subject: Face Lift Techniques: An Overview [print this page] As technology has shown improvements in many areas over the years, so has it shown advances in many plastic surgery procedures. One of these is the face lift. It is important that you discuss the various methods used for this surgery with your doctor and find out what the advantages and disadvantages of each one is before the one that is right for you is decided upon.
The standard by which all rhytidectomy surgeries are measured is the SMAS (Superficial Musculoaponeurotic System). This approach uses the conventional methods but expands upon them. In particular the connective tissue layer that is thin and underlying the other layers, known as the superficial musculoaponeurotic system is tightened which allows for a smoother shape to the face and lets the tension out of the skin.
Some plastic surgeons swear by the Subperisteal one because they feel in their professional opinions that it has the greatest longevity attached to it. Accomplished by using an endoscope, this operation tightens the deeper facial tissues and reshapes the features very well. There is not a lot of difference between this procedure and the SMAS.
The Deep Plane option is very invasive and for this reason is not used very often. It also necessitates a longer recuperation period. This type of rhytidectomy is able to do a great deal however as it reshape the entire face including the brows, upper and lower eyelids and the neck. The fat, muscle and tissues are all lifted and reshaped in one section that is continuous in fashion.
The Mid-face procedure is also sometimes referred to as a cheek lift because it concentrates on the area that exists from underneath the eye to the region of the lower cheek. The lower eyelids, cheeks and nasolabial folds cannot always be addressed by any other type of lift treatment which is where this surgery comes into play. This procedure focuses on eliminating excess fat and loose skin and tightening tissues but it is not beneficial for improving the appearance of the neck, jaw line or eyebrows.
One of the most innovative of these surgeries is the Feather Lift which is also called the Threadlift. This is considered to be the least invasive of all of the methods described here. The technique makes use of patented self-anchoring polypropylene threads which have the express purpose of lifting and suspending tissues. It is a very safe method and provides very natural looking results. Due to the fact that it has only recently been approved for use by cosmetic surgeons, it may take a number of years before the long-term results of this face lift can be determined.
