Have you been looking for a lasting way to improve facial laxity? Here at Cosmetic Surgery of DFW in Fort Worth, TX, Dustin C. Derrick, MD, is the lead plastic surgeon and is pleased to offer face lift options for our patients.
What’s the Best Age for Getting a Face Lift?
The Age Range
If you’re looking into a face lift, we recommend setting up a consultation so we can talk through your goals and expectations. We can personalize your treatment plan with you, walk through your options, and help set you up for lasting success and excellent results. While the right age can vary per patient, most people find that sometime between 40 to 60 years is a good time to consider treatment.
Considering Your Needs
The treatment often works best when the patient’s face is showing clear signs of laxity. Usually by the time we reach about 40 years old, facial skin begins to sag in several areas. This often deepens and exaggerates folds and wrinkles throughout the face. By gently lifting and repositioning the affected skin, these folds and wrinkles can be drastically improved.
While everyone ages, everyone does so at their own rate. Rather than focusing on a specific age, you may want to consider other factors as you pick the right timing. Is your facial skin looser than it used to be? Are non-surgical treatments not giving you the lasting results you want? We would be happy to help you decide the right timing for your needs when we meet with you in person.
What Can It Improve?
Skin Laxity
There’s a reason many people want to give the skin of their face some extra support. With age comes skin laxity, and raising this skin back up into a more youthful position can make it look like a decade has been shaved off your face.
Wrinkles
While dynamic wrinkles may develop due to muscle movement over time, a loss of skin elasticity and structure can greatly exaggerate their appearance. There are many helpful injections that can smooth wrinkles over, but the unfortunate fact is these injections can only last so long.
Face lifts can’t stop aging, but they can offer permanent benefits. They’re able to “turn back the clock,” offering more time with a face that better reflects how you feel on the inside.
Creases
Folds and creases, much like wrinkles, can appear in many different areas. They are commonly found around the nose or the corners of the mouth. These folds can get quite deep, but with expert care, this treatment can help decrease their appearance.
Jowls
Loose skin around the chin or jawline is often called “jowls,” and can be a great source of frustration for many patients. This treatment can be a helpful way to firm up the jawline and improve jowls.
Double Chin
There are specific treatments that can help with double chins. That said, if your double chin is caused by excess skin collecting below the jawline, a face lift could help reduce it.
As skin loses its elasticity, loose skin may begin to collect under the jaw and chin. This can show up as jowls, or it can show up as a double chin. Strengthening that skin back up can reduce the appearance of a double chin.
Overall Improvements
There are many factors that play a role in how fast our skin ages, and how it ages. Sun exposure, smoking, genetics, and even stress can all affect the health of our skin. That said, even if we take every possible precaution, we can’t hold back the hands of time or wrinkles forever. When time begins to take its toll, this treatment is here to help.
The simple act of correcting your skin’s structure can help remarkably improve the overall appearance of the face, as well as your confidence.
What Can Patients Expect From Their Results?
Confidence
There are many benefits a patient can enjoy after their treatment. Many patients seek out treatment to improve their confidence. Improving skin laxity can help patients look as youthful and energetic as they feel. Most of the time, patients aren’t necessarily looking to impress anyone in particular. They often just want to do this to feel better and more comfortable in their own skin.
Effectivity
There are many treatments that claim to offer the same benefits as face lifts, but these “lunch hour” treatments can’t offer the same lasting power. Injectables and other similar treatments can be helpful, especially for patients who aren’t quite ready for surgery. However, when you’re looking for powerful and lasting results a face lift might be the way to go.
Versatility
During your meeting with us, feel free to bring up any areas you would like to improve. This treatment is extremely versatile. It’s possible to integrate an eyelid lift, brow raise, fat grafting, or even a neck lift to get you the results you’re looking for.
Comfort
If the appearance of your skin has impacted your confidence, you may find yourself avoiding clothing styles you used to enjoy. Some patients find themselves trying to hide their neck with scarves and turtlenecks, or trying to cover the sides of their face with their hair. By addressing your concerns at their root, you may feel more comfortable wearing your favorite old outfits again, and pulling that hair back to show off your face.
Personalization
We use the SMAS Plication approach. In addition to talking through the various treatments we offer and the ways we can use them together, this approach is also known for its ability to be personalized. It centers around matching the treatment to the patient’s unique facial structure as well as their aesthetic goals.
How Does This Approach Work?
The SMAS Difference
There are many approaches that can be taken when it comes to face lifts, and each one can offer slightly different results and benefits. The SMAS approach is named after a system of facial muscles that tends to drop down with age. These muscles are known as the superficial musculoaponeurotic system.
As the SMAS loosens, it will sag. The skin overlying the SMAS will then be weighed right down with it, which can create laxity and wrinkles. By focusing on the SMAS, we can get your skin lifted back up to a more correct position.
The “Natural” Look
Facelifts generally work by lifting the skin somehow, but the SMAS approach pays special attention to the relationship between the skin and its underlying muscles. This can help your results look more natural, and sculpted to the shape of your face.
Many patients are afraid of looking “plastic” or artificial when they seek out cosmetic improvements. Paying attention to these little details can help avoid that. Our goal is to help you look like you seamlessly traveled back in time. Of course, if you have any concerns or questions about what you can expect, we would be happy to go through your questions with you.
Our Experience
The SMAS system extends from the front of the ear, all the way down to the neck. It’s a complex system of muscles and fibrous tissues, and it is both thin and strong.
Working with these interconnected muscles is an important part of providing quality results. It involves having a thorough understanding of how the muscles work while respecting the unique appearance of each and every patient. We take this approach very seriously and are proud to offer our expertise.
Muscle Integrity
The right approach involves making sure that your skin is positioned correctly along with your muscles. Even when a neck lift is carried out, muscles have to be considered. For instance, the muscles of the neck are often “hidden” under adipose tissue and excess skin. By working correctly with these muscles, issues like “turkey necks” or vertical muscle bands can be improved upon.
A neck lift may involve carefully tightening the platysma muscle, or simply focus on tightening the skin. In all of our approaches, whether we’re working with your face or neck, we always keep the patient’s needs at the forefront of our minds.
Expected Results
We will be able to give you more personalized details once we understand your goals. In general, the surgery tends to take about two hours. We can address a wide range of aesthetic concerns by vertically lifting your facial skin and correctly positioning the SMAS.
Treatment results are designed to look both youthful and natural, as they will be catered to your facial structure. This treatment is considered quite effective, and you should be able to enjoy your results for the long haul.
Ready To Learn More?
If you’re ready with more questions, we’re ready to give you our advice. Give us a call at Cosmetic Surgery of DFW in Fort Worth, TX, to schedule your meeting with Dustin C. Derrick, MD, today!
