how can I minimize the appearance of facelift scars a surgical facelift is a
highly effective way to lift sagging cheeks and jowls to create a more
youthful appearance one of the most common concerns expressed during a
consultation when I discuss face lifts as part of a facial rejuvenation plan is
the potential visibility of the facelifts scar which is located at the
sides by the ears my approach to cosmetic procedures
whether it's facelift eyelid rejuvenation and non-surgical procedures
such as injectables is to retain my patients unique facial character while
achieving a naturally refreshed look generally speaking the people who I care
for like looking like the best and natural versions of themselves at any
age I'll share how I'm in amaizing appearance of facelift incisions in my
practice I'm Dr. Amiya Prasad I'm a Board-certified cosmetic surgeon and
Fellowship-trained oculofacial plastic and reconstructive surgeon I've been in
practice in New York City and Long Island for over 25 years I perform all
types of facelifts such as short scar mini lifts deep plane facelift and
extensive face and neck lifts I'm also called upon to help people who have
undesirable faces of scars from other doctors this is due in part to my having
developed my own adult stem cell based regenerative healing strategies for
tissue loss surgical incisions and scar revision there are several factors that
affect the appearance of facelift incisions these factors include the
placement of the incision the tension on the incision after
closure and the way the tissue heals over the next several months after
surgery I cannot stress enough some basic strategies which I employ that I
believe are critical to optimal results for any surgery for example in my
practice I spend a lot of time with my patients in my exam room with them
sitting up the for surgery so I can place my markings for the incisions
strategically I examine my patients face and neck skin and soft-tissue to
determine the optimal direction of elevation and to determine the potential
level of tension there will be after the skin is trimmed and the sutures are
placed this is a critical part of the artistry and for me to visualize the
results I expect to achieve since I have my own facilities i allocate and factor
in additional time to allow me to never be rushed during surgery this is
something that many of my patients understand that by investing their
resources and time and having this level of attention they able to get better
outcomes I've seen many patients who were operated on by high volume low cost
doctors who claim to be the number one plastic surgeon wherever they are this
type of doctor rushes through surgery to make up for the money they need to make
in order to charge such low prices and they end up doing unintentionally subpar
work I've also seen poor outcomes in patients of doctors who claim to be the
best and charge a lot but end up taking on too much work and the patients don't
get the quality results they otherwise could have once again I decided to treat
each patient so that there's no time pressure and I have my schedule managed
accordingly if you think about it like an athlete a surgeon has a timeframe of
peak performance in any given day as far as how placement of the face
that incisions affect visibility or the potential of a telltale sign of having
had surgery I factored in the skin texture the color and contrast with the
skin at the opening of the ear and the characteristics of the sideburn for a
more extensive face and neck lift where the incision goes around the earlobe and
extends upward behind the ear and back towards the hair I designed the
placement so if a woman wants to pull her hair back the incision will be well
hidden skin shortage and tension at the earlobe can result in downward
displacement to the earlobe which is referred to as a pixie ear deformity
when this occurs the earlobe appears attached and elongated
as opposed to detached and freely mobile I have helped people who have come to me
with this problem by detaching and redirecting the position of the earlobe
attachment I have seen many patients who've had wide scars in front of their
ears due to excess skin tension one reason for this is simply removing too
much skin and relying on the skin alone to lift the face this is not as
effective as lifting the underlying tissue called the SMAS or superficial
musculo aponeurotic system as the foundation for the skin to be supported
by poor artistry or execution of the skin trimming is another reason for
stretching of the scar by the ear as I stated earlier it takes time and
artistic vision to plan as well as surgical skill and experience to achieve
optimal results I feel that my experience allows me to better predict
the potential issues that can occur so I can take the appropriate steps to
optimize my patients healing is it possible for well performed surgery to
have issues with incision visibility related to how the skin heals afterwards
the answer is yes it's possible I approach this part of the healing after
surgery by using advanced wound healing technology to expedite the processes
that occur during wound healing I use materials such as extracellular matrix
by a cell which has been used to regenerate a wide range of tissue in the
body for example extracellular matrix was used to regenerate an entire
fingertip including the fingernail and even the fingerprint after a traumatic
amputation injury I often combine extracellular matrix of platelet-rich
plasma or PRP which is derived from your own blood as a catalyst for this process
I have successfully used this strategy with facelift incisions which appear to
be virtually invisible in as little as one month after surgery aftercare by the
patient and close monitoring by myself and the staff is a very important part
of a strategy to achieve optimal results while not directly associated with
facelift scars I attribute part of the faster facelift recovery my patients
experienced by my performing the procedure using local anesthesia with
LITE IV sedation instead of general anesthesia general anesthesia requires
the patient to be paralyzed and the patient needs to be on a respirator in
order to breathe the face can be distorted by the presence of breathing
tubes and other medical apparatus needed when you have general anesthesia since I
use local anesthesia with Lite IV sedation the patient is comfortable and
in a twilight state of consciousness my patient's face is in a more natural
state and I have the ability to be much more precise my patients go home the
same day a surgery without suffering the side-effects of general anesthesia or
needing to be in a facility for monitoring for
when face ups are performed with general anesthesia patients generally need to
stay in an overnight facility often with drains and extensive facial bandaging
the side effects of general anesthesia can linger for about a week and even
delay the progress of surgical recovery in contrast my patients undergoing the
procedure with local anesthesia typically only require a light facial
dressing and return to work in about a week
for example many years ago I actually performed upper and lower eyelid surgery
as well as a facelift for a lady who wanted to look good for her son's
wedding which transpired 10 days later she did very well but I would recommend
a little more time before a significant event where you are getting a
significant amount of attention while no incision can be completely invisible a
face lift incision can be virtually imperceptible with a combination of
minimal tension optimal placement advanced healing and proper aftercare
your facelift results start with the judgement experience and expertise of
your surgeon I often perform face lifts with other rejuvenating procedures
including eyelid surgery and facial filler placement as I said earlier I
believe in taking a lot of time to plan and design each patient surgery before
they go into the operating room in the operating room I allocate extra time to
allow me to perform my patients procedure without any time related
pressures every step matters my strategy is also flexible and I make the
adjustments as the results of the procedure I'm performing materializing
meticulous suture placement is also critical for optimal healing which of
course takes time my patients understand the value of investing their resources
and time to have the level of care they need in order to get
the natural results that they want my patients are with me for the long term
and I continue to be their beauty doctor for injectables laser and skin
rejuvenation for years after I performed their facelift surgery
I believe that surgeons whose practices are geared toward volume cannot provide
quality because of limited time and being rushed and unable to focus this
statistically can lead to a higher rate of undesirable scars and other avoidable
complications I hope you found this information helpful thank you for your
question
you