Singer Surgical Centre in La Jolla, San Diego - Facelift
Facelift Indications
Time, gravity, stress, and sun exposure alter facial skin and features. Lines and wrinkles develop. The skin and deeper tissues lose their youthful tone, loosen, and sag. Fatty deposits in the cheeks shift downward while fatty deposits develop around the eyes. Jaw lines soften and become jowls. Double chins and folds appear under the chin and in front of the neck. These changes may create a tired and unhappy look or even an angry appearance.
Today, men and women increasingly want to look as young as they feel. No one wants to look tired, especially when they’re not. The facelift helps reverse the signs of aging, producing a more natural, youthful appearance.
At his surgical center in La Jolla, Dr. Singer performs many variations of the facelift (rhytidectomy), including the short scar technique, limited incision facelift, mid facelift, partial facelift, and contemporary facelift. These variations are performed by individualizing the procedure and supporting and repositioning the deeper structures of the face while adjusting and redraping the skin. This helps achieve a fresh, improved appearance of the face while maintaining a natural harmony and balance of the features. Other surgeons may offer the type of facelift that focuses only on tightening the skin. Unfortunately, that can produce distortions of the facial features and result in an unnatural, flattened, wind-blown, pulled look, as well as a shorter length of efficacy.
There is no ideal single technique or single approach that is appropriate for every patient. That is why the procedure should be customized for each person. As performed at our renowned San Diego practice, the goal of the facelift is to improve the overall facial appearance, in a natural manner.
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Facelift Consultation
During a facelift consultation at our La Jolla office, Dr. Singer will personally listen to you and focus on your desires and expectations, then evaluate your anatomy and physical appearance. Following that, Dr. Singer will discuss with you an individualized approach to create a custom treatment plan that best suits your needs.
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"Maintenance" Facelift
We live in a youth-oriented society with an emphasis on a more youthful appearance and fitness. Patients with early signs of aging, in their 30s to 50s, may attain a significant improvement and rejuvenation with less invasive, short-scar or limited incision “maintenance" procedures. These include mini or mid-face procedures, both currently available at our San Diego practice. These less invasive facelift procedures help diminish the progression of the signs of aging, and avoid the more extensive procedures that would be necessary later. These procedures are beneficial only if one can avoid telltale signs of surgery.
The youngish patient may benefit from only improving the mid-face without the neck or eye surgery being performed. In others, an isolated neck lift may be performed, without a mid-face if most of the changes of aging are below the chin and neck.
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The Mid-Facelift
For patients who do not require a full facelift, but have begun to notice drooping of the cheeks and mid-face, Dr. Singer offers the mid facelift. Unlike traditional facelift surgery, only incisions hidden behind the hairline are required to complete the mid facelift and gently lift the mid-face area to a more youthful position.
The middle third of the face, from the mouth to the eye level (often including the lower lids), may be the only significant area of aging for some patients. A mid facelift can be done alone or in conjunction with other facial surgery to improve that region of the face.
At his La Jolla plastic surgery center, Dr. Singer combines and modifies a number of techniques to achieve the desired natural result while decreasing the recovery time of bruising and swelling. It is more of a repositioning, shaping, and sculpting of the tissue below the skin than removal of excess skin, which may be minimal in the younger patient. The areas between the cheek, nose, and mouth, the nasolabial and marionette lines are softened, and the depression between the cheek and the lower eyelid is diminished by using fat that has sagged and elevating the Malar fat pad. Additional fat may be added when necessary, creating a more youthful appearance. It is putting things back where they were before. The fullness of the upper cheek area below the eyelid (the Malar fat pad) is corrected by elevating it into a more youthful position, counter-acting the direction of the descent of the tissue that occurs with aging.
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Buccal Fat Removal / Cheek Reduction
Some individuals are self-conscious about the appearance of their cheeks, and feel their cheeks look round or chubby. These "cherub cheeks" or "chipmunk cheeks" can result from a variety of conditions. Young individuals may temporarily have full faces, (baby fat), which will naturally slim with time. Others simply have a genetic predisposition to carry fat in their face, and finally some have full faces as a result of their general body type.
Goals of Buccal Fat Removal
The technical name for some of the fat in the cheeks is, 'buccal fat.’ The Singer Surgical Centre offers buccal fat removal, also called cheek reduction surgery, as a solution to those who want to reduce the size of their cheeks. Removal of these fat pads can slim the cheeks and contour the face. This can help people achieve a more chiseled and defined look.
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Facelift Procedure
Contemporary facelift techniques have evolved significantly over the past 15 years. Prior generations of facelift operations tightened only the skin and ignored important principles of aging and facial structure. Dr. Singer performs a modern multi-vector underlying support facelift. The supporting deeper tissue the SMAS (superficial muscular aponeurotic system) is tightened, lifting the underlying muscle layers of the cheek and the neck. The fat in the cheek is contoured into an improved position, or sculpted if it is excessive. The fullness of the upper cheek area below the eyelid (the Malar fat pad) is corrected by elevating it into a more youthful position, counter-acting the direction of the descent of the tissue that occurs with aging. The skin is then redraped without tension, and any excess tailored. The loose skin, muscle, and fat under the chin and neck are addressed if those areas need improvement. This facelift procedure is more precise, more natural, and more long lasting.
You must have realistic expectations concerning facial plastic surgery. A facelift is not meant to completely alter your appearance and make you look like someone else. It is a way to turn back the hands of time and restore a more youthful, vibrant appearance.
The facelift does not improve the complexion nor smooth all of the wrinkles. It adjusts the tightness of the underlying muscle and facial structures. Other recent refinements in plastic surgery can further restore a youthful appearance to the face. Ancillary procedures such as skin care, dermabrasion, peel, or laser can improve the skin texture. In conjunction with the facelift, the cheeks, chin, and lips can be selectively enhanced and augmented with other tissue, such as fat. Additional procedures on the eyelids, forehead, and nose can be performed at the same time as a facelift to enhance the results. Please contact our practice in La Jolla, San Diego to inquire about facelift surgery.
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Secondary Facelifts
Secondary facelifts are a solution for individuals looking to improve the results from a previous facelift, or desiring further improvement of progressive aging. The goal is to restore balance and harmony.
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Anesthesia
Dr. Singer and his staff make every effort to ensure a safe and comfortable experience when you are having facelift surgery at our surgical facility in La Jolla, California. Your comfort and safety is always our primary concern.
The AAAASF accredited private operating facility utilizes the services of well-trained personnel, including selected, experienced, board-certified physician anesthesiologists.
The patients are anesthetized using sedation, asleep while breathing on their own, but usually not requiring deeper general anesthesia. Procedures that may last from 2 1/2 to 6 hours are performed more comfortably and safer in that manner.
Newer, better medications, which will be prescribed pre-operatively and administered during surgery and after surgery, can make the patient more comfortable with less postoperative side effects, and a more rapid recovery.
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Facelift – Surgical Procedure
Facelift surgery can take between 2 1/2 and 6 hours depending on the individual case. It is not how quickly it can be done, but how well. Incisions are placed along the hairline and hidden in the curves around the ear. There may be a small incision under the chin. Fat is repositioned and may be removed. Deeper areas are tightened and supported. Then, the skin is redraped and trimmed. Additional tissue may be added to fill depressions and creases.
Dr. Singer will perform all of the surgical procedure.
While any surgical procedure entails risk, facelifts generally are considered to be a safe procedure. Choosing an experienced facelift surgeon like Dr. Singer can help to significantly lower your risk of potential complications. Less invasive procedures have made it easier to limit and hide scars and produce more natural looking results. Please contact our plastic surgery center in La Jolla, San Diego for more information about the facelift procedure.
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For premier facial plastic surgery in San Diego, contact La Jolla facelift expert
Robert Singer, M.D.
Robert Singer, M.D., F.A.C.S.
9834 Genesee Ave., Suite 100
La Jolla, CA 92037
Phone: 866.660.0206
Click here for Map & Directions
- Listed in “Best Doctors in America”
- Included in Town & Country, “Best Cosmetic Surgeons in the Country”
- Chosen by peers - San Diego Magazine and San Diego County Medical Society, “Best Doctors” and “Best Plastic Surgeons”.
- Selected by La Jolla Light Newspaper, “Best Plastic Surgeon”
- Past President of The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery
- Past Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons