Facelift

This is a popular procedure for patients seeking to refresh their appearance without undergoing a full facelift. It’s designed to improve the jawline, sharpen the neckline, and refresh the overall appearance of the face — making patients look more rested and energetic. Dr. Moradzadeh can deliver facial enhancements that look completely natural and bring out patients’ natural beauty.

Understanding the Procedure

Many names are used for the mini facelift; all refer to a less invasive facelift surgery than the traditional facelift. When performing a mini facelift, Dr. Moradzadeh uses shorter incisions that promote faster healing, reduce swelling and bruising, and lead to a faster recovery than a traditional facelift. The shorter incisions are also easier to hide, and allow patients to wear pulled-back hairstyles that expose the backs of the ears.

Shorter incisions are possible because the manipulations during a mini facelift are less extensive than those during a traditional facelift. The facial skin is pulled just slightly, and skin excision can be relatively minor, resulting in a totally natural-looking appearance without the “pulled face” look.

What to Expect Afterwards

Depending on the surgical approach and any accompanying plastic surgery procedures, the mini facelift can be completed in just a few hours. Dr. Moradzadeh uses local anesthesia with variable degrees of sedation for most mini facelift procedures. Patients are awake but do not experience any sensation during the procedure. Most mini facelift patients can return to light activities and work within 1 week, and to strenuous activities and exercise within 2 weeks. During recovery, most patients do not experience significant pain or major discomfort, and unpleasant sensations can be managed with appropriate pain medications.

Is a Mini Facelift Right For You?

Typically, mini facelifts are performed on men and women in their 40s and 50s — individuals who desire a slight rejuvenating effect, not a dramatic makeover. They might have some jowls, minor skin laxity along the jaw line, and/or wrinkles in the lower face. The mini facelift procedure can address all of these aesthetic concerns. However, a mini facelift is not beneficial for patients with a large amount of excess, droopy skin. For these individuals, the SMAS or deep plane facelift is a better option.

A SMAS facelift is a type of facelift that involves repositioning the deeper facial tissue layers to produce long-lasting results. The SMAS layer of the face is the layer of tissue that contains the facial muscles and the overlying facial fat and skin. These layers become lax with age, resulting in deep folds around the mouth and sagging facial fat that cause jowls and loss of jawline definition.

A SMAS facelift elevates and “fixes” these layers to a more youthful position, providing definition to the cheekbones, better contour of the cheeks, and a crisper jawline. Since the skin is not pulled with this type of facelift, patients avoid the dreaded “wind-swept” look that screams “facelift.” And because a SMAS facelift doesn’t create tension on the skin, the results appear softer and more natural-looking.

The SMAS facelift is ideal for individuals with excess skin and laxity in the neck and jowl areas of the face. By elevating the deeper SMAS tissue, the jawline is given a smoother contour, and the jaw and neckline become better defined.

A SMAS facelift uses more intricate, sophisticated surgical techniques to elevate the deeper facial layers. Generally, only those surgeons with formal training feel comfortable with these more advanced techniques. Dr. Moradzadeh is an expert in the SMAS facelift procedure and will be happy to discuss whether it’s a viable option for what you are trying to achieve.

The deep-plane facelift is an advanced surgical technique designed to address mid-facial sagging that often occurs with age. (The mid-face is an area that is often overlooked with other facelift techniques.) As people age, they not only lose facial volume but also see the supporting tissues relax and descend. In some individuals, this creates a deep line from the nose to the corner of the mouth (known as the nasolabial fold). In individuals with deep nasolabial folds, simply tightening the skin will not produce a more refreshed look. That’s where a deep plane facelift is particularly beneficial. The procedure replaces the mid-facial tissues in the cheek, creating a refreshed, rejuvenated appearance. It also increases cheek volume through surgical elevation. In essence, this technique can provide a comprehensive rejuvenation of the lower two-thirds of the face.

In deep-plane facelift surgery, incisions are carefully placed around the ear to minimize visibility. A key advantage of this technique is that it leverages the deeper SMAS layer for strength and support, reducing tension on the skin. This, in turn, leads to longer-lasting and more natural-looking results.

Deep plane facelift surgery can be performed at any age, but it is most often performed in patients in their 40s, 50s, and 60s, the ages when they notice drooping of the mid-facial area and the formation of lines and nasolabial folds.

A liquid (non-surgical) facelift is performed using only injectables (dermal fillers and neuromodulators), resulting in no downtime, lower risks, costs, and discomfort. While a non-surgical facelift can address wrinkles, lines, nasolabial folds, asymmetry, and volume loss, it cannot remove excess sagging skin or sharpen the jawline to the extent a surgical facelift can. During your introductory consultation in Los Angeles, Dr. Moradzadeh can assess whether you are a candidate for a liquid or surgical facelift.