When is it Time to Move from Fillers to Lower Facelift Surgery?
Injectable fillers are an effective, albeit temporary, method of turning back the clock on your appearance. These treatments offer a myriad of benefits, from smoothing away fine lines and wrinkles to restoring lost facial volume. While fillers serve an important purpose in the anti-aging battle, you may find a time comes when you need to move beyond filler treatments to a more permanent solution. Is it time for you to think about a lower facelift?
Sagging Jowls
One common sign of aging is a loss of skin elasticity around the jawline that gives the appearance of “jowling.” For a while, injections of a soft tissue filler can help restore volume in that area, refreshing the facial profile. However, when you notice the fillers are not having the same positive effect on your sagging jowls, it may be time to go to a more permanent solution to enhance your jawline.
Platysmal Bands
Another common sign of aging is in the neck in which the thin superficial muscle called the Platysma relaxes resulting in a loss if definition of the chin/neckline, and sometimes even “banding”. Again, fillers will not be of any benefit in this situation. Some physicians will inject the bands with Botox, but usually with little if any result. Platysmal Bands are also a surgery only issue. It is similar to a hammock that has become stretched out; a key result of a lower facelift is a correction of exactly this.
Deeper Creases
Fillers are effective for smoothing away wrinkles from the nose and mouth area. These treatments work particularly well on nasolabial folds (creases that extend from the nose to the mouth) and marionette lines (wrinkles that go from the mouth to the jawline). Over time, these creases can deepen, making it much harder to treat them with a simple injection. Unfortunately, there is a misconception that surgery will ultimately get rid of them, which totally untrue. These lines/folds are corrected by filler only. If a surgeon tells you surgery will correct them, run not walk away, or go ahead with surgery but secure a money back guarantee for those folds. Buyer beware!
Aged Appearance
Despite our best efforts, the aging process can eventually catch up with us. As the effects of aging begin to accelerate, you may find you begin to look much older than you feel. At this point, it may be time for something more than the simple “refresh” filler treatments offer. Surgical procedures that actually correct the underlying facial structure and remove loose, sagging skin may be required to give you the results you want. It essentially can come down to “are you sinking or sagging?” Sinking issues are corrected with fillers; sagging or excess tissues are corrected with surgery
Choosing a Facelift Procedure
If it seems a facelift may be in your future, there are different procedures to choose from. Dr. Robinson performs both endoscopic mid-facelift and full facelift procedures at his Alpharetta and Atlanta offices. Mid-facelifts require smaller incisions and primarily focus on cheek definition and skin sagging in the center of the face. A full facelift addresses everything from under the eyes to the neck.
While injectable treatments like fillers can ward off the signs of aging for some time, many patients find they will eventually get to the point where surgery is necessary to achieve their desired results. To learn more about your surgical options, contact Robinson Facial Plastic Surgery at 770-667-3090.
