At California Skin Institute, we see many patients who are faced with age-related skin problems that significantly affect their appearance. However, as much as most people understand that natural aging is progressive and inevitable, the experience of actually noticing changes in facial features can be jarring.

It is not uncommon for patients seeking facial rejuvenation to say that they no longer recognize themselves in recent photos. Some even say they avoid looking at their own reflection as they pass a mirror or window, because it is difficult to accept changes in their appearance that seem to have happened almost overnight. These are just some of the reasons patients come to us to see if they are candidates for a face lift.

Vertical Vector Face Lift

The vertical vector face lift is an advanced facial rejuvenation technique offered by California Skin Institute. It serves as a local anesthesia alternative to patients who prefer to avoid the general anesthesia of the traditional face lift. At California Skin Institute, our doctors use this procedure with patients who have gravity-induced descent of the face and neck, resulting in loose skin. In these patients, facial and neck liposuction is not enough to produce a dramatic outcome, requiring repositioning of tissues to create the plumpness and fullness of a youthful appearance.

California Skin Institute’s Dr. Morganroth, a published author and lecturer on facial rejuvenation and techniques to minimize face lift complications, developed this technique to provide a more natural rejuvenation and eliminate the tell-tale signs of face lift surgery.

The hallmarks of the Vertical Face Lift include:

• Vertical vector tightening of the face and neck support structures to mobilize face and neck tissue upward, to a more youthful position
• Local anesthesia is used to minimize risk of complications and reduce recovery time
• Suturing techniques are utilized to maximize duration of the lift
• Elimination of the stretched, “wind swept” look typical of some face lift techniques
• Designed to minimize the length of the incision and eliminate alteration of the hairline
• Multi-layered suturing techniques to prevent spreading of the scar
• Performed in a Medicare-approved outpatient surgery center

This technique has been published and presented at dozens of national medical meetings, and demonstrated live at surgery courses held at Stanford University Medical Center.

A Face Lift Consultation from a Board-Certified Surgeon

When what we see in our reflection no longer matches the way we see ourselves, we are clearly looking older than we feel. Some people make a great point in this case, and say that you should age gracefully, without any cosmetic procedures at all – just as nature intended. At California Skin Institute, we believe that this mindset makes a lot of sense. If you have strong genetics and routinely used high-quality products for preventive skin care throughout your life, then face lift surgery or other invasive cosmetic procedures may not be necessary at all.

But aging gracefully is as much about psychological health as it is about physiological appearance. So if your outward appearance no longer matches the vibrancy and youthfulness you feel inside, this dissonance can create insecurities that may cause you to avoid social situations that are so vital to leading a full and emotionally rich life.

That is why it is so important to speak with a highly qualified skin professional before making decisions about whether a face lift or alternative procedures may be right for you. You may need a face lift, or there may be other, less invasive alternatives. But properly diagnosed issues and thoughtfully-selected corrective procedures can help you look as good on the outside as you feel on the inside, and return to a more youthful and rested appearance.

Face Lift General Considerations

A face lift is a general term used to describe a variety of surgical tissue-repositioning procedures that target sagging skin around the face, as well as the neck area. At California Skin Institute, we work with our patients to help them choose appropriate surgery that emphasizes a return to a more youthful and natural appearance.

To do this, we carefully assess your unique situation and aesthetic goals to come up with a course of action that is most likely to yield outcomes closest to your goals. However, it is crucial that the patient develops a realistic attitude about what can be attained with plastic surgery.

Barring any issues with over-tightening of the skin (which creates a “wind swept” or “plastic” look), a face lift can achieve many aesthetic goals. For example, the neck area can be sculpted for a graceful appearance without an over correction. The cheeks and central face area are quite another matter. You do not want tightness; because tightness gives a flat appearance, just like a tightly-made bed. Instead, you want to create a natural fullness.

When you are younger, the area around the cheekbones initially carries the fullness of youth while the jawline is slimmer, giving the face a more triangular or oval appearance. But with the passage of time, these full tissues slip down underneath the cover of the overlying skin, creating jowls that distort the jawline and parentheses (nasolabial folds) that frame the mouth.

This natural aging process reverses the arrangement of the facial tissues, giving the face a more bottom-heavy appearance. And this is what often causes patients to no longer recognize themselves in the mirror – the person they are seeing doesn’t just have more lines and wrinkles, but the shape of the face has changed. It is the repositioning of these tissue underneath the skin, not the tightening of the skin, which restores the youthful appearance of the face.

Disclaimer

Treatment results will vary, talk to a practitioner to see if this treatment or procedure is right for you.