One of the earliest signs of aging is the descent of facial fat into the jowls and beneath the chin. By contouring this fatty tissue along the jawline and beneath the chin, the plastic surgeon can create for the patient a thinner, more tapered, and younger-looking face.
A conventional face-lift involves incisions around the ears and back down the hairline. This procedure can produce outstanding results for many patients. However, it requires recovery time of about three weeks for most people.
A newer and highly effective technique for sculpting the fatty tissue along the jaw and chin areas involves the use of liposuction. Tiny incisions are made at the base of each ear and one under the chin point. These incisions result in only tiny scars which are virtually undetectable. Inserting a specially designed cannula through these incisions, the plastic surgeon removes the fat in parallel tunnels from along the jawline and beneath the chin.
With the fat removed, the tissue tightens and contracts as it heals. This tightening effect creates a more well-defined jawline and chin. As a secondary benefit, it also tends to enhance the appearance of the cheeks. This procedure is not just for women. It works particularly well on men.
Ultrasound is an effective technique that can be employed with liposuction. Ultrasound-assisted liposuction creates a smoother end result. It also provides a little more stimulation to the skin which heightens the tightening/contraction effect.
Unlike a conventional face-lift, most patients can recover from scarless facial rejuvenation over a weekend. There is very little swelling or bruising from the procedure. Some patients may experience slight irregularities in the skin along the jaw or beneath the chin, but this smoothes out nicely over time.
Patients who have very thin faces are not necessarily good candidates for scarless facial rejuvenation. The reason for this is that as we age, fat not only descends, we also lose fat. So the plastic surgeon must be very careful not to remove too much fat.
An excellent complement to scarless facial rejuvenation is laser resurfacing of the skin. The plastic surgeon can use a laser to remove the sun-damaged surface layers of the skin. This procedure is most often used to remove wrinkles in the cheek area, the little lines around the mouth, and the transverse lines in the forehead.
Most patients need about a week to 10 days to heal from laser resurfacing. At that point the new skin is pink. It is recommended that patients wait about 10 days before using makeup. After several weeks or a month, the new skin takes on the color of the surrounding skin.
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