Avoiding the Unfavorable Facelift Result

Happy 2017 Readers!  Last month, we explored the phenomena of overfilled facial features.  I discovered that it stimulated conversation about a new problem that we’re seeing with the rise in facial fillers being injected.  However, we didn’t discuss something important and closely related:  The Unfavorable Facelift Result.

Every facelift patient I see voices the same concerns.  They say that so-and-so’s facelift looks “weird” or “unnatural”.  This often leads to the belief that they don’t want anyone to tell that they’ve had anything done.  While hiding surgical scars and achieving harmony are high on the list of operative goals, you do want something done, and you want that something to make you look younger!

So what is it that makes patients look bizarre after a facelift?  There are 4 major culprits:  1. Excessive skin tension.  2. An unartistic vector of pull.  3. Tethering of the muscles of facial expression.  4. Corrective disharmony between facial features.

 

EXCESSIVE SKIN TENSION

 

When the patient is laying on the table, it is very tempting to take out a lot of skin.  Many a great surgeon has redraped the skin and taken out a lot of it, and on the table the patient looked like they were in their 30s.  The surgeon patted himself on the back and thought that he’d “hit a home run”.  However, as the patient healed, the earlobe pulled down, the scars widened, and wrinkles that formerly looked natural were now “windswept”.  Avoiding undue tension on the skin is an important part of obtaining a nice result.  Don’t ask me how I know!

 

AN UNARTISTIC VECTOR OF PULL

 

As the face ages, the soft tissues descend with gravity.  Therefore, it would seem intuitive and natural the restoring the face’s youthful shape would be pulling those tissues upward.  However, it is technically more straightforward and easy to pull the soft tissues lateral, towards the ear.  The problem with this is that it leads to flattening of the facial features and sometimes the creation of a cross cheek depression.  Pulling the facial fascia in an upward direction more accurately restores the patient’s youthful appearance.

 

TETHERING OF THE MUSCLES OF FACIAL EXPRESSION

 

All of our anatomical study up until 2009 was on the anatomy of the face in cadavers or during live dissection in the operating room.  In 2009, it occurred to me that we were missing the point – the face is a dynamic, fluid structure.  Facial expression is an overlooked part of youth and facial beauty.  I realized that we should focus not just on this static anatomy, but on dynamic anatomy.  Using ultrasound, we demonstrated that the fascial fascia and the muscles that control facial expression move around a great deal in ways we never previously recognized.  Tethering these muscles with poorly-placed sutures creates some of the weird smiles we see after facelift surgery.

 

CORRECTIVE DISHARMONY BETWEEN FACIAL FEATURES

 

On an almost daily basis, patients tell me that they just want their neck done or just want their face done.  It’s understandable – they don’t want all of that expense, pain, recovery time, and with all of the bad results, it’s natural to assume doing less would lead to a better outcome. However, many strange outcomes you see are actually not bad facelifts.  Often, the patient has had a good facelift result, but their neck and upper face remain in an aged position, or their eyes are undercorrected.  This leads to disharmony, which your brain interprets as “strange”.  It’s sometimes best to do it all and turn back the clock on your entire face.  The caveat to this is the male patient.  I frequently find that male patients just need conservative upper eyelid surgery and a good necklift.

 

I hope that this editorial spurs your intellectual curiosity.  If you’re considering facial rejuvenation, keep some of these points in mind to further a good conversation with your plastic surgeon.  We love informed patients!