Question:
I’ve been looking into various surgery procedures to revitalize my aging face (I’m 47). I’m a little confused about what a facelift really is, despite the huge amount of information on the procedure. Is a facelift a procedure unto itself, or is it a combination of procedures like a brow lift, blepharoplasty, and cheek lift?
Answer:
It depends who you ask. A facelift can be a general term referring to any of the procedures you have mentioned. However, in our practice and if you go to a facial plastic educational meeting, facelift refers to the lower face. The cheek region is a mid-face lift and the forehead is a brow lift. Therefore a facelift should refer to improving the jaw-line and neck regions; however some facelifting techniques will also improve the cheek region. We prefer to improve the mid-face or cheek region by adding volume, which we usually accomplish with a fat transfer or less often with fillers such as Radiesse or Sculptra.
