Aging of the Jawline and Neck and its Treatment: Short Incision Vertical Face and Neck Lift
A perfect blend between effective natural restoration, safety, and ultimately un-detectability
Aging is not fun for anyone. It starts in the 40s and accelerates with each passing year. The changes that result from aging universally have an unfavorable effect on appearance and self-image. The fact that they happen so quickly (over a period of 2-3 years) and so early, at a point when most of us still feel great and see ourselves as young and vibrant, makes it especially difficult to accept. Not just because of our vanity but mainly because it leaves us looking so different than the way we feel on the inside.
This is what I hear every day as our patients come in to discuss ways to help them restore their appearance or prevent aging from happening in the first place. Yes, both are possible. Let’s face it, wanting to look our best is a normal feeling. Not being comfortable with the fact that aging invariably leaves you looking tired, drawn, and less attractive is also a normal feeling that shouldn’t make you feel guilty. Believe me, you are not alone. What it comes down to is if you are not happy with how your youthful appearance is slipping away and there are procedures that can safely restore it without changing it, why not do it?
One major concern patients have is safety. No one wants to risk their life or risk having major complications in order to have a cosmetic procedure done. To avoid any anesthetic related risk, we perform our procedures under local anesthesia with sedation. This means you don’t have to be put under general anesthesia, and therefore, essentially all of the serious risks associated with surgery are eliminated. This is really important. All of our procedures are performed in our highly accredited (JCACHO/Medicare) surgical center, which allows us to train our nurses and surgical technicians in the highest standards of care and perform the procedures in a clean and monitored setting.
In addition, the technique that we use is perhaps the safest face and neck lift approach available. Tightening the loose muscles is paramount to an enduring and effective outcome. Doing this without risking facial nerves or poor scaring is a major advantage of our technique.
Another major reason that people shy away from face and neck lifts is fear. For many people, they fear that they will look like they have had something done. What does that mean? For those of us who have been horrified by the look of the man or woman sitting at a table in a restaurant who looks like they have just been through a wind tunnel, we assume that that is what happens when someone tries to go head to head with Mother Nature and get a facelift. The typical reaction is no thank you… I would rather look old. I don’t disagree. I hate that look as much as anyone… but I also know that this isn’t the result of the facelift but a result of who did their facelift and which technique they used.
If you knew that you could have a face and neck lift, get rid of the hanging jowls and turkey neck, and restore your facial shape back to its youthful heart-shaped configuration without anyone ever knowing because you don’t look even slightly different just refreshed, would you do it? Of course, why not?
So what makes our facelift so different?
Although there have been many technological advancements made in the field overall, the gold standard for treatment of the aging jawline and neck remains surgical in nature. The face and neck lift is still the best treatment for full correction, but not all facelifts are the same.
Historically, the technique used for facelifts was to pull the face sideways toward the ears. This causes the face to stretch in an unnatural direction and leads to a pulled, unusual look. This also doesn’t do anything to lift the neck back into its original, youthful position. Unfortunately, this is still what you learn if you open just about any facelift textbook. Since most surgeons do what they were trained to do, this style of lift is still the most common technique used.
Our Short Incision Vertical Face and Neck Lift, starts with the concept that things need to go back where they came from. Simple as that. Following that principle, we simply restore the facial shape back to its youthful configuration by lifting it up in a vertical direction not horizontal. There will be no change in identity. The face will look the way it had prior to the onset of jawline and neck laxity. Who wouldn’t want that?
In summary, the Short Incision Vertical Face and Neck Lift is an outstanding way of restoring the facial shape back to its youthful, refreshed look, without the risk of changing your identity, looking like you have had work done or exposure to serious complications. This is a technique that I have performed over a thousand of times over the last 10 years and it never lets me or our patients down. Family members, spouses and friends frequently remark on how refreshed the person looks without ever being able to guess that they have just had a facelift. Emotionally, patients always express the boost in confidence that they experience as a result of looking their best, and more importantly, looking as youthful and fresh as they feel. That is perhaps the most exciting and rewarding part of our work- seeing the positive emotional impact facial rejuvenation creates.
