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When Details Make Big Differences




The changing face of facial rejuvenation

If you want to look better and happier, some people will tell you to just smile. And there is some truth to that. The face is how we present ourselves. And a smile is one way to speedily rejuvenate a face. But there are many things plastic surgeons can do. And facial rejuvenation has become a key part of cosmetic surgery.


From fillers to Botox, removing excess skin from eyelids to mini face lifts that tighten skin without big procedures, facial rejuvenation is becoming a common way cosmetic surgery changes lives. It’s increasingly being used to take away years. And there is a long list of procedures, giving patients options to overcome or at least alter aging and otherwise rejuvenate the face. Here is a look at why, what, when and whether a facial rejuvenation procedure might be right for you.


A younger look

Very young people typically don’t look at a wide range of facial rejuvenation, but as age progresses, more options come into play. By the time you’re in your middle ages or older, facial rejuvenation can be a short cut to a younger, better look. And it’s good to be aware of the wide range of choices with and without down time.


“People have different desires at different ages,” Dr. Hillard Warm, of Cosmetic Surgery of New York, said.  “People in their middle ages want to slow down aging. Older people want wrinkles resolved.”


Patients through various facial rejuvenation procedures can look like younger versions of themselves, turning back if not stopping the hands of time. While there is no fountain of youth, cosmetic surgery can help erase or reduce some of the impact of aging.


“They’re going to look younger and better,” Dr. Robert Jacobs, of Cosmetic Surgery of New York, said. “People don’t want it to be obvious. They want to look, most of the time, like they used to look several years ago.”


There are things physicians can do to make you look better and younger, but there are things cosmetic surgeons can’t do. Cosmetic surgeons can refine the features you have, so you look recognized, but refreshed. And these cosmetic procedures can help remove a kind of veil of years.

“You won’t look tired and worn out,” Dr. Warm said. “Facial rejuvenation is one way to beat back the effects of time.”


Looking younger, however, is only one goal of facial rejuvenation. While older people typically want to alter the effects of aging, young people, in their twenties, thirties, forties and fifties may want fillers for lips.


“They want their lips to look more plump, shapely and full,” Dr. Warm said.


Lip enhancement is part of facial rejuvenation.  Some people do what’s known as a lip flip and some use Botox to make their lips bigger.


Injections

Botox and filler injections are two of the easiest, most popular facial rejuvenation procedures that don’t involve surgery. You can use fillers a little bit like filling cracks for wrinkles. Botox relaxes the muscles. Skin Veeve, by Allergen, which makes Botox, is a filler for cheeks that provides another option. And Vobella and Juvederm are two brands of filler used for lips.


Lasers

There are two broad categories of lasers: ablative and non ablative. Ablative lasers, or Co2 lasers, are the gold standard that take off the top layers of the skin, tighten the skin and get rid of surface imperfections. But they also lead to down time.


“Non ablative lasers don’t take off top layers, but still tighten and refresh with no down time,” Dr. Jacobs said.


Which is best for you depends on you desire. If you can’t take off from work, you may want a non ablative laser. If you can take some time off and want more improvement, you might want to get an ablative laser. Even then there are many surgical options,  such as upper and lower eyelid surgery or removing excess fat and skin.


Mini face lifts

A facelift is the most obvious example of facial rejuvenation, removing excess skin and some fat from the cheek, jowl and the neck. Mini face lifts, which limit how much is done, are becoming popular. People with mini face lifts often expect same result as a full face lift. It is a less aggressive type of facial tightening with a smaller incision.


“We find that many people don’t want to hear the word facelift,” Dr. Jacobs added. “A mini facelift, sometimes called a lunchtime ace lift or facial tightening, is becoming more common. Most people these days, then, want a mini face lift.”


For patients who want big results with little downtime and incisions, mini face lifts can lead to big results. “We can do that for them, often under a local anesthesia,” Dr. Warm said. “You can also do it under anesthesia with a board-certified anesthesiologist.”


There are many other options for facial rejuvenation, such as brow lifts and other refinements.


Eyelid lifts, whose results can last for years, can lead to very little downtime.


Changing the face of your life

Facial rejuvenation is very personal, but it can also impact people’s lives in ways going far beyond appearance. Some people worried about job discrimination seek to appear younger. One patient of Cosmetic Surgery of New York was a case in point. “If they knew how old I was, they wouldn’t have hired me,” she said after Botox, filler and surgery, which she believed helped her.


The result was a rejuvenated version of herself. It’s possible to come in once or more often for facial rejuvenation, while some people want to do everything at once.


“Some want to dip one toe in the water and do one little thing and see how that goes,” Dr. Warm said. “Then they do something else later on. Some patients as they get older do different things.”


The changing face of surgery

Not all procedures involving the face fall under facial rejuvenation, including some that are very common.


Rhinoplasty, for instance, is not as much rejuvenation as a contouring of the nose. Rejuvenation implies making you look younger or the way you used to look. Rhinoplasty can improve your look, chin implants or fillers can make your chin look smaller, but they wouldn’t fall under the category of facial rejuvenation.


While facial rejuvenation procedures vary, they typically have something in common: Patients generally feel better about themselves. The goal is to make the patient happy and accomplish their goal. They may feel more confident, able to go forward in their job and their life and do things with more confidence.  They like how they look, which typically makes people feel better.


Facial rejuvenation, after all, is designed to be exactly what it’s called. A lot of people just don’t like to see that they’re aging. They look in the mirror and would like physicians to help rejuvenate them. That’s the goal. You can’t stop time, but you can set back the clock.

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