Surgeons share opinions about success with short-scar facelifts -

Surgeons share opinions about success with short-scar facelifts - - ModernMedicine

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"It's a familiar scenario when a prospective patient interested in lower facial rejuvenation asks about a television commercial touting a one-hour facelift. These infomercials feature powerful images with smiling faces, but a mini-facelift can only produce smile-worthy results in a subgroup of patients.

"The term 'mini' evokes feelings of something safer, faster and (perhaps) better. Most people find it hard to digest the idea that they might require a full facelift. They don't see themselves as having aged. Youthful times don't seem that long ago. From the ego's perspective, a mini-procedure offers an acceptable compromise.

"Approximately 10 percent of my facelift patients undergo a mini- or short-scar procedure. In my experience, the patient best-suited for a mini- or short-scar lift exhibits mild-to-moderate aging signs along the mandibular line with mild or absent platysmal laxity, and lacks a 'heavy neck.' When I identify substantial subplatysmal adiposity and central platysmal bands, I recommend submentoplasty with a corset technique. I don't find that a short-scar lift with a lateral platysmaplasty is as powerful or sustainable in regard to cervicomental contouring.

"While a shorter scar has a certain appeal, implying less downtime and fewer reminders of surgery once healing has taken place, in facelift surgery, the incision should provide sufficient access to the tissues that require manipulation. The scar should also be long enough to allow for skin redraping and closure without excessive pleating. A patient with advanced aging signs and profound skin redundancy may require a longer scar than one with isolated early jowls.

"It is fortunate that natural anatomic creases exist on the face, and when they are properly utilized and respected, the remnants of facelift incisions are not obvious, assuming optimal wound-healing conditions are present. For patients with long hair in particular, the retroauricular suclus and hairline are ideal locations to disguise scars.

"While most of my patients require a full lift, those who are short-scar candidates are generally quite pleased with the procedure, as they do seem to experience less downtime."

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