Natural Looking Face and Neck Lift Surgery

Turn back the clock – with natural-looking results.

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Why Patients Choose DeLuca Plastic Surgery

Dr. Tauber and Dr. Yan have nearly 15 years of experience in performing cutting-edge face and neck lift surgery. Building on their training at Harvard focusing on the cosmetic restoration of the deep tissues of the face, our surgeons specialize in the minimally invasive deep-plane face and neck lifts.

Types of face and neck lifts performed at DeLuca Plastic Surgery include the following: Mini Lift, Modified Mini Lift, Modified Lift, Deep Plane Lift, & Short Scar Lift. What differentiates one technique from another varies, including:

• Incision type
• Number of tissue layers lifted/affected
• Region of the face targeted for lifting
• Degree of invasiveness

Why Would I Need Face and Neck Lift Surgery

Age, sun exposure, genetics, and gravity are some of the factors among a host of others that may contribute to the shape, appearance, and texture of your face as you age. Common problems associated with facial aging include:

• Saggy skin and lose jowls
• Deep lines and coarse wrinkles
• A tired or aged appearance

There are many tactics and procedures designed to help with these problems. They often range from skin-care creams and serums and at-home facials, injectable treatments like Botox, topical treatments such as chemical peels, and plastic surgery procedures like blepharoplasty, rhinoplasty, and face and neck lifts.

A face and neck lift is designed to restore the soft facial tissues to a tighter and more youthful appearance. It is not simply meant to remove wrinkles but also aims to restructure your facial features. The procedure moves and repositions tissue that has drooped down or settled into its original, youthful location and condition.

How Do We Lift Without Looking Pulled?

Unlike other face and neck lift surgeries that leave the skin of the face drawn and tight, the deep plane facelift corrects the deep tissues of the face and neck, releasing key attachment points and restoring the cheek, jaw, and neck to their youthful contour. The deep plane facelift surgery allows tightening of the neck and face without the need for a scar under the chin and offers a more long-lasting result.

The ultimate goal of facelift surgery is a restoration of the relationships between the different tissues of your face— absolutely not the “tight” look that can result from overzealous repositioning. During the procedure, a gentle shift of the deeper connective tissue (often called the SMAS) will occur. This lies beneath the exterior skin, thus re-suspending the soft areas of the jowls, cheeks, jaw, and neckline. Repositioning these deeper tissues lets the skin redraw naturally – avoiding the “pulled” look.

“SMAS” vs. “Short Scar” Facelifts

Initially, inconspicuous incisions are made behind the patient’s ear, wrapping around to the lobe and then the crease behind the ear. A “short scar” or “limited incision” facelift is a popular choice, as many patients are well-suited for it, and the scarring is minimal and limited to the earlobe area. While you may have heard the term “mini facelift,” this is not that procedure. It is a powerful medical technique for those suffering from facial and neck skin laxity. No matter what technique is used, the SMAS deep tissues are treated by tightening (SMAS plication facelift), by minimal removal and tightening (SMASectomy with plication facelift), or by the advancement of the deeper, supportive tissues as a composite (Tri-Harmony Lift). All of your options will be explained to you so that you and the experienced staff at DeLuca Plastic Surgery can decide which technique is perfect together. No matter which approach you take, the facial fat will be carefully sculpted with your aesthetic goals in mind.

Tri-Harmony Lift

DeLuca Plastic Surgery is the exclusive home of the Tri-Harmony Lift (TM). Trl-Harmony is a deep plane lower face and neck lift that uses advanced techniques to allow our surgeons to tighten the jowls and tissues of the face and neck using a short scar and only local anesthesia. Tri-Harmony patients typically experience little bruising and swelling and can return to social activities in about 2 weeks. Tri-Harmony can be combined with an upper lid blepharoplasy, neck liposuction, fat grafting to the face, and CoolPeel laser resurfacing for total facial rejuvenation. Although typically performed in the office under local anesthesia, the Tri-Harmony Lift can be easily performed in the operating room under general anesthesia.

Recovery After Facelift

Following your facelift surgery, mild discomfort is usually all that one experiences. If a fat transfer (autologous fat graft) or laser procedure is performed simultaneously with your facelift surgery, then the usual recovery period of two weeks may be extended slightly. Most stitches will be removed five days post-surgery, while stitches made at the hairline must stay put until 10 days later. If no strenuous activity, such as heavy lifting, is involved in your job, work may be resumed as early as seven to 10 days. However, our surgeons generally recommend that patients take 14 days, if possible, to rest and fully recuperate. Non-strenuous activity (stationary bicycling, light treadmill exercise, ellipticals, etc.) can be resumed seven to 10 days after the procedure, and more intense exercise may be resumed in three to four weeks.

For most facelift patients, it typically takes three months for all of the tissue adjustments and changes to be made during surgery to ‘settle’ and reach their final look and feel.

Get more details on the management of swelling and scars in blog post: Post-Operative Care After Plastic Surgery.