Types of Facelift and Necklift to Rejuvenate Your Face
Your face is the first thing people notice about you. It tells them about your personality. How you are feeling. However, most importantly, it tells them roughly how old you are.
A few decades ago, facelifts and neck lifts were not really a ‘thing’. They were too expensive. They left visible scars. The results were unnatural. Today, face lifting is one of the most popular cosmetic procedures for both women and men. A facelift can rewind the clock and give you back your young and tight face.
Over the years, plastic surgeons have developed several variations of the facelift procedure to provide more personalized options for patients. If you’ve been researching face or neck lifts to know which one is best for you, you’ve probably come across infinite and confusing terminology. So, if you want to understand the different types of facelifts and figure out which one is best for you, keep on reading.
Why Are There Different Types of Facelifts?
The problem with the confusing terminology is that many of the facelift terms used are not standard terms and their meaning differs from one surgeon to another. For example, the term “S-lift” might mean a skin-only facelift with one surgeon, while with another surgeon it might include deeper tissue (SMAS) lifting.
The key to understanding the different types of facelifts is by understanding the basic anatomy of the face, and particularly the SMAS. Your face is made of skin, muscles, and fat pads. You can think of the SMAS (superficial muscular aponeurotic system) as the framework holding all of these tight together. The SMAS, running right beneath your facial skin, is basically what keeps your face perky and all its components in place. When the SMAS and the skin overlying it lose elasticity and become lax, you start showing signs of ageing.
What Are the Different Types of Facelifts?
1. Skin-only Facelift
As the name implies, the skin-only facelift (or cutaneous), lifts only your facial skin. It is a superficial facelift procedure that does not involve facial muscles and SMAS lifting. Historically, this type of facelift was commonly performed during the ’90s, however, with the advancement of facelifting procedures, it’s rarely used nowadays. By only lifting the skin, the cutaneous facelift ignores the most important part of face-lifting: lifting the SMAS. Since the SMAS’ laxity and weakness is the actual reason behind facial sagginess, skin-only facelifts provide only minimally satisfying short-term results that are not really comparable to a full facelift.
The procedure involves a small 1-2 cm incision in front of your ear. The skin is pulled tight and any excess is cut out. The skin-only facelift is offered to patients where only excess skin is the problem, but this is rarely the case.
Advantages:
- Quick procedure (around 30 mins to complete)
- Small scar (1-2 cm) in front of the ear
- Minimal downtime
- Minimal Swelling
Disadvantages:
- Short-term results (6 to 12 months)
- Results are not very natural
- Limited aesthetic improvements
2. Mini Facelift (Also Called S-lift, Mini-lift, or Short Scar Facelift)
The mini-facelift is becoming a very popular procedure among our patients for its rejuvenating effects, minimal downtime, and smaller scar. The S-lift is perfect for men and women who have mild to moderate signs of facial ageing, specifically in the middle and lower face. This includes patients with facial wrinkles, saggy cheeks, droopy jowls, and lax skin in the upper neck. The mini-facelift addresses all of these to outline your jawline, perk up your cheeks, and get rid of your wrinkles and lines.
During a mini-facelift, your surgeon will perform a small incision in front of each ear and extend it a little bit around and behind your earlobe. After that, the SMAS will be pulled up and lifted to a perky position. Any excess skin will be cut out and the wounds will be closed with fine sutures. Compared to the traditional facelift, the mini-lift offers a smaller incision and quicker healing time. However, the results are less dramatic than those you would expect with a full or deep plane facelift.
Advantages:
- Acceptable downtime
- Smaller scar
- A perfect solution for mild to moderate facial and neck ageing
- Long term results
Disadvantages:
- Less dramatic results compared to a full facelift
- Does not address upper face wrinkling
- Does not address lower neck
