Practicing in Worcester and Boston for over 28 years, Dr. Bentkover performs a number of different types of minilifts.
Depending on your age, your degree of facial volume loss with againg, sun damage and some genetic factors, a minilift may be all you need. Today we can offer you a number of different minilift procedures. They are less surgery than the traditional full lower deep plane facelift. They achieve more limited or perhaps more focused results, results aimed at improving just one part of the face. With less down time and quicker healing, minilifts have become some of our most popular procedures; but there are not shortcuts to quality.
Often people think a minilift is just an operation that tightens the cheek through a smaller incision than a full facelift. While that may have been true a number of years ago, now there are several types of minilifts. It may involve just tightening the tissues of the outer cheek & jawline, midface, neck or temple individually. It is also sometimes used as a touch up procedure a few years after a full facelift. Many surgeons call many different procedures a minilift. At your consulstation always besure to ask enough questions so that you know exactly what is planned.
Here are examples of the minilifts that Dr. Bentkover performs:
A submental platysmaplasty (30 - 60 minutes) is a minilift of the area of the neck just under the chin (the submental triangle). It is done through about a 1-1.5 inch incision in the crease just under your chin. It tightens the muscle in this area (the platysma) and is frequently combined with liposuction to the area and a chin or pre-jowl implant. No skin is removed, so this procedure is usually performed on patients under 45. Over 45 you may need to have some skin removed; you may need a complete necklift.
A necklift (2-3 hours) is a minilift that combines the submental platysmaplasty (above) with further tightening of the entire neck through an incision hidden in the creases around the ear. The platysma muscle is tightened in two areas, near the ear and under the chin. Excess skin is trimmed, and liposuction is used to further sculpt the neck if needed.
A cheeklift (1.5 - 2 hours) is a minilift that lifts the tissues of the cheeks in a vertical direction to tighten the outer cheek, jaw line, and jowls. The original minilifts were really cheeklifts. In this procedure the SMAS tissue (subcutaneous muscular aponeurotic system) is usually cut and trimmed in such a way as to be able lift a portion of it and place it in a higher position. This what lifts the cheek and outer face. The SMAS is the most important layer in tightening your face. Dr. Bentkover does what is called a deep plane sub-SMAS flap procedure. The SMAS tissue that is elevated and repositioned is called a flap. Common types of cheeklifts include the S lift and J lift. so-called for the shape of the incisions placed in the SMAS tissue and skin. These are different ways of achieving a similar outcome. Excess skin is also carefully tirmmed.
Properly performed minilifts designed for the best possible longevity and most natural look are careful and delicate operations best performed with general anesthesia or intravenous sedation. While the iidea is appealing, procedures performed with only local anesthesia and oral sedation do not repostion and tighten the SMAS as effectively as those with more appropirate anesthesia. Cutting corners, so to speak, is not in your best interest. Besides, wouldn't you rather be comfortable during your procedure?
A midface lift (1-2 hours) is a minilift that lifts the area below your eyes and the area over your cheek bones. As you age, the middle of your face generally descends at about a 45 degree angle and often flattens, creating hollow areas below your eyelids and in the lower cheeks. A midface lift elevates the upper cheek in such a way as to correct the hollows and washed out appearance that can develop in the middle portion of your face. Part of the procedure is performed under the periosteum, the fibrous coating over the bone. Elevating below this layer facilitates the movement of the midface and the longevity of the lift.
The traditional full facelift today is more properly called a full lower facelift. It treats the neck and lower third of the face.
Essentially,
Full Lower Facelift = Cheeklift + Necklift
When adding a midface lift to a full lower facelift, it becomes a so-called triplane facelift, because the operation involves elevation of three separate types (or planes) of tissue, skin, muscle and the coating over the bone (periosteum).
Information rules! But information must often be put in perspective. That is the role of the consultation. Dr. Bentkover will spend an hour with you going over all your options in an effort to see which minilift or variation of a full facelift best meets your goals. Take your time to think about your options. Don't just jump at the first procedure that sounds easy. You should want real and lasting results.
