Rejuvenating Face Lifts for Aging Skin

A Face Lift is a procedure that most people can benefit from. This may sound too radical but most people feel a need and desire to look their best. When skin creams and lotions, Botox, lasers, chemical peels and fillers fail - face lift may offer the solution that is difficult to resist. Of course, many people are afraid of having surgery and having a “surgical look” but fortunately face lifting techniques have evolved considerably to offer patients less invasive methods that even the most sophisticated patient can find attractive.

How The Technique Is Performed:

Face lift remains one of the most effective rejuvenating methods for the aging face. Its technique varies from simple skin excision to complex procedure including the repositioning of muscles, fat and skin. Recent trends in patients desires of having effective facial improvement while minimizing down-time have led to the development of newer, less traumatic, short scar, less recovery methods. Full understanding of the face and neck anatomy as well as the changes associated with aging process is required by the physician prior to undertaking any face lift procedure.

Two key subcutaneous structures are at the core of face-lift surgery - superficial musculoaponeurotic system (SMAS) and platysma. SMAS is a fibrous interlocking, sometimes ill-defined, structure/sheath deep to the skin fat. It extends from platysma muscle (a thin, fan-like muscle that extends from both collar bones to the jaw line) and reaches cheekbones as well as temple and scalp components. These two structures are utilized and modified in most face lift procedures.

As we age, several facial components undergo significant changes. The skin becomes less elastic that is associated with decrease in collagen support. Furthermore, there is modification of the facial fat with respect to its amount and position. In addition, there is remodeling of facial bones that in combination with fat and skin changes lead to aged facial appearance.

Most of the surgical face lifts procedures today are a variation of two-plane face lift - use of the epidermal-dermal component (full thickness skin) as well as the SMAS-platysma component. Optimal results require modification of SMAS-platysma component through resection, placation and/or suspension. It is this modification that is at the core of most face-lifts. These adjusted deep supporting structures provide durable framework over which skin can be safely re-draped. It is imperative to realize that stretching skin alone will not result in any sustained improvement and can lead to skin death, appearance of “surgical look” as well as significant facial distortion and scarring.

The Latest Techniques:

Latest face lift techniques utilize shorter skin incisions and are primarily designed for patients with mild to moderate jowls and neck laxity. With the recent advancements in local anesthetic and, in particular, the development of tumescent anesthesia, most face lift procedures can be safely and comfortably accomplished without the need for the traditional general anesthesia. These modified procedures have accomplished several things. Shorter incisions and local anesthetic make the recovery from modern face lifts much easier than in the past. In addition, the shorter scar and resulting less significant distortion of hairline make these methods much more appealing for modern men and women.

What Every Patient Needs To Do

As with any aesthetic procedure, pre-operative consultation is an optimal time for defining patient’s motivation for aesthetic improvement and developing plan of action. It is at this time that patient’s desires and fears can be explored. It is important for the patient to ask pertinent questions regarding the expected degree of sustained facial rejuvenation, the length of the scar as well as modification of the temporal and post-auricular hairline. With proper patient selection and optimization of desired procedure, most patients can achieve rewarding sustained results that can benefit most if not all of us at some point in our life.

How Skin Works

The first thing one thinks of when they hear the word “organ” in relationship to the body, may be an internal image – one of the lungs, liver or heart, one that helps the body function. You may not consider your skin to be an organ but it is in fact the largest organ of the body. According to a popular encyclopedia, adults carry some 8 pounds (3.6 kilograms) and 22 square feet (2 square meters) of it. This fleshy covering does a lot more than make us look presentable. In fact, without it, we would literally fall apart.The average skin composition is about one-hundredths of an inch thick. Its layers are called the dermis, which contains blood vessels and cells known as fibroblasts. These cells produce collagen, elastin and proteoglycans–the mortar that holds your skin together. The outer component is the epidermis. This contains between twelve and fifteen layers of cells, but as we age, they diminish to nine or ten layers.

Only the very bottom layers of cells divide and replace themselves. They slowly rise to the skin’s surface and as they rise, they lose their neuclei and die. This outer layer, knows as the stratum corneum, is then automatically sloughed off in tiny pieces during everyday activity, which then triggers the bottom layer of skin to create new skin cells all over again. If you are injured, this regeneration rate doubles or triples to compensate for the loss of skin cells and create new skin.

If you are a teenager, the regeneration process will take about two to three weeks. As an adult, this rate slows and cells become less apt to divide and less hydrated. Part of this cycle is mainly due to what are known as “free radicals.” These little guys have been getting a lot of press lately and driving many anti-aging products and supplements. Free Radicals are basically unstable oxygen molecules. They are unstable because they are missing some essential electrons. So, they seek out healthier electrons from other molecules – including our skin cells. The chain reaction they cause is known as oxidation. This effect can also restrain blood circulation and can cause other unsightly results like varicose veins.

The most significant sources of free radicals are cigarette smoke, air pollution and pesticides. All of this contributes to aging skin, creating wrinkles, age spots and sagging. Antioxidant-rich foods that contain vitamin C and E have been found to defend against free radicals by giving them their own electrons and forming a barrier that protects skin cells. You may already know certain behaviors and habits will either help or harm your skin, such as proper diet, exercise, smoking and sun exposure.

Skin acts as a waterproof, insulating shield, guarding the body against temperature extremes, damaging sunlight, and harmful chemicals. It also prevents infection and manufactures vitamin D to converting calcium into healthy bones. Skin additionally is a huge sensor packed with nerves for keeping the brain in touch with the outside world, proving to be an amazingly versatile organ. Treating it right, feeding it healthy, nourishing foods and protecting it from free radicals will ensure beautiful skin for many more years to come.