Question:
If I stand in front of the mirror and push the skin on my cheekbones, back, it improves the look of my cheeks and what must be my jowls. This seems to be the oldest looking part of my face and I would like a mid-face lift to repair it. Would this surgery prevent me from getting a facelift later on if I need it? I am 48 years old.
Answer:
You are certainly not alone – numerous patients come into my office reporting that they do the exact same thing in the mirror. There are several options for the mid-face and lower face areas and the best option really depends on your individual anatomy; no two faces are exactly alike and we treat each face individually. While a mid-face lift is favored by some doctors for addressing the area under the eyes, such as “the dark circle” area, it is not my method of choice for improving that area. I find that volume restoration, such as with our VolumeLift (SM), provides the best results in that area as well as multiple other areas of volume loss in the face and can be tailored to the individual. The other area that people sometimes think will be improved with a mid-face lift is the “nasolabial fold” area, but I don’t find that mid-face lifting is very reliable for that area. A VolumeLift(SM) to address the cheeks will usually help to improve the nasolabial fold area, and we almost always fill the nasolabial folds at the same time, with either your body’s own best filler (fat), or a synthetic filler like Perlane or Juvederm, and in some cases Radiesse. While each of these procedures I mentioned above are great for the middle third of the face, they don’t by themselves address the lower third of the face and neck, which is really where a facelift has the greatest impact. So, to answer your question, they would not prevent you from benefitting from a facelift at sometime later on, but you could also benefit from our VolumeLift(SM) along the jaw line to help rejuvenate the jaw line and thereby delay the need for a mini-lift or facelift. As I mentioned, every face is unique though, and the best thing would be for you to get an evaluation in person so that you can come up with a game plan. Best of luck and let me know if you have any other questions.
