San Diego Facelift

Both women and men have become increasingly conscious of the aging process and thousands every year look to plastic surgery to help restore their youthful appearance. Patients are often motivated to visit the San Diego office of facelift surgeon Vincent Marin after friends or family ask if they are feeling “angry” or “tired” when they are well rested and feel great. More commonly patients begin to notice unwanted, deepening lines or excess skin that makes them “look old” – or beginning to resemble a parent or grandparent. Sometimes, however, patients see a photograph of themselves at an unflattering angle that prompts them to come in for a consultation.

Whatever your particular reason, facelift surgery is not designed to make you look different or change the person you are, just to turn back the clock on the aging process and restore you to YOUR youth, helping to allow your exterior to reflect the “youthfulness” you feel inside.

Patient Motivations

Age is not necessarily relevant factor in deciding whether a facelift is right for you. Everyone ages at different rates, has different parents and takes care of their skin to differing degrees. Thus, the time to look into your surgical options is when you feel that there are aspects of your facial appearance that you would like to improve. Often, when your exterior does not reflect your internal youth and vitality. There are different techniques with facelift surgery and these can be tailored to meet the needs of each of our San Diego facelift patients; from a “mini” or “petite” facelift for a patient in their 40s to a more extensive operation for a patient in their 70s. Our goal, no matter what the indication, is to make you look refreshed but not different or especially, “operated.”

Facelift Candidates

The ideal facelift candidate is a patient who is healthy, doesn’t smoke and is concerned about aging changes in the face, jowls and into the neck. Many variations exist and not everyone ages the same or even at the same rate. A standard facelift will address prominent “smile lines,” cheek hollowing, jowling and excess neck skin.

Patients with less can have a smaller “petit” approach. This allows us to address the specific problems that you have without “overdoing” the surgery. Patients who have significant aging changes of the skin or excessive sun damage may need simultaneous resurfacing. Surgery can correct the excess, but not change the quality of skin that you possess. Lasers allow us to refine the skin and put the finishing touches on your result.

Facelift Techniques

There are a number of different approaches to a facelift, and these have been designed to treat different problems that patients commonly develop. Options range from a “mini” or “petit” approach where the scar is shorter as there is less skin to remove to a complete face and neck lift where I can address the entire face and neck simultaneously. There are circumstances where a patient is only concerned with their neck or the neck is the only evident problem, and under these conditions we can perform a neck lift or cervicoplasty alone.

Techniques can be performed in a skin-only fashion in certain cases, but the vast majority of patients will have what is called a “deep plane” or “SMAS” facelift. This approach allows me to remove the excess skin as well as tighten and reposition the underlying facial muscles and fat. This is traditionally a more long lasting approach and helps to improve scars, as the tension is not on the skin.

Facelift Surgery

Most facelift surgeries are performed under a general anesthetic and can take anywhere from three to four hours. The surgery lasts this long as it is a very meticulous operation and requires attention to every detail – this is your face we are dealing with. We always use Board Certified anesthesiologists in our fully certified and accredited outpatient OR. The face is addressed in layers with the tension being placed deep and the skin excess dealt without any tension. This allows for almost imperceptible scarring even in cosmetically sensitive areas. In the neck, the muscles are tightened if found to be loose and excess fat is removed directly or with the use of liposuction. After surgery, patients wake up with a light compressive dressing covering the incisions and usually with very small drains in place to remove excess fluid. Patients return home under supervised care with a scheduled follow up the next day.

Recovery

Most patients are able to be off prescription pain medication in two to three days. Facial rejuvenation surgery is surprisingly pain-free and patients generally more have a sensation of numbness rather than pain. This is temporary and will resolve with time. Mild bruising and swelling is relatively common and expected, but resolves over the first seven to ten days. Patients will continue to see improvements in their appearance over the course of four to 12 weeks. Usually, final results are evident at three months and subtle refinements continue to six months after surgery. Scars are well hidden and can tolerate a little concealing make-up at seven days. Most scars are barely noticeable by eight weeks, but traditional teaching is that scars are not fully “mature” until one year.

San Diego Facelift Consultations

Facelift and facial rejuvenation surgery is very common for both women and men living in Southern California and especially San Diego. Our faces suffer continued environmental damage and are a reflection of who we are as individuals. With time, our faces may begin to age beyond the way we feel inside. Many patients find themselves becoming more aware or self-conscious of these changes. A well-executed facelift can restore your external appearance to more accurately reflect the youth and vitality within. If you are interested in finding out more about facelift or facial rejuvenation surgery, contact our San Diego office to discuss your facelift options and find out what procedure is right for you.

Marin Aesthetics
Dr. Vince Marin
1431 Camino Del Mar
San Diego, CA 92014

Phone: 858.638.9800
Toll Free: 888.638.9894
Fax: 858.551.9071

Dr. Marin provides plastic surgery services to the entire San Diego County community.