If you’re considering a facial rejuvenation procedure, there are a few easy ways to determine whether you need a facelift or a mini-facelift. It all depends on what areas of the face are starting to sag and it depends on your goals.
If you want a fully refreshed look for your face and neck, you will benefit the most from a facelift. Keep in mind that in addition to lifting up your sagging tissues, many doctors will now attempt to restore that youthful look with fat injections. While most believe that a facelift is all about pulling and stretching, there’s a new shift in the world of plastic surgery to volumize the face. The youthful appearance that many of us long for is not the stretched look – it’s the fuller face and what better way to fill the face than with your own fat.
In my opinion, the decision as to whether you need a full facelift or a mini-facelift comes down to the jowls, cheeks and neck. The jowls are the sagging skin along the jaw line. Through an incision just in front of the ear, the underlying facial tissue can be lifted to eliminate the jowls. If this is your only concern, then a mini-facelift is for you.
But if you’re suffering from sagging cheeks and neck, then a full facelift will be necessary. The incision for the full facelift starts out like the mini-facelift – an incision in front of the ear but then continues behind the earlobe and ear and into the hairline. This procedure requires more recovery but is still very safe.
The photos above should help you with your decision but obviously your board-certified plastic surgeon can help you through this process as well. To find a plastic surgeon near you, as well as their costs, click here.
Hope that helps.
