This question has come up quite a bit. In reality, the first time you begin to see things go south, and I really mean your skin go south is an indicator. This is noticeable when the skin on cheekbones gets soft causing the angularity of the face to fall down. The nasolabial folds and marionette lines develop more. You do not need to have sagging jowls, or a double chin to warrant thinking about a mini face lift or Limited Incision FaceLift.
What are Nasolabial Folds?
Nasolabial folds are the creases in your skin extending from both sides of your nose to the corners of your mouth.
What are Marionette Lines?
Marionette lines are wrinkles that appear from the corners of your mouth and go down to your chin.
What we are really trying to do is make your skin fit. If you are at a point where your skin is looking fabulous and then a few years later your skin has loosened, you could be a candidate for a mini facelift or limited incision facelift. You could be 45 or 50 or 55, age doesn’t matter. If your skin is loose and you are noticing these signs of aging, you are a candidate and it is up to you to make the decision. You have to look in the mirror and decide who you are and decide if you want to maintain your appearance.
The way I look at it you don’t want to have a giant transformation. You want to look the same throughout your adult life. You can do this without looking silly and not making a big deal of it but you have to think about it.
What is a Limited Incision Facelift?
The Limited Incision Facelift Technique (LIFT) or Short Scar Facelift, uses an incision from the sideburn to the earlobe and effectively deals with the nasolabial folds, cheeks, jowls, loose skin under the chin, and upper neck laxity. If there is more significant laxity of the skin of the neck, the incision is extended behind the ear and up into the hairline. This additional incision makes it possible to re-drape the skin of the neck and becomes virtually invisible even with the hair worn up.
What is a Mini Facelift?
This modern mini-lift has been adopted, renamed, and publicized by many surgeons. But be warned: A new name doesn’t make a new procedure. A mini facelift is the least invasive sort of limited incision facelift where the incision is very small around the ear and sideburn and the underlying skin doesn’t go very far and only a little bit of skin is lifted.
