Avoiding an Artificial Facelift Look
When it comes to facelift, it seems everyone has an opinion — not necessarily about the surgical procedure itself, but about the result they see when celebrities, stars or friends premiere their new post-facelift look to the world. At that point, everyone becomes a critic, recoiling or enthusiastically applauding the unveiled work of surgical art.
If you are considering facelift, you certainly want a result that will impress the critics, and perhaps even keep them guessing. At all costs you want to avoid an artificial appearance, such as the dreaded “pulled,” “windswept” or “open cockpit” look. Below, experienced Albany plastic surgeon Dr. Sanjiv Kayastha explores some of the common denominators in both ideal and disappointing surgeries, and explains how to achieve the graceful, natural look you deserve.
Keys to Success
The best results happen with the best surgeons, skilled medical professionals who have performed thousands of surgeries and have a thick volume of case studies to prove it. These surgeons know that the key to a successful result is to tighten and fortify facial muscles, not simply stretch the skin imprecisely across the face. When this kind of excess tension is created, the skin puts pressure on the underlying cushions of fat that define and soften your features. It also creates a “frozen” appearance that makes your smiles, and even speech, painful to watch.
Proportion and harmony are also essential to ensuring a satisfying result. A first-rate plastic surgeon must be a gifted artist, as each change in your facial profile must be done with an eye to the overall symmetry and balance of your features. A surgeon must know how much skin to remove, and precisely calibrate the direction of pull. Overcorrection is common in facelift surgeries — and permanent. Like an artist who has mastered minimalist painting, the surgeon must understand that less is more.
A surgeon must also recognize that improving the appearance of the lower face is not just a question of removing skin — adding volume in targeted areas is also key to ensuring a natural-looking result. Stretching skin over areas that have lost volume with the passage of time will create a skeletal appearance that actually makes the patient look older. When you were younger, your face had a fullness that projected vitality; adding volume and artistically re-contouring existing soft tissue is important to reigniting this youthful glow.
To learn more about facelift, we invite you to schedule an appointment by contacting Dr. Kayastha’s Albany practice today.
