When you peer in the mirror, are you frustrated with your reflection? Do you feel your facial appearance makes you look older than your actual age? If so, consider undergoing cosmetic facelift surgery with Dr. Florence Mussat, a talented facial rejuvenation surgeon in Chicago. With facelift surgery, Dr. Mussat can tighten and lift the soft tissues of the face, for a more youthful, rejuvenated look.
Facelift Surgery
Time waits for no one, but wrinkles and sagging skin lie ahead for everybody. A facelift helps us cheat time by restoring tight skin and muscle tone, rolling the clock back ten years if not more. For women and men who desire a youthful face that reflects the way they feel, a facelift can be a great solution.
If you feel you have signs of aging such as loss of contour, sagging or excess skin or fat in your jowl or neck area, you may be a good candidate for a face or neck lift. Dr. Florence Mussat, a talented facial rejuvenation surgeon in Chicago, helps prospective patients determine their goals for aesthetic improvement. With facelift surgery, Dr. Mussat can tighten and lift the soft tissues of your face and give you a more youthful, rejuvenated look.
While working with Dr. Mussat, you’ll learn about the different techniques that could most enhance your unique facial structures and provide the results you desire. While a facelift will improve the appearance of the lower two-thirds of the face, including the neck, a neck lift will target only the neck and the area beneath the chin.
Common Signs of Aging
Everyone is affected by the aging process. The common signs of aging are often what prompt patients to contact Dr. Mussat about a facelift or neck lift.
As both men and women age, skin elasticity and muscle tone are lost. There are also changes in the distribution of fatty tissue beneath the facial skin. Fat might be accumulating under the chin or in the neck area. Muscles in the neck also become softer, relax, and lose their tone. A loss of muscle tone leads to drooping around the eyes and the mouth as well as jowls and the formation of what is known as a “turkey neck” under the chin in the neck area. In certain areas, the skin begins to sag, and lines and wrinkles form.
Good Candidates for a Facelift or Neck Lift
Dr. Mussat’s facelift and neck lift patients include both men and women across a range of ages. However, she finds that patients who have the best results with these procedures are typically in their 50s and early 60s and with advanced signs of aging.
Where the signs are less apparent, such as wrinkles and fine lines and the loss of volume in the cheeks or lips, less-invasive procedures may be more appropriate.
Do you feel your facial appearance makes you look older than your actual age? If so, consider undergoing cosmetic facelift surgery.
What Facelift Surgery Improves
Dr. Mussat performs facelift surgery to improve the following aesthetic concerns:
- Sagging throughout the middle of the face
- Severe creases beneath the lower eyelids
- Severe creases that extend from the outer edges of the nose to the outer corners of the mouth
- Displaced fat
- Loss of facial volume
- Sagging jowls
- Loose skin and excess fat under the chin and / or neck area
- Other aesthetic concerns pertaining to the neck area
Facelift Approaches
During the patient’s preoperative consultation, Dr. Mussat will review his or her facial anatomy, including skin health, the degree of skin ptosis (sagginess) and how much facial volume has been displaced or lost. Based on this information, she will suggest an appropriate treatment protocol, including one of the following main surgical approaches to facelift:
- SMAS Facelift. This is the traditional facelift approach, which addresses aging throughout the lower face and neck. To perform SMAS, or superficial musculo-aponeurotic system, facelift, Dr. Mussat makes an incision within the hairline, above one ear. The incision continues downward in front of the ear, curving around the bottom edge of the ear and terminating behind it. She then repeats this incision on the other side of the face. With this approach, the Chicago facelift surgeon separates the skin from the underlying fat and musculature. She lifts the muscle layer (SMAS) and repositions it. Dr. Mussat then uses permanent, internal sutures to hold it in place after surgery. The facial rejuvenation surgeon removes any excess skin before pulling the remaining skin taut and closing the incisions with sutures, staples or skin adhesive.
- Deep Plane Facelift. To perform the deep-plane facelift, Dr. Mussat makes incisions similar to the ones described above. She then separates the SMAS from the deeper tissue layer. She lifts and repositions this deep tissue layer, again placing internal stitches to hold it in place after the procedure. Dr. Mussat excises excess skin and re-drapes the remaining skin over the facial contour. Finally, she closes the incisions with staples, sutures or skin adhesive.
Mini Facelift: A Subtle Refresh
The mini facelift is a less invasive variation of the traditional facelift, offering a more subtle and targeted approach to facial rejuvenation. Also known as a “weekend facelift,” this procedure provides a refreshed and youthful appearance with minimal recovery, making it an appealing option for those with early signs of aging.
What Is a Mini Facelift?
A mini facelift targets specific areas of the face that show early signs of aging, such as the lower face and neck. During the procedure, small incisions are made, typically in front of and around the ears, through which the underlying muscles are tightened, and the skin is lifted and repositioned. This technique can improve the appearance of:
- Mild to moderate jowls
- Early neck sagging