You can take the best care of your skin, protecting it from the sun, and applying high-quality ingredients daily. Despite your best efforts, the forces of time and gravity will eventually take their toll. You might start to notice the formation of fine lines and wrinkles or a bit of sagging along the jawline. While these changes are normal, they are not always desirable.
Embrace your age without showing it with a mini facelift by Dr. Daniel Barrett. This procedure offers significant facial rejuvenation with less discomfort and downtime than you might experience with a traditional facelift technique. With the ability to tailor your treatment to your precise needs, Dr. Barrett can reverse the effects of time with results that may last for many years.
What is a Mini Facelift?
Facelifts are the optimal solution to counteract aging and its unattractive side effects. By reconstructing your facial features through muscle tightening, fat removal and trimming of excess skin, Dr. Barrett can refresh your appearance and restore your beautiful, youthful self. While facial surgeries are not designed to stop the aging process altogether, they can turn back the clock by as much as five to 10 years.
For patients that do not want the extensive surgery involved with a traditional facelift, Dr. Barrett also offers the limited-incision option known as the mini facelift. For these patients, Dr. Barrett targets the deep creases around the eyes and mouth, such as nasolabial folds – the vertical lines that appear from the nose to the corners of the mouth when you smile. The incisions for a mini facelift are shorter – hence the names limited-incision or short-scar facelift. Shorter incisions usually mean less scarring, greater comfort after surgery and a quicker recovery process in many cases.
Is a Mini Facelift Right for You?
The best people for a mini facelift are men and women in good general health who are dissatisfied with the changes that have occurred due to aging. Some of the concerns a mini facelift can address include:
- Sagging and hollowing in the midface
- Deep creases from underneath the eyes to the jawline
- Initial signs of jowl formation along the jawline
- A persistently tired, aged appearance
A mini facelift is generally recommended to individuals who have mild to moderate signs of aging. While the typical age for a mini lift ranges from about 35 to 55, the procedure is appropriate for anyone that wants to experience rejuvenation effects. Older patients that are not good candidates for a traditional facelift due to health concerns may be able to undergo a mini facelift in some circumstances as well.
While a mini facelift cannot rejuvenate the brows, eyelids and neck, Dr. Barrett offers a variety of surgery combinations that can treat these areas at the same time as a mini facelift. For example, some patients may pair the facelift with a brow lift, eyelid surgery or a neck lift to achieve the full results they want with a single surgical session. Patients can also have non-surgical procedures after a facelift to enhance results further, such as fat transfer, dermal fillers or laser skin resurfacing.
Preparing for Your Facelift Procedure
Although a mini facelift is not as extensive as a traditional lift, preparation before surgery can go a long way in ensuring your procedure is both safe and successful. Dr. Barrett will meet with you before your operation to provide you with a list of instructions to get you ready for your surgery. Those directions might include:
- Stopping some over the counter medications that could make you more prone to bleeding during and after surgery
- Quitting smoking at least two weeks before surgery to avoid nicotine-related complications
- Filling prescriptions before your surgery day, so they are ready for you when you get home afterward
- Enlisting help for a day or two so you can rest and recover comfortably at home
Mini Facelift Overview
Dr. Barrett usually performs mini facelifts using local anesthesia or twilight sedation. If you are combining your facelift with another procedure like a neck lift or eyelid surgery, he may recommend general anesthesia instead. If you have general anesthesia, you will need to have someone drive you home after your operation.
Dr. Barrett has different incision locations for a mini facelift, depending on the specific areas he will target. Common sites include the hairline, around the upper portion of the ear or encircling the earlobe. No matter where incisions are placed, Dr. Barrett will exercise great care in ensuring visible scarring after surgery will be minimal.
During the procedure, Dr. Barrett repositions the underlying muscle and tissue before excising the excess, loose skin. This approach ensures a natural effect, rather than the windblown look of facelifts past. He uses a layered suture technique that minimizes tension on the incision after the surgery for better healing and less scarring.
After Your Mini Facelift
Recovery after a mini facelift is usually shorter and more comfortable than what you would experience after a more extensive procedure. You may feel some swelling, numbness and tightness in the face. You might also see bruising, specifically around the areas of the incisions. These side effects will usually subside within a week, allowing you to go out in public without feeling self-conscious about your appearance. Dr. Barrett will give you specific instructions for your recovery based on your unique situation as well.
Dr. Barrett does not use dissolvable sutures because he believes they can lead to more prominent scarring. He will remove your stitches in his office one and two weeks after your surgery. The sutures are replaced with tape for a period to allow the incision to continue to heal. Once the tape is removed, Dr. Barrett will give you a patented silicone gel to apply to the incisions twice a day at home to further enhance the healing process.
Refresh Your Look for Less
A mini facelift is a less invasive method of surgical rejuvenation can that reverse many of the effects of the aging process. Dr. Barrett is an expert in this procedure and knows how to tailor the surgery to the precise needs of each patient for the best possible results. To find out if you are a candidate for a mini facelift, contact Barrett Plastic Surgery today at 310-598-2648.
The information about mini face lift was reviewed by Dr. Daniel Barrett. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us using our contact form below.