Face Lift Surgery - How Do They Work?

If you're considering a face lift, it's important to know there are several different kinds you can choose from, though all fall under the category of cosmetic surgery.

Some of the types we'll examine include: mini lift; mid-facelift; s-lift; and the traditional face lift.

Mini lift

The mini lift is a term often used by surgeons to describe a procedure that's less invasive than the traditional, full facial lift. This type of surgery is nicknamed 'the weekend lift' because many times patients have this procedure on a Friday and return to work (with no visible side effects) on Monday.

The mini lift is generally done on a smaller area of the face than a conventional lift. Its goal is to the same - to improve the loose skin on the neck and to reduce the appearance of jowls -- but the result is usually less dramatic than that achieved with a traditional lift.

For a mini lift, the lower part of the patient's face is numbed and the doctor makes an S-shaped incision from near the ear (where the sideburns would be) and toward the hairline. During the 1-2 hour surgery, the doctor tightens the connective tissue found underneath the skin, removes any excess skin and uses small sutures to close the incision.

Mid-face lift

For this type of plastic surgery, the surgeon makes one tiny incision just above the patient's ear and inside the mouth. Using an endoscope (a tiny camera that lets the doctor see the surgical area) the surgeon is focused on tightening sagging skin in the area of the cheekbones, so the fats pads in the cheeks are pulled up and over the cheekbones to tighten the skin.

The S-lift

The S-lift is designed to focus on the lower part of the face, or roughly the lower third. It's designed to smooth out the jowls and neck area. The local anesthetic is injected into an area just near the ear for this surgery and then the surgeon separates the skin from the tissue under it. When the skin is lifted, the tissues and muscles lying underneath are tightened. This kind of cosmetic surgery takes much less time to perform than a regular lift and the recovery time is shorter as well.

Traditional face lift

With the many other forms of facial surgery available these days, many women choose these less invasive and simple procedures over the traditional facial lift. But for the woman who wants her whole facial skin lifted and tightened, the traditional full lift is still a popular option.

During the 2-4 hour operation, the surgeon makes an incision that will usually go from the hairline at the temple to the earlobe hairline area. The skin is separated from the fat and tissue underneath and the doctor might suction out or trim excess fat. The tissue under the skin is tightened.

The skin is pulled back over and any excess skin is trimmed or a laser is used to remove it. As with all other facial surgery procedures, the area is closed with tissue glue, sutures or stitches.

So there you have it.

Deciding to get a facial lift is a multi-faceted decision, one not to be taken lightly. Understanding the options is crucial to making the right decision.

See these wrinkle cream reviews of the best wrinkle creams at Marcus Ryan's review site and see your wrinkles gone in minutes! Get these creams as free trials and see why these wrinkle antiaging cream serums have been called the ideal nonsurgical face lift in a jar!