As people age the effects of stress, sun exposure, gravity, and genetics all affect the way the skin drapes along the cheeks, jaw line, and neck.  Some people age more rapidly than others and begin aging at an earlier age regardless of their lifestyle or exposure to the elements.  The mini facelift is designed specifically for patient who want to look more refreshed but do not have excessive laxity in the neck.  These are patients who began to notice early cheek and jaw laxity but are basically otherwise quite youthful. 

The mini facelift is an operation which leaves the scar well hidden within the ear and hairline and recovery is usually within ten days.  The best candidates for the mini-lift are women or men who have noticed early sagging or laxity or have noticed some loss of elasticity and wish to look more youthful without undergoing the a major facelift surgery that is required for more extensive facial laxity and aging.  Before you decide to have a mini facelift you should consult a qualified Plastic Surgeon who has experience and can show you before and after photographs of his own work.  Facelifts are tailored to the individual. 

During your consultation your surgeon will recommend what he feels is the best procedure for you, given your expectations as you expressed them.  Your general health needs to be evaluated to be sure that you do not smoke and if you have high blood pressure it is under control.  If you do smoke, you need to discontinue smoking at least two weeks before surgery.  The mini facelift is generally done under local anesthesia with a certified anesthesiologist providing sedation and monitoring.  Sometimes it is done with general anesthesia.  Before the surgery you should be in optimal health with a healthy diet and no smoking.  If your hair is very short, you should allow your hair to grow somewhat.  The mini facelift is generally performed in a certified outpatient facility with full monitoring of all your vital signs.  Again, local anesthesia with sedation is preferred by some patients and other patients and physicians prefer general anesthesia.  The mini facelift usually takes about two hours to perform and the incisions are placed in the temporal hair and extend to within the ear, beneath the earlobe, and into the crease behind the ear.  The looser tissues beneath the skin are tightened as well as the skin to ensure that the jowls smoothen and remain so and also to ensure that the look is natural. 

After surgery there is not significant discomfort.  Standard oral pain medication is sufficient.  There may be some numbness in the cheek areas which disappears in several weeks.  Patients are asked to keep their head elevated with cool packs early on.  Most of the stitches will be removed within a week or so.  You should be up and around in a few days and restaurant-ready within about ten days.  You can gradually return to your normal activities but should avoid strenuous or vigorous impact activities for about a month.  You may rinse and wash your hair with baby shampoo after a few days and it is a good idea to avoid sauna baths and steam baths for a couple months.  Initially your face will look puffy but this resolves fairly rapidly.  The scars are placed in well-hidden normal skin lines.  By the third week you will look and feel significantly better and chances are that you will be extremely happy with your results.  The mini facelift is a very satisfying procedure for both the patient and the Plastic Surgeon because it basically creates rejuvenation with minimal downtime and back-to-normal activities quite soon.  The mini lift, just like a standard lift, does not stop the clock but rather it sets the clock back.  Your face, of course, will continue to age as it normally would.  The mini facelift improves self-confidence and self-esteem and is highly recommended for specific patients.  It should be performed by Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon.

Dr. Burr von Maur

Orange County Facelift

A facelift in Orange County is an operation which is designed to improve and rejuvenate the lower two-thirds of the face.  The usual concerns the patients have are those of loose neck and jowls, and upon presentation to the Plastic Surgeon, these concerns are expressed. 

During the consultation process, a comprehensive evaluation by your Plastic Surgeon should include evaluation of not just the neck and jowls but the entire face including the cheeks, brows, and eyelids as well as any other bothersome areas that the patient expresses.  The facelift itself is designed to firm up the neck and lower cheek area but frequently the cheeks themselves have descended along with skin of the jowls and neck and it is not uncommon that lifting the midface area along with the lower face is an exciting and useful adjunct and is usually performed with the facelift itself; furthermore, if the patients require forehead rejuvenation, this can be accomplished at the same time and is done so in many of the patients.  The ideal candidate for facelift is a patient who has realistic expectations and who is healthy and does not smoke cigarettes.  If the patient smokes, they should stop two or three weeks ahead of time.  Ideally skin tone and muscle tone should be satisfactory in order to create a younger and fresher look.  It is rare to have complications after facial rejuvenation surgery. Sometimes hematoma (a small collection of blood that must be removed) can occur.  Numbness is common in the cheek areas.  Healing difficulties usually are not a problem unless the patient has a history of smoking.  Any underlying individual medical problems need to be addressed and corrected prior to the surgery. These would include but are not limited to correction of high blood pressure.  Most facelift procedures are performed as an outpatient in a certified surgical facility with a board-certified anesthesiologist.  It can be done with either general anesthesia or local anesthesia with sedation depending on the preference of the physician and in full discussion with the patient.  Aftercare facilities are available, and since this is an outpatient procedure, it is highly recommended that skilled aftercare personnel be involved in the patients care.  The facelift operation itself is a longer procedure than a mini facelift.  It may take four hours or more depending on how many additional procedures are done.  For example, if a mid-facelift is recommended simultaneously and/or a brow-forehead lift, then this adds more time.  The reason that the procedure takes as long as it does is that there are elements of meticulous suturing and dissection that are performed in order to be precise with this procedure.  The exact placement of the incisions is usually within the hair, within the edge of the ear, and then behind the ear and into the hair behind the ear.  They are well positioned and hidden so that when they heal they are not noticeable. 

It is not infrequent that along with loose skin and laxity of the neck there are pockets with excessive fat that need to be trimmed.  This can be performed with direct removal or frequently with facial liposuction for better neck contouring.  Usually small drain tubes are inserted overnight to remove any excess fluid that accumulates with time.  Postoperative pain with facelift surgery is not common.  There is discomfort that is controlled with oral pain mediation.  Numbness of the cheeks is seen frequently but subsides over many weeks.  It is recommended that the patients keep their head elevated and cool packs applied the first 24 to 48 hours or so.  Most sutures are removed in about a week to ten days.  The recovery period of about three weeks is usually satisfactory for feeling comfortable in public. Patients are up and about in a few days.  The healing of a facelift and the diminution of swelling is gradual as is the decrease in bruising gradual.  As time passes and the swelling decreases and bruising decreases, the patients continue to improve in their appearance.  This should be thoroughly discussed with the patient ahead of time and reinforced after surgery.  Initially the patients face may feel rather different or strange but over time as facial movements improve and swelling decreases and the bruising goes away the appearance becomes more normal.  The scars from the facelift and mid-facelift are well hidden in normal facial lines and after they mature are barely visible.  Chances are that you will be thrilled with the results of your facelift.  The goal is to give you a new lease on life.