Posted in Adjustable Facelift, Facelift, Male Facelift, One Stitch Facelift, Vertical Facelift
I was very surprised to read in a reputable magazine (The Hollywood Reporter) a very biased article on facelift. The article was based on a 2015 statistic of the American Society of Plastic Surgery which was taken completely out of context. It stated that face lift surgery is on the decline. The Hollywood Reporter article went further into detail about why this was the case, citing mostly dermatologists as their source of information. Since dermatologists usually perform non-invasive procedures and not face lifts, it was a little like asking a vegetarian to comment on the meat industry. The one Plastic Surgeon they did interview, limited his practice to nose jobs and fillers, so I would definitely not consider him a reliable source. The plastic surgeon was quoted as saying “I will never have a face lift; I would rather have wrinkles than look pulled and artificial”. What he probably means is he’d prefer the wrinkles to a “bad” face lift.
Unfortunately the article is a rather typical manipulation of information – an approach that has been used to divert patients to less invasive procedures, encouraging them believe that the results will be “more natural”. “Less is more” is a myth! More is not the enemy, too much is! Too much of everything is the enemy, including too much of the less invasive procedures like fillers and Botox! In fact most of the overdone facial rejuvenation results are because of too much volume (and fillers) creating an unnatural look.
Facelift techniques have evolved through the years: the one I have pioneered is called the vertical facelift. Instead of pulling horizontally like in traditional old fashion face lift, the vertical face lift is unique because using a vertical vector to re-position the deep structures like the musculature and the fat, creates a much more natural look. Conversely, patients are drawn to fillers and other less invasive procedures thinking the result is more natural but it is just the opposite: when the facial skin is loose due to the aging process and the treatment is just to fill it, the result is bizarre. The patient does not look younger at all, but swollen, like she/he had gained weight.
The only reason the statistics may show a slight decrease in face lift surgery overall (certainly not in Beverly Hills) is because it is much more expensive than noninvasive procedures, not better. Patients are more attracted to less expensive procedures when the economy is not doing that well. What they are not keeping in mind is that face lift is a much better long term investment that a temporary fix.
Don’t listen to celebrities claiming they are not getting facelifts: that is the biggest lie of all: almost every movie star in Hollywood over 45 has had a face lift, and the majority of them go undetected. You only see the “bad work” which creates a bigger impression. The “good work” goes routinely unnoticed.
Dr Renato Calabria, MD, FACS
Founder,
