Newport Beach Plastic Surgery

Procedure of the week: Facelifting

In a series of blogs over the next few weeks, I will be giving my view about the latest in trends on facelifting, mini-facelifting, other facial procedures, body contouring and breast enhancement procedures.

The first article in this series is about facelifting.

Age and the environment around you often affect the soft tissues of the face. Your skin will become less firm and folds and wrinkles will begin to appear. What is the solution to this problem? While some women may try skin tightening creams or lotions, the most effective solution is a facelift. A facelift can dramatically improve the deep cheek folds, jowls, and loose sagging skin around your neck. Ultimately, it can make you look decades younger.

How is the procedure done?

First of all, mini-facelift means different things to different people. In general mini-facelift equals mini result. A mini-facelift may be great if you have a small degree of skin looseness, but it will not last as long as the traditional facelifting procedures that provide fantastic improvement with long- lasting results.

In traditional facelift surgery, the incisions are made at your hairline. The incisions are made there for a few reasons. The first is that they follow the natural lines of your face. The second is by making the incisions behind your hairline, the incisions are nearly impossible to see. Once the incision is made, the skin is gently separated from the underlying soft tissue. Once the separation is complete, excess skin can be removed and repositioned for a younger, healthier look.

The next step is the muscular layers under your skin are tightened. This is done to create a more youthful appearance to your lower face and around your neck. Areas that have excess fat may be trimmed or suctioned. Once the skin is properly and carefully positioned upward, the extra skin will be removed and the incisions will be closed.

For more information on the facelift procedure, please visit our facelift frequently asked questions section or visit my facelift before and after photos.

Facelift surgery is one of the most effective ways to look years younger. Both men and women alike get the procedure and I will be able to discuss the best way to reveal a younger looking you. By simply coming in for a confidential consultation, I can help you decide if facelift surgery is for you.

This week was a tough week for Board Certified Plastic Surgeons everywhere.

Two main news items took place:

The first, was Govenor Schwarzenegger signing legislation to allow oral surgeons to perform facelifts, rhinoplasty, brow-lifts and other cosmetic surgery procedures.

The second was a ruling by a judge in California to force the California Medical Board to grant equivalency to the American Board of Cosmetic Surgery. The ABCS is a group that has not been recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialties. The ABMS is the agency that regulates and certifies the different medical specialties, such as Psychiatry and Internal Medicine.

These groups have not been able to qualify through the traditional route of recognition through the American Medical Association and therefore have sought legal or legislative action to allow them selves to be considered "board-certified" and equal to true board-certified Plastic Surgeons.

Individuals that have chosen to pursue the training to become Board Certified plastic surgeons have chosen to be "The best of the best" and their training is typically as lengthy as neurosurgeons and cardiac surgeons. These other specialties, such as oral surgeons, that wish to claim equivalency have simply not spent the same amount of time dedicated to being the best.

Unfortunately for the public who seek someone with the best training, the term "Board Certification" has come to mean less and less, due in part, to these rulings.

I encourage every patient that expects experience, training and skill from their doctor, to look closely at the credentials before "signing-up".