Facial Rejuvenation
San Diego & La Jolla
As we age, our skin progressively loses volume, firmness and flexibility, changing facial proportions. Time and gravity are responsible for much of the change, but the loss of collagen also plays a significant role. This natural protein keeps your skin looking toned, supple — and young. As it slowly declines, skin begins to sag, wrinkles and furrows appear, and a look of vibrancy gives way to a time-worn appearance. Facial rejuvenation offers surgical and non-surgical treatments to restore a youthful appearance and combat signs of aging.
La Jolla plastic surgeon Dr. Brian Reagan can help reset this natural process with innovative solutions that tighten skin, add volume, restore smoothness and rejuvenate your look.
What is Facial Rejuvenation?
Facial rejuvenation aims to lift and tighten the face and neck for a smoother, more youthful complexion. Facelifts are the most popular facial rejuvenation procedure focusing on the mid-face, lower face and neck. This plastic surgery is often combined with a brow lift or eyelid surgery to restore the upper third of the face at the same time for complete rejuvenation.
Facelift and other procedures remove excess skin and reposition and tighten the underlying tissues for a supple look with reduced wrinkles. Non-surgical options for facial rejuvenation, such as injectables and laser treatments, can provide more subtle facial rejuvenation or work as a follow-up complementary treatment to enhance facelift results.
Whether your choice is a proven surgical procedure or a minimally invasive treatment, it is possible to defy time and reclaim that special youthful glow. Your options include:
- Facelift — after many decades of popularity, still the gold standard in facial rejuvenation.
- Brow lift and eyelid surgery — to brighten weary eyes and restore smoothness to surrounding skin.
- Dermal fillers — to build volume and stimulate the production of collagen with highly-targeted facial injections.
- Laser skin resurfacing, microdermabrasion and chemical peels — to reveal a new, vibrant skin layer just below a surface marred by lines, wrinkles and imperfections.
- FaceTite, AccuTite and Morpheus8 radiofrequency (RF) treatments — to trigger collagen production, tone skin and shrink moderate pockets of fat. Morpheus8 treatments that wed the benefits of RF energy with microneedling to provoke your body’s natural healing response, flooding the zone with revitalizing collagen.
Brian Reagan, MD, FACS
Dr. Brian Reagan is a board-certified plastic surgeon and founder of True Beauty San Diego Aesthetic Surgery & Medicine. Dr. Reagan is renowned for his surgical skills and commitment to patient satisfaction. Dr. Reagan has been featured on local media outlets, including ABC 10, and recognized as one of the “Best Plastic Surgeons in San Diego” by San Diego Magazine, and “Best Plastic Surgeons in La Jolla” by La Jolla Light Newspaper.
Am I a Candidate for Facial Rejuvenation?
Candidates for facelift and other facial plastic surgeries have moderate to severe loose skin, lines and wrinkles and may have volume loss from natural aging. They should be in good general health without medical concerns that may impair healing, such as diabetes. Facelift candidates should be non-smokers or willing to quit before and after the procedure for optimal recovery. Realistic expectations, a positive outlook and a commitment to continued skin health through a healthy lifestyle and sun protection are all essential components of having facelift or another invasive procedure.
Benefits of Facial Rejuvenation
The most significant benefit of facial rejuvenation is its anti-aging results. Facelift and other surgical and non-surgical procedures work to reverse the effects of the natural aging process, which starts in your mid-20s when collagen, elastin and hyaluronic acid production slows down. These compounds are the scaffolding for healthy-looking, youthful skin. Facial rejuvenation counteracts loose, thin tissues, skin depressions and worsening lines and wrinkles. Facial rejuvenation with facelift addresses all these signs of aging at once and tightens up sagging skin.
Facelift improves jowling and sculpts a more defined jawline and neck. When paired with other techniques, sagging eyebrows and drooping eyelids are elevated for an overall refreshed look that takes years off your appearance. Volume loss may be addressed by repositioning the fat pockets of the face or adding volume with dermal fillers to replenish hollow areas with hyaluronic acid.
Types of Treatments
Surgical
Brow Lift
Brow lift (or forehead lift) is a type of facial plastic surgery designed to combat the signs of aging. The procedure is typically performed in one of two ways: endoscopic correction or coronal incision. The aim of both brow lift types is to raise sagging brows to reduce/eliminate wrinkles that form across the forehead or around the eyes.
Eyelid Surgery
Drooping eyelids is a common facial issue associated with aging. Eyelid surgery (also called eye lift or blepharoplasty) is a cosmetic procedure that corrects this issue for a tightened, more youthful appearance. Eyelid surgery targets excess skin, fat and/or muscle of the eyelids that cause drooping or sagging of the upper eyelid, lower eyelid, or both.
Facelift
Facelift surgery (also called rhytidectomy) is an extremely popular facial cosmetic surgery for people seeking to erase the wear and tear signs of aging. Facelift surgery helps to treat facial sagging caused by the loss of skin elasticity, wrinkles and creases of the eyes and mouth, and gets rid of fat deposits that affect facial esthetics.
Fat Grafting
Fat grafting, also referred to as fat transfer or fat injections, is a popular way to plump up thin lips, hollow cheeks, and wrinkles. The procedure uses the patient’s own excess fat from one area of the body to another area.
Neck Lift
A neck lift is a type of cosmetic plastic surgery treatment performed to help enhance facial rejuvenation. Often performed in conjunction with facial procedures like a face lift or after weight loss surgery, a neck lift typically incorporates liposuction in addition to platysmaplasty and/or cervicoplasty.
Rhinoplasty
Rhinoplasty, also referred to as nose reshaping or rhinoplasty, is a common facial plastic surgery procedure used for cosmetic and reconstructive purposes. Rhinoplasty is a permanent procedure, though revision surgery is not uncommon if the recipient is unhappy with the results. There are various treatment options for rhinoplasty, including primary, secondary and filler rhinoplasty.
Non-Surgical
We offer several non-surgical procedures including injectable dermal fillers that can plump lips, soften facial creases, remove wrinkles and improve the overall facial appearance. We also offer laser procedures to smooth away bumps, age spots and scars.
Recovery after Facial Rejuvenation
Your recovery time depends on the procedure and whether it was invasive or non-surgical. Facelift recovery typically involves a bandage around the face that minimizes bruising and swelling. Small drainage tubes may be used to remove excess fluid or blood during healing. Dr. Reagan provides detailed recovery instructions to help patients through this process and encourages them to call our La Jolla office with any questions or concerns while they heal. There are several follow-up appointments for facial plastic surgeries to make sure recovery is going well and ensure satisfactory results. Most patients feel comfortable going out in public around 10 to 14 days after their facelift, but full recovery takes several months.
Some non-surgical facial rejuvenation methods, such as injectable fillers like Restylane or Juvederm don’t require any downtime. Laser treatments typically need two to three days of recovery.
Facial Rejuvenation Results
Facial rejuvenation results vary by procedure and treatment. Facelift patients will see their initial results in the first few weeks after surgery, but the tissues need time to heal and settle. It may take three or more months for the face to feel normal again with more taut, youthful skin. Final results settle in around this time when bruising and swelling dissipates.
Non-surgical facial rejuvenation results can offer immediate improvement. Dermal fillers add volume to smoothen wrinkles and correct sunken areas for results you can see in the mirror before leaving your appointment. Botox results take several days as the muscle movements freeze, and the overlaying skin smoothens as a result. Laser treatments and other non-surgical methods can offer initial results within a few days, with continued improvement for many months due to skin remodeling provoked by the treatment.
Facelift FAQs
What are the advantages of combining facelift with a neck procedure?
After facelift, the loose, wrinkled skin of the neck may present a noticeable contrast with your rejuvenated facial appearance.
If you were born with skin that lacks flexibility and resilience, you may develop neck skin that loses integrity and begins to sag. This is especially true in the case of patients who have lost a great deal of weight.
Liposuction, cervicoplasty and platysmaplasty (neck lift) are the main surgical solutions for improving the appearance of the neck. Liposuction removes fat, cervicoplasty eliminates excess skin and platysmaplasty tightens or realigns neck muscles.
If I notice droopiness in a few years, will it be necessary to repeat facelift?
When your facial skin needs a touch-up, there are many noninvasive options to consider:
Laser resurfacing can smooth and tighten the skin, and injectables will fill lines, wrinkles and hollows on your face that make you look older.
New varieties of dermal fillers not only add volume to targeted facial areas, but also trigger the production of collagen, the natural protein that adds strength and flexibility to the skin.
Do men get facelifts?
Although the total female share for the procedure is approximately 90 percent, many men choose facelift to restore a look of vitality that boosts confidence and success in business and social situations.
As an experienced La Jolla plastic surgeon, Dr. Reagan is skilled in tailoring facelift to the preferences and unique facial anatomy of men.
Key considerations are placement of incisions and taking care not to detract from the natural masculine lines of the face. Men typically prefer shorter hair styles, and so hiding the scars of facelift requires both artistry and surgical precision.
Men are also more likely to fear the prospect of a facelift that looks “done” or unnatural, and therefore prefer less change in facial contours.
To learn more about facial rejuvenation procedures we offer, please schedule a consultation with True Beauty. Contact us by calling (858) 454-SKIN (7546) or emailing our La Jolla practice today.
