Face lift surgery
Ageing of the face is inevitable and driven by genetics, sun exposure, personal habits and the pull of gravity. Over time, the skin and retaining ligaments begin to loosen, and fat pads start to sag on the face and neck. Crow’s feet appear at the corners of the eyes, fine forehead lines become deeper creases and folds, the jaw line softens into jowls, and vertical folds appear at the front of the neck. Face lift surgery aims to improve the visible signs of ageing and create a more youthful facial appearance. Dr Sydney Ch'ng is Sydney's leading face and neck surgeon, who conducts face lift surgery for both aesthetic and functional purposes.
What does a face lift involve?
A facelift is also known as a Rhytidetomy or Meloplasty, and is a cosmetic procedure, specifically designed to rejuvenate and reduce signs of ageing. Dr Sydney Ch’ng regularly performs face lift surgery in Sydney.
The exact face lift procedure will vary for each person but generally,
the deeper layers of the face is lifted
soft tissue including fat is sculpted or redistributed from the face, jowls and neck
excess skin is removed.
Regardless of the approach to surgery, incisions will need to be made. These will be inconspicuous over time, they are concealed along or within the hairline, and in the natural creases of the face and ear. An incision under the chin, hidden in a skin crease may also be necessary to remove platysmal bands (thin layer of muscle underlying the neck skin) to further improve the appearance of the ageing neck.
A facelift is usually performed at the same time as a neck lift and blepharoplasty (eyelid surgery). Non-surgical facial rejuvenation treatments are often recommended before or after facelift for best effects.
What to expect following a face lift
Dr Ch’ng performs face lift surgery, including deep-plane face lift, minimal access caudal suspension (MACS), and superficial musculoaponeurotic system (SMAS) plication under general anaesthetic in a fully accredited hospital in Sydney. Depending on the complexity and extent of facial rejuvenation undertaken, surgery can take between four and ten hours. Following surgery, a haemostat net (to prevent bleeding) or drainage tube (to drain excess fluid and blood that may collect under the skin) may be used.
Following the initial post-operative period, patients may be required to wear supportive garments as much as practical for up to six weeks. Sutures are removed in stages, generally staggered at week 1, 2 and 3. Vigorous activity is discouraged for six weeks.
Patients may notice some tightness or numbness on the face or neck, which resolves over time. Dr Ch’ng performs face lift and cosmetic procedures in Sydney, to help individuals achieve both cosmetic and reconstructive results. For more information on after care, results, and the procedure itself, get in touch with our friendly team today.
WHEN IS A FACE LIFT PERFORMED?
Facelift For Loose Saggy Skin
A face lift is to rejuvenate and alleviate the inevitable signs of ageing, such as deepening of nasolabial folds, jowls, and platysmal bands. As we age, there is a natural gravitational effect on soft tissues, skin laxity, and bony resorption. These effects can contribute to classic signs of ageing in the temporal, jowl, and cheek areas.
In the case of ageing or loose skin, a facelift is specifically performed to achieve a more youthful and harmonious appearance. The procedure aims to lift the saggy soft tissue, and reduce the amount of excess skin present, resulting in tighter, more firm, and toned facial skin. The face shape often becomes less elongated and more heart-shaped.
Facelift After Weight Loss
A facelift may be performed to help remove or redistribute soft tissue from the face, neck, and jowl area, improving overall facial contours. Weight loss can contribute to facial features becoming more gaunt, in combination with loose and excess skin. A facelift can help to restore a more harmonious facial contour by repositioning tissue.
Facelift for Facial Reconstruction
Dr Sydney Ch’ng may also provide a face lift procedure to restore relative symmetry to the two sides of the face. It may be indicated following facial asymmetry from e.g., Bell’s palsy, cancer resection, previous surgery or trauma.
THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF FACE LIFTS
Deep Plane Face Lift
A deep plane face lift will involve lifting the skin, and superficial musculoaponeurotic system (SMAS) as one composite layer, promoting a lift towards the top of the ear. The technique aims to provide more dramatic and long-lasting results, while also ensuring that the tightening and smoothing of the skin is natural. On the strength of her experience with facial nerve anatomy having performed hundreds of cases of parotid surgery, Dr Ch’ng is very confident with the deep plane face lift technique.
SMAS Face Lift or MACS
Lesser and more targeted face lift could be SMAS or MACS face lift.
The superficial musculoaponeurotic system (SMAS) refers to the muscular layers of your face; a SMAS face lift is carried out at a more superficial plane and poses less risk to injuring the facial nerve branches. A minimal access caudal suspicion (MACS) facelift is another lesser variation of face lift, considered to be minimally invasive. Dr Ch’ng offers these techniques too in select cases.
-
A facelift is a cosmetic surgical procedure designed to tighten and lift the face and neck skin to create a tighter, smoother and more youthful appearance. People often speak of a facelift procedure being either a SMAS face lift or a deep plane face lift.
While both options can be effective in achieving the desired outcome of reducing signs of ageing, they are different procedures.
-
Simplistically, the SMAS (superficial muscular aponeurotic system) is a layer of fibrous tissue that covers the deeper facial structures and plays a key role in facial contour and shape, and facial expressions. With age, this layer naturally loses elasticity and sags with the overlying facial skin and fat. In a SMAS facelift, the facial skin and fat are separated from the SMAS. The SMAS is first tightened, then the skin and fat draped over the tightened SMAS.
-
A deep plane face lift is technically more challenging as surgery takes place deep to the SMAS layer, between the SMAS and the muscles that effect facial expression. For the most part, a deep plane face lift does not separate the SMAS from the overlying facial skin and fat. This composite layer – facial skin, fat and SMAS – is dissected off the deeper facial structures, tightened and suspended as a single unit. A key component of the deep plane face lift is the release and re-positioning of the dense ligaments that span between the facial bone and the skin over the cheek prominence and along the jawline. This manoeuvre aims to suspend the facial soft tissue that has naturally sagged from the lower face to the mid face, as well as to create a more defined, clean-cut jawline.
-
While a SMAS face lift and a deep plane face lift both aim to make the face appear tighter and more youthful, there are key differences between the procedures.
Technique and Outcome
A SMAS face lift treats the facial skin and fat, and SMAS layer as two separate units, whereas a deep plane face lift lifts the skin and SMAS layer together as one unit. The deep plane face lift procedure takes place in a deeper layer therefore requires a surgeon who is confident with facial nerve anatomy. In Dr Ch’ng’s hands, the deep plane face lift offers more effective (yet natural) and durable results. It is therefore her much preferred technique. It will be very specific circumstances for Dr Ch’ng to agree to a SMAS face lift.
Recovery period
Both procedures require individuals to rest and avoid strenuous activity in the six weeks following surgery. Individuals recovering from deep plane face lifts are required to take at least three to four weeks off from work or social events. A SMAS face lift recovery, depending on the circumstances, can be shorter.
Get in touch
If you’d like to know more about our head and neck, plastic or skin cancer surgical services, or if you have a question for Dr Ch’ng, we’d love to hear from you.
