A mini facelift involves the placement of incisions in front of the ears which extend from the hairline to the bottom of the earlobe. The surgeon will then gently pull the skin and tissues up and outward the ear. Excess skin and tissue are removed to tighten the appearance of the skin.
In most cases, a mini facelift will last around ten years easily before another lift is needed. A full facelift can last approximately double that at twenty years. Many patients find that the results last even longer with a few more years for both the mini facelift and full facelift.
In general, good candidates for mini facelifts are men and women in their mid to late 40s up to 60s or 70s. There is not a cut-off age, per se, but instead we look at one's overall health, mobility, and treatment goals.
Overall, a mini facelift is considered effective in correcting sagging skin in the lower half of your face. Depending on your overall goals, you may consider additional procedures, such as an eye lift or dermal fillers.
The mini-facelift procedure is performed exactly like an abbreviated facelift. The same technique is used and incisions are the same. The only difference is the amount of skin that is tightened. More skin is lifted and tightened.
Facelift recovery Week 2
During this week you'll likely still have some swelling and bruising around the affected areas. Swelling and bruising can also cause some people to experience some numbness, tingling and tightness. These are all common occurrences after a facelift and should not cause concern.
Mini facelift scars are minimal
Traditionally, an incision is made in the hairline near the temples on each side. The incision goes in front of the ear, down the front of and hugging the earlobe area, then back to the lower scalp behind the ears.
Generally, a ponytail lift involves incisions made high up on the face – above the front of the ear or beyond the hairline. The facial cosmetic surgeon then pulls the ligaments below the skin to adjust and reduce sagging.
A mini-facelift is usually performed in an office-based setting. In appropriately chosen patients this procedure is well tolerated using only local anesthesia. Sedation or general anesthesia are other options and would be performed in an outpatient surgical facility.
Neck lift surgery (platysmaplasty) is the most effective, but also most invasive, treatment for jowls. It may be the only option available to patients with severe jowls or substantial laxity.
While facelift results can be different for every patient, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons found that, on average, patients felt they looked about 12 years younger after their facelift surgeries.
A thread lift is a short, minimally invasive procedure that — using advances in thread technology — can lift and reposition sagging facial skin. The results are not as dramatic as facelift surgery but still visible. Thread lifts can target areas of the face and neck, including: Jowls.
A “lunchtime facelift” is essentially a mini facelift. The procedure helps your face look completely refreshed and rejuvenated but in a less intense manner. Our lunchtime facelifts can lift the cheeks, reduce sagging eyelids and jowls, and restore the fullness of your face overall.
Mini facelifts are faster and safer than a full facelift, have a shorter recovery time and are usually less expensive than full facelifts. In addition, they usually do not require general anesthesia – just local numbing and the use of mild sedatives.
Although the mini facelift is designed primarily to tighten the lower half of the face and focuses mostly on the jawline and jowls, a slight amount of upper neck tightening can also be achieved. In a traditional facelift, the focus is mostly on lifting and smoothing the neck more dramatically.
Some treatments to treat nasolabial folds include: Mini Face Lift: A mini face lift targets the lower portion of the face. Small incisions are made around the ears where the skin and underlying tissues are gently pulled and tightened, reducing the appearance of nasolabial folds.
Because a mini facelift is less invasive than a full facelift, most patients report feeling minimal pain and discomfort following their surgery. It is common to experience some slight bruising and swelling.
If you are given a sedative during your facelift, then you most likely won't remember the procedure. While it's happening, you'll likely be awake, although you'll feel very relaxed. However, because the sedative medication blocks the formation of memories, you won't remember it later.
General Anesthesia
Throughout the procedure, you are completely asleep, and you feel no pain. This is the most common type of anesthesia Dr. Fan uses. A facelift takes considerable time, and the majority of patients, especially those who experience anxiety, are most comfortable sleeping through the procedure.
The deep plane facelift is generally considered the most comprehensive and long lasting type of facelift. This facelift involves the layer of muscles under your facial skin. These muscles are responsible for much of the drooping or sagging you may experience in your face as you age.
Receiving a neck lift is an excellent way to correct extra fat, wrinkles, and other aesthetic problems that affect the appearance of this area of your body. This procedure is very quick, and your neck is likely to look firm and youthful for a long time.
Kao goes in-depth about his clinic's popular "ponytail facelift," which lifts skin vertically instead of the more common horizontal pull. The results are similar to how one looks when wearing a high and tight ponytail, but forever. (Ouch.) Price ranges from $30,000 to $40,000.
Dermal fillers can smooth out wrinkles and restore facial fullness that happens with age. Aging leads to sagging skin and wrinkles. While minimally invasive fillers and injections can work for a short time, patients should consider a facelift to reverse the signs of aging and improve self-esteem.
Pulled-down earlobes may happen at the time of the original procedure, or can develop with time. The most dramatic distortion has been called “the pixie ear.” Natural contour can usually be restored, but this is often difficult. The earlobe is often not distorted, but simply pulled forward — a tip-off to a facelift.
Scars from a mini facelift are typically located in natural creases of the skin or areas that are not prominently noticeable, so they are even less detectable to others.