Question: I would much prefer a mini lift because it’s less expensive and less invasive, but can it improve sagging skin and jowls?

Answer: A mini lift is excellent at getting rid of jowling and does a very nice job of getting rid of laxity under the chin as well.  It has some limitation on how defined the neckline can appear, but that is really dependent on the patient’s anatomy as opposed to the actual lift itself.  That is why I think it is wise that patients seek out an experienced facial plastic surgeon for their mini lift since I am able to provide them with different options of more advanced facelifts that can provide amazing rejuvenation and better contour to the upper neck than a simple mini lift can provide.  They can still choose to have the mini lift, but at least they would understand the limitations of the lift compared to a more advanced technique.

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Question: I’m just 32 but I’m considering a facelift or maybe a midface lift as an alternative to cheek implants to get the look of higher cheekbones. Would this work?

Answer: A midface lift certainly will give you the illusion of higher cheekbones since we are lifting soft tissue of the cheek.  I would like to examine you to determine whether you are a really good candidate for a midface lift or if you would be better served by malar implants since if you have a very small amount of soft tissue, you would be a much better candidate for the implants than the lift.  Overall, I am a big fan of cheek implants since they are relatively easy to perform, recover from, and they are very consistent in their results as well as the fact that they are permanent in nature.

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Question: Thread lifts seemed so popular when they first came out but now you don’t hear much about them, at least not much that’s good. What’s changed?

Answer: I think what has changed is the fact that there have been countless numbers of patients who have had these thread lifts and now have noticed that the effects of the thread lift have essentially disappeared.  This can occur in a matter of months, not years, and this, therefore, frustrates patients who have spent literally thousands of dollars on a face lift that is so short lived.  Once the word got out that these thread lifts do not last very long, the majority of companies that actually made these threads ended up going out of business.  Fortunately, I saw this coming and when thread lifts were hot, I did not fall prey to the marketing and media frenzy and simply cautioned my patients that these thread lifts would most likely not last very long due to the fact that they are relying on a simple suture to lift and this will eventually pull through the tissue and have no significant long-lasting effect.  Overall, this continues to prove the old adage that if it appears too good to be true, it most likely is. 

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Question: My brows have gotten very droopy in recent years and I also have horrible horizontal lines on my forehead. If I get a forehead lift, will it improve both?

Answer: Yes, a forehead lift should not only improve droopiness to the brows since it is going to lift the brows, but it should also improve the lines across the forehead since those formed due to the fact that patients repetitively raise their brows creating those horizontal lines.  By lifting the brows to a more aesthetic position, the patient should have less of a reason to lift the brows and create those horizontal forehead lines and they should, therefore, improve over time. 

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Question: I’m interested in getting a forehead lift but with a very demanding job I simply cannot take a whole lot of time off from work afterward. How long realistically would I need for the bruising and swelling to fade?

Answer: Browlift recovery varies from patient to patient but, overall, I tell people they should be able to easily go back to work within a week after having an endoscopic browlift.  I have had patients who have told me they could go back to work the next day though I would say this is rather unusual, and it is also extremely unusual to have anyone who could not go back to work within that first week.

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