Dr. Kai O. Kaye, Director Ocean Clinic Marbella, explains the technique of facelifts.

How long will it last? 

The vast majority of facelifts, especially the so-called thread lifts, are skin lifts. The skin is timidly elevated in front of the ear, and the cheek mass is pulled upward using the skin as a handle. This limited technique is popular because it’s simple and recovery is very fast. 

There is only one problem: Skin is elastic, it stretches when pulled and you lose half of your fabulous result in as early as 1- 2 years. That is where the concept of facelifts “falling down” came from. So what does the patient? He comes back to see his surgeon in a year or two and have a “little tuck” or a “mini lift.” Redoing facelift procedures too often can give your face an over stretched look, something that should and can be avoided with new techniques.

There is a better way to achieve natural looping, long-lasting results:

Under the skin of the face there are deep supporting structures called fascias. Their job is to hold things in place so your face retains it general shape. By definition, these layers do not stretch like taffy or they couldn’t do their job. The deep supporting structure of the face is called the “SMAS”. If this deep supporting structure is used as the retaining structure to lift the cheek, two main advantages are to mention. First, the lift is much more solid and longer lasting. The skin is not pulled under unnatural tension so you don’t look stretched. That’s the good news. The bad news is that it is a more extensive procedure so you will need a bit more time to recover. Instead of looking better than you started out at two weeks, it will take three to four weeks. Unfortunately, a facelift is like everything else in life. If you want more, you have to put more into it – meaning, you have to be patient with the postoperative period. Dr. Kaye’s advice for looking your best longer is to do a facelift LESS OFTEN and MORE THOROUGHLY. He uses mostly the MACS-Lift technique to achieve stable, long lasting results with minimal outside scars.

How do I keep from looking “operated” on? 

To get through your operation safely is medical science; the way you look afterwards is the art of your surgeon. Having a certain artistic element, Facelifts by different surgeons are in the same way different like two works of art made with the same material can be completely different, depending on the style and skill of the artist. The same is true of facelifts. Every surgeon’s artistic approach is different and each patient is a new canvass. The artistic goal is not to remove every line from a face. Many lines are caused by animation muscles, and to remove all the lines would mean releasing the attachments of all the muscles of expression. While a perfectly smooth face might look good in still photography, it looks like a mask in real life without passion or personality. 

Dr. Kaye’s goal is to make each patient look good without looking like a different person. He believes every treatment should be individualized based on the patient’s concerns, priorities and expectations. Facial rejuvenation is usually a process involving a commitment to lifestyle changes, skin care, injectables, and in some cases surgery. 

by Dr. Kai O. Kaye, Director Ocean Clinic Marbella

More info: www.oceanclinic.net