While many facial plastic surgery procedures can do much to reverse the hands of time, the sad truth is that while many patients are thrilled with their initial facelift results, over the course of the next 10 to 20 years, they will see those aging signs return.
The surgery is definitely worth the chance to restore some vitality, but it can be frustrating for many patients to see their hard-earned results fade. When patients add injectable fillers to their facelift upkeep, however, the results can last a lot longer.
After the Facelift Surgery
A facelift procedure is performed on the lower portion of the face as a way to reverse sagging skin, displaced fat cells, and loosening muscles. Through advanced techniques, facial plastic surgeons are now able to help patients achieve a look that is 10 years younger.
While they can turn your appearance around, they cannot freeze it. Facelift surgeries, like any other procedure, will deliver incredible results that just aren’t permanent.
What goes wrong in the years after a facelift? Unfortunately, the same issues that caused a patient’s need for the facelift are still at play. Age continues to work against the elasticity of the skin and the underlying fibrous tissues, leaving the skin and muscles lax.
Gravity drags everything down, including fat deposits from the upper portion of the face, which will eventually collect around the chin and jaw line. Of course, having a facelift does give you an advantage, since it sets you back a decade in the aging process. Still, these effects are an unavoidable part of growing older and will eventually return.
All About Injectable Fillers
Injectable fillers are natural or chemical solutions that are injected beneath the skin to add volume and contour
. For many patients, injectable filler treatments can reduce the appearance of wrinkles, deep creases, scars, and more. Sometimes referred to as a nonsurgical or “liquid facelift,” these treatments can mimic many of the post-operative results of a facelift. For this reason, many patients opt to use filler treatments as a way to keep up with their facelift results in the years that follow surgery.
There are many different types of injectable fillers to choose from, including:
- Collagen, a natural protein found in the connective tissue of the skin that helps improve firmness. Collagen production in the body slows with age, so adding this treatment can boost volume in the treatment area, firm the skin, and even smooth wrinkles.
- Restylane is a synthetic injectable filler that is popular for smoothing wrinkles and reducing sagging facial skin. It can also raise depressed scars and enhance the volume of the lips. Made of biocompatible hyaluronic acid, this gel filler helps patients achieve a more youthful look.
- Juvederm Voluma XC is a new type of hyaluronic acid filler that was specially designed to add volume to the mid-face area, which can create a more youthful appearance.
- Restylane is an injectable filler made of hyaluronic acid that can solve the problems created by aging. It is typically used to diminish fine lines and wrinkles from the forehead, between the eyebrows, around the mouth, the corners of the eyes, and in the space between the nose and mouth.
- Sculptra aims to replace lost collagen in the face, helping the skin to become smoother and fuller. It is ideal for treatment of the lower areas of the face and uses biocompatible poly-L-lactic acid to achieve natural-looking results.
Combining Fillers With Facelifts
In some cases, filler injections are used as part of the facelift treatment to achieve a completely rejuvenated look. Some surgeons may recommend filler treatments for the mid-face area to improve volume along with a facelift to improve contour of the lower face, for example. In this case, regular treatments might be required to maintain your new look, since injectable fillers are long-lasting but temporary in nature.
For other patients, the initial facelift surgery itself is enough, until those ugly signs of aging begin to reappear. When this happens, you can consult with your plastic surgeon to make a new treatment plan.
Typically, a second facelift can be put off for years with intermittent injectable filler treatments to add volume to key areas of the face, diminish lines and wrinkles, and improve facial contour. Deciding the right treatment for you should be done through a consultation with your plastic surgeon and only once you understand all of the facts. You might find yourself happy to combine facelifts and fillers in your own approach to anti-aging care.
Start Planning Your New Look Today
Plan your facelift surgery and post-operative upkeep plan with a plastic surgeon who can provide the injectable filler treatments you might need. Schedule your consultation with Dr. Robert Kessler, a board certified general and facial plastic surgeon, and find out if you’re a good candidate.
He completed his medical degree with honors from Tufts University in Boston as well as a distinguished General Surgical Residency with North Short/NYU in New York. Prior to that, he completed a Plastic Surgery residency with the US Air Force and the University of Texas.
Today, Dr. Kessler operates two practices in California, has worked as a surgical consultant and surgical assistant on ABC’s Extreme Makeover, and has lectured nationally and internationally on topics including facial rejuvenation, plastic surgery, and body contouring. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Kessler, contact his office, located at 2121 E Pacific Coast Hwy #200, in Newport Beach, CA, by calling 949.644.6544.
