AMERICAN SOCIETY OF PLASTIC SURGEONS REPORT ON LONGEVITY OF FACELIFTS

Publication out of Arlington Heights, Ill.

More than five years after facelift surgery, three-fourths of patients still look younger than they did before surgery, according to a long-term follow-up study in the December issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery®, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS). The results suggest that, more than five years after facelift surgery, "There is no significant objective or subjective sign of continued aging or 'relapse' in any area except for the neck." The researchers add, "The vast majority of patients will continue to look better several years after surgery than they did before." This new evidence will help guide patient expectations and also establishes that surgical facelifts are still an important component of facial rejuvenation.

Dynamics of facial aging.

Loss of soft tissue volume, skin sag and intrinsic skin surface aging are the three major components of the aging face. In patients with significant loss of facial soft tissue, the use of the patients own processed (Adivive) fat is the best choice for large volume replacements. However, if affordable, the combination of surgical tightening along with volume replacement will provide the patient with a better long term rejuvenation.

Early recurrence of neck sag after surgical facelifts.

Dr. Lewis Obi agrees with this survey that after a surgical facelift, neck sag tends to recur quicker than the facial sag. To avoid premature recurrence of this neck sag after a total face and neck lift, Dr. Obi has incorporated the use of SlimLipo laser neck tightening with almost all of his surgical facelifts. Laser tightening of the neck provides for progressive neck skin shrinkage for at least six months thereby avoiding the early recurrence of neck skin laxity. In addition to surgical facelifts, the SlimLipo neck tightening may be performed as a solitary procedure or in conjunction with stem cell fat grafting to the face (OPERA LIFT).

Conclusions of ASPS study.

In this ASPS study, Drs. Barry M. Jones of King Edward VII Hospital, London, and Steven J. Lo of Canniesburn Plastic Surgery Unit, Glasgow supports facelift surgery as the only rejuvenation technique to have objective and subjective evidence for long term efficacy. However, “in The New Age of Plastic Surgery”, Dr. Lewis Obi and his international colleagues take issue with this static and rigid approach to facial aging. In todays society and economy, patients are seeking an alternative to traditional surgical solutions in the area of facial aging. As Dr. Obi has discovered during the past four years, non surgical alternatives such as SlimLipo, Adivive and PRP may also be used to enhance traditional surgical facelift procedures.