The facelift is a very helpful facial plastic surgery for people with sagging skin on their lower face, particularly along the jawline and lower cheeks. Facelifts benefit men and women between the ages of 40 and 70 who want to get rid of double chins, jowls, and the turkey gobbler appearance of the neck. For people younger than 40, there are other options that can help you achieve a tighter, toned face without needing surgery.
Dermal Fillers
Injectable fillers are injected below the skin layers to help add volume that fills in creases, folds, and hollows. There are a few products available, each with different life spans and uses.
Juvederm and Restylane are hyaluronic acid fillers. This acid is found naturally within the body and it helps with collagen production. Juvederm is best for filling in creases, lines, and wrinkles and adding contours to the cheeks and chin. It lasts approximately six months. Restylane lasts longer with benefits lasting up to a year. Restylane fills in wrinkles, helps add facial contours, and enhances the lips.
Radiesse is a calcium hydroxylapatite filler. It is useful in fixing creases and wrinkles, adding volume to facial hollows near the eyes and cheeks, and also for filling in scars. Expect the benefits of Radiesse to last upwards to a year.
All injectable dermal fillers require local anesthesia prior to the injections. You will be in and out of the office in little time, making these injections a popular lunch-hour procedure. For a couple days after the injections, you may experience some tenderness at the injection site. Other side effects are bruising and swelling.
Platelet Rich Plasma Injection
The selphyl procedure, you may have heard of it referred to as the vampire lift, is a less expensive alternative to dermal fillers. It’s ideal for men and women under the age of 66 who do not take blood thinners or aspirin.
The platelet rich plasma injection may cost less, but it also reduces the risk of an adverse reaction. While some dermal fillers contain ingredients that may cause an allergic reaction, the blood used in a vampire facelift comes from your own body. Possible side effects include bruising, swelling, and tenderness where the injections are given. These side effects only last a couple days. The third benefit is that there are no lumps under the skin after the injections. Some dermal fillers may form temporary lumps.
During the procedure, your facial plastic surgeon draws blood from your body. The blood is moved to a centrifuge where it is spun to separate the platelets. Those platelets are then moved to a syringe. The platelet-rich plasma is injected through a fine needle, just as fillers are injected. After the plasma is injected, the body gets to work producing collagen that helps add volume and smoothes out lines and wrinkles.
Before you visit a surgeon, make sure you understand your patient insurance responsibilities. Few health insurance plans cover cosmetic treatments, but if your need for facial rejuvenation is due to an accident or injury, some coverage may be provided. Dr. Michael L. Schwartz is a board certified facial plastic surgeon in Palm Beach, Florida. He’s been named a “Top Doc” by Castle Connolly for five years. To schedule a consultation with Dr. Schwartz, call his West Palm Beach facial plastic surgery center at 561-228-5888.