Print Article for : Aging Of The Face

Your Online Guide » Natural Beauty » Anti Aging Skin

[A343]Aging Of The Face

by Barry Eppley, Bar

The general public's perception of a facelift....based on TV shows and the internet...is someone after such surgery being bruised from their eyes to their neck and their face wrapped up in a big dressing...like they had been involved in a major accident. And that it will take weeks to even look good enough to go out in public. In fact, this belief is quite inaccurate.

Facelift as the name of the surgery is misleading. It does not really describe what the surgery actually does or what the objectives of the procedure are. More accurately, a facelift should be called a neck-jowl lift, for this is what it actually helps. It is ideal for tightening that neck and lifting those jowls. The original name for a facelift, rhytidectomy, should be more accurately described as a necklilft or cervicoplasty. (reshaping of the neck) However, the name facelift persists and always will as it is embedded in our plastic surgery nomenclature.

Therefore, when you realize that only the neck and jowl are affected by the procedure, many of its misconceptions fade away. In isolation as a stand-alone procedure (which half of my 'facelift' patients only have), a facelift causes no bruising or swelling from the nose up. While many facelift patients get their eyes, forehead, nose and other facial procedures done at the same time, this is not a requirement and is only done if one wants the 'total face' rejuvenated. I find that after an isolated facelift, one can look pretty good in about a week and can easily be out in public in a few days with a little make-up in the neck area. No swelling occurs around the eyes at all!

One of the great misconceptions about a facelift is what is actually done in the operation. A facelift operation is all about tissue layers and vectors of lifting. The lifting off of the skin from the underlying tissues over the side of the face (to the cheek area) and across the neck through incisions placed in and around the ears is obvious in any diagram of a facelift operation. And movement of loose skin pulled back and over the ears at about a 45 degree angle to the face probably accounts for about 80% - 90% of the result created by a facelift. And often this is the only tissue moved in a facelift. This is the simplest, quickest and safest approach. More recent facelift developments have been to lift up tissue layers deeper than the skin. These deep layer that can be moved independent of the skin, is a special layer of tissue over the muscle. This tissue, known as SMAS, is raised and sutured up in a more vertical direction compared to the direction of the skin pull, closer to 60 degrees usually. Erroneously, the public is under the impression that facial muscles are moved whichi can not be done. On top of the muscle sits the SMAS. There is considerable debate as to whether the 'deeper' versions of the facelift produce better long-term results than skin movement only.

The neck-jowl lift, known historically as a facelift, can lift two different layers of sagging facial tissues in two slightly different up and backward directions.

Aging doesn't happen overnight. Every person's face ages differently. Some people get jowls early. Others have more of the "turkey neck" or wrinkling of the cheeks. You don't just wake up one morning and look 25 years older. However, you may wake up one day and suddenly realize, wow! I look a lot older than I feel.

A common misconception of cosmetic surgery is that once you have a facelift, you'll have to keep having them. In fact, the opposite is true. If you ask how long a facelift will last, the answer is forever. You will always look better after having had a lift whenever you do it. Since the face continually changes with age, the benefits of having undergone surgery will ensure that you will look younger than your chronological age. Aging is not limited to the surface of the skin. Time and sun damage take a toll on each layer of the skin and supportive tissues. A facelift addresses all the layers in the face. The goal is to look younger and more refreshed, without dramatic changes that give away that you had cosmetic surgery.

As with the rest of the body, the appearance of the face and neck changes with age. Muscle tone is lost, causing a flabby or droopy appearance. The jowls may begin to sag, contributing to a double chin. The nose lengthens slightly and may look more prominent. There is an increase in the number, size, and color of pigmented spots on the face. The eyebrows and eyelashes lose pigment and turn gray. The skin around the eyelids becomes loose and wrinkled, often making a crow's feet pattern.

The eye socket loses some of its fat pads, making the eyes look sunken. Droopy upper eyelids can occassionally contribute to limitations in vision. The fat pad that lies below the eye starts to thin over time, creating a sunken look to the area, and the lower eyelid tends to droop, creating a "tear trough." The light that hits this area gives the illusion of a dark circle.

So, if "40 is the new 30", and "50 is the new 40", then what do we do about all this depressing aging? There are some decent non-invasive techniques to restore a youthful look. But NOTHING, literally no other treatment, will give you the results of a traditional facelift. A well-done facelift will not change your looks or make you look like a different person. It will not make you look fake....a well done facelift will take years off your appearance and have people saying things like..."wow, you look great!"...but they won't be sure why/how you suddenly look so good.

In a facelift, tissues are elevated to where they started out; the underlying musculature is tightened, leaving you with a refreshed appearance and a sharper jaw line. A facelift should do more than just tighten sagging skin.

It should redrape the skin over the facial fat and muscles that have been restored to the position they held in your younger years. Plastic surgeons use smaller incisions now for facelifts to avoid the tell tale signs of an operated-on face.

When you spot someone who has undergone a facelift and looks radically different, it is usually a sign that more than just a facelift has been done. For example, adding a chin implant will make you appear slightly different than if merely a facelift is done as a stand alone procedure.

Facelift surgery has become more accepted as a right of passage, rather than a frivolous self-indulgence. The ideal time for a facelift is when you think you need it, or feel ready.

Article Source : anti aging skin

About Author

Both Barry Eppley & Adrien Brody are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Barry Eppley has sinced written about articles on various topics from Aging, Cosmetic Surgery and Health Insurance. Dr Barry Eppley runs a private plastic surgery practice through his hospital-based medspa locations at Clarian Health in Indianapolis. To learn more about the latest trends in plastic surgery, spa therapies, or skin care, go to his daily blog,. Barry Eppley's top article generates over 33100 views. to your Favourites.

Adrien Brody has sinced written about articles on various topics from Health, Cosmetic Surgery and Breast Enlargements. Adrien Brody is a business writer specializing in health and beauty products and has written authoritative articles on the industry. To learn more about breast enhancement, make sure you visit. Adrien Brody's top article generates over 165000 views. to your Favourites.