Posted in Facelift
Face lift scars are the signature of the plastic surgeon performing the facelift. Consequently, it is very important that they be as invisible as possible. Too often, scars are an obvious sign of a previous face lift. It is shocking to see so many celebrities walking around Los Angeles and Beverly Hills with bad scars. Even on the big screen you can see the evidence of a face lift on some actors. Some of that has to do with the old fashioned “horizontal pull” technique that leaves the patient with a “wind tunnel” look, and some of that has to do with poor quality scars.
An unattractive scar these days is completely unjustifiable in most situations. Some skin types tend to keloid, which is not something the surgeon can control, but a true keloid is rare.
Bad face lift scars are the result of multiple errors in planning and executing the face lift closure.
Planning the incisions is very important. Factors that influencing the plan are the shape of the hairline, how much excess skin is removed, whether the patient is male or female, and the list goes on. An experienced plastic surgeon can predict the affect these factors will have on the look of the scar and adjust his technique accordingly.
The most important factor of all is the amount tension that is placed on the scar at the time of closure. The tension is directly proportional to well the scar is going to heal. Too much tension on the closed incision can cause the scar to look wider and more spread out. Too little tension and there is a good chance that the laxity of the skin will return in as little as a few months. If you invested time and money in having a face lift, you will not be very pleased to see sagging skin coming back so quickly.
Tension, like volume replacement, is necessary to deliver a long lasting result. That is the reason why I pioneered the VIP closure. Instead of discarding the excess skin at the end of the face lift procedure, I use a portion of it as anchor points in two critical areas of the closure (front and back). By doing this, the tension is shifted from the area along the suture line to the two anchor points creating a tension free closure that will allow the scar to heal well without compromising the longevity of the face lift results.
Another telltale sign of having a face lift is the position of the ear lobes and the cartilage of the tragus.
Often, the tragal cartilage gets blunted during a facelift or the ear lobe is left attached to the skin (Pixie Ear) and pulled down, both leaving an unnatural look. Placing the axes of the ear lobe in a posterior position of 10 degrees avoids both these situations.
Unfortunately these errors frequently happen because the plastic surgeon is tired at the end of the procedure and leaves these important tasks to an assistant. I only perform one surgery a day so I can focus 100% of my energy for the duration of the procedure and I never allow an assistant to step in for me. I do everything from the first incision to the last stitch to make sure everything is done to my standards.
Bad face lift scars are often avoidable with accurate planning and execution. You don’t have to go around advertising that you’ve had a facelift.
