divide the face horizontally into thirds. The upper third of the face is the area from the hairline to the eyebrows. Aging in the upper third of the face results in laxity of the forehead, temple skin, or eyebrow hooding. These changes are best treated by a browlift or endoscopic browlift. Dr. Sullivan refers to surgery in this area as an upper facelift.

The mid-face extends from the lower eyelids to the upper lip. Laxity in this area is often best addressed by a mid-facelift or fat injections.

The area from the upper lip to the lower neck is referred to as the lower face and neck. A lift in this area is what most of us envision when we hear the word “facelift” or cheek-jaw-neck lift. This creates the most confusion because of terminology used by some entrepreneur physicians trying to create a marketing advantage. Dr. Sullivan commonly refers to the surgical lift in this area as a lower facelift.

Types of Facelifts:

The lower facelift procedure has come a long way since 1901 when Dr. Hollander devised the surgical “lift” and since 1931 when Dr. Lexner described the “S-lift.” Today’s state-of-the-art facelift or rhytidectomy techniques include tightening the skin, muscle layer, and fatty tissue layer, done to give a natural appearance—one that will last for a very long time.

Unfortunately, trademarked facelift procedures have recently captured the public’s attention with catchy slogans, bold claims, and slick advertising campaigns. The nature of these procedures is contrary to the basic tenants of medicine, which hold that information sharing and openness benefits everyone. Quite the opposite has occurred, and now the “facelift” is being sold like a McDonald’s franchise.

These franchises use a variety of names, and although the business models are slightly different, they mostly work the same way. A corporation identifies a city with appropriate demographics and finds a doctor who is willing to “buy in.” The doctor agrees to perform the proprietary technique in exchange for referrals, regardless of whether that technique is appropriate for a particular patient. The physician’s monetary payback is substantial.

According to Plastic Surgery News (September 2007), the marketing efforts related to these proprietary procedures often target consumer’s desires for a pain-free facelift with minimal downtime, no anesthesia, small incisions, and few bandages. The entire industry of so-called “trademarked quick procedures,” however, may actually compromise patient safety because the surgical methods employed are often kept secret through licensed confidentiality agreements, which rule out proper testing, study, or peer review.

When patients ask Dr. Sullivan about these procedures, his response is always: “If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.” If you are seeking any cosmetic procedure these days, “buyer beware.” You must do your homework.