Within the course of aging, facial structures and volume tend to shift downwards.

This is due to the deformities in facial skeleton and soft tissues, loss of soft tissue support, and cumulative effect of gravity. This shift mostly affects the tissue layer beneath the facial skin, which contains fatty tissue, some ligaments and mimic muscles. The changes in this layer lead to deepening of some previously existing lines, and distortion of facial contours, jawlines and neck contours. With the addition of fine wrinkles and superficial skin irregularities, the “old” looking face effect becomes inevitable.

The aging face is rejuvenated by dealing with each deformity separately, and finding specific solutions for every single component of the problem. Modern face lifting techniques aim to reposition the facial anatomic structures to their original (youth) positions, rather than just tightening the facial skin. An incision which is located just anterior to the ear and sometimes extends behind the earlobe is used for exposure to these anatomic structures. This incision is almost invisible in the long term. In the post-operative period, the swelling and bruising of the face will heal in a week, and the patient can return to daily social life. The results will start to settle within a few months.

Face-lifting is generally performed in combination with eyelid correction (blepharoplasty). Complementary interventions like botox, injectible fillers, fat injections and laser resurfacing will contribute to the quality of the results. In all of these applications, the main goal is to restore youth without loosing naturality.