Mini Facelift

Mini Facelift

The Mini (“Lunch Hour”) Face Lift and Lifestyle Lift

The Mini (“Weekend”) Face Lift, allows the patient to return to work in 1-2 days. These face lifts require a small 1/2 inch scalp incision which may be performed under local anesthetic or mild sedation. Different manufacturers mainly differ in the suture that they sell for the mini-lift. The folks at Lifestyle lift have a slightly different suture (thread) than KMI Silhouette lift.

The type of suture used is not so important. What is important is the surgical concept of minimally invasive surgery used to perform the mini face lift, which allows for quick recovery. The mini face lift may be performed completely under local anesthesia without narcotics (much like a dental procedure). The advantage of this method is that it is quick (about 1 hour)’ the patient can drive themselves to and from the facility and it saves on anesthesia costs. For patients who prefer some sedation, an anesthesiologists administers a mild sedative and the patient will go home in about 2 hours (including the surgery). Face Makeover vs Face Lift Alone.

Case 1 :The Mini-face lift is shown here. Notice the blue mark 1/4″ below the hairline. In this case here, the face was lifted from the blue mark to the hairline-about a 1/4″ lift. Notice how even a small lift of the face will have a dramatic effect on appearance. The after picture is taken two days after surgery. Recovery from a mini-face lift is 24 hrs-which is the time needed for the anesthetic to wear off.

If only a small lift it is required, then a mini lift is adequate. However if there is more than about 1/2″ of skin that needs to be pulled, a traditional facelift will be required-so as to remove the excess skin around the ear.

Face lift (rhytidectomy) procedures may be performed for the entire face, the upper face or the lower face. The depth and extent of what is being lifted can vary widely. The lift can include the superficial foundation of the face,called the SMAS (superficial musculoaponeurotic system), deep plane face lifts or even subpeiosteal (below bone) face lifts. Traditional Face Lifts Allow for More Dramatic Skin Restoration of the Face!

A face lift tightens the foundation of the face (SMAS), upon which the facial skin rests. Tightening the SMAS, allows the skin to be tighter, allows for more aggressive facial laser resurfacing, facial sculpting, facial fat transfer.After a face lift, dermabrasion and anti-wrinkle treatments become more effective.

Case 2 :This is another example a mini facelift, recovery a was immediate. The after picture shown here was taken two days after surgery.

Notice that this patient also has discolored and aged skin, and would benefit from:

  • IPL photofacial to treat the discolored skin

    Fat transfer to the cheeks to add volume.