At a certain point, non-surgical methods may no longer do the job. As we age, there comes a time when non-surgical treatments no longer provide a satisfactory result, and the necessity for surgical procedures becomes apparent to rejuvenate the face and neck.
With improvements in non-invasive radiofrequency treatments, combined with injectable fillers, resurfacing procedures and wrinkle treatments, this age has been pushed up to around 50 for most women and men. But after that time, the sagging of facial tissues and facial muscles, as well as bony resorption and fat maldistribution (either excess or degeneration) result in the inevitable situation where further non-surgical procedures alone become a waste of time and money.
Eyes and brow
Typically with advancing age excess skin and fat bulges form around the eyes and brow, causing the eyebrows and often the forehead to sag and make us look tired or angry.
The surgical solution can be eyelid surgery to the upper and lower eyelids (blepharoplasty) and, in cases of more profound forehead wrinkling and eyebrow sagging, an endoscopic brow lift.
Jawline
The sagging neck and lack of definition in the jaw, however, are perhaps the most common complaints as we age for both men and women.
As we lose elasticity in our skin we develop jowls and deeper folds, especially in the nasolabial area around the mouth. This is often dubbed as the ‘chipmunk’ or ‘hang dog’ look.
To surgically correct this, there is no single solution and the surgery must be customised to address the patient’s specific ageing so as not to create a tight, plastic and ‘operated on’ look.
A variety of face and neck lifting techniques, from full SMAS facelifting, mid-face lifting, mini or minimally invasive facelifting, all can be employed. What is critical is not to forget the neck and surrounding areas, which can be referred to as Pan Facial Rejuvenation (PFR).
An all-encompassing approach
Pan Facial Rejuvenation, which addresses all areas of the ageing face and neck simultaneously, gives dramatic but most importantly natural-looking results.
Pan Facial Rejuvenation is not a minimal procedure; it requires careful consultation, and one to two weeks of healing prior to re-entering public life.
Every aesthetic unit of the face, the brow, the eyes, the mid and lower face, the neck and the skin, is addressed and the clock set back on all of them to reveal a more youthful version of the patient that still looks like them.
Doctors often encourage patients to bring in pictures of themselves from a much younger age when they felt more confident to assess the various areas of their appearance which they feel have changed.
Patients benefit psychologically, gaining not only an improvement in their appearance but also in their self-image. The results speak for themselves and you can imagine that extra confidence and quality of life that occurs from a patients improved perception of themselves.
