Facelift San Francisco

By the time many of us reach our forties and fifties, we experience drooping along the jawline and sagging of the mid-face and neck area from volume loss as our bones and facial fat pads shrink. Even the best skincare routines can be unable to fend off the effects of time and gravity. Natural, biological changes to your skin structure as you age also mean that the causes of your wrinkles or sagging may be too deep-seated to treat with topical approaches. If you are beginning to find that your favorite products and minimally invasive treatments are no longer giving you the results that you want, it might be time to consider a mini facelift.

A mini facelift, mini neck lift or simply mini lift is a procedure that targets saggy and wrinkly skin on the lower third of the face to restore the contours of the cheeks, chin, jawline and/or upper neck. The mini lift is also a great option for those who want to see real benefits but are unsure about committing to a full facelift. The procedure takes less time and is less invasive than a traditional facelift but can still provide substantial rejuvenation that can brighten and restore the appearance of the face as a whole.

What is a mini lift?

Over time, plastic surgeons have taken the traditional facelift and adapted it to hundreds of different techniques to fit the diverse needs and goals of their clients. Upper and lower facelifts, Q Lifts, feather lifts, S Lifts and more include a range of options that can sometimes be confusing for clients. What’s more, many surgeons have different names for the same procedures or the same name for different procedures.

“Mini lift” is a term that is often used to represent any facelift that is any degree less invasive than a full facelift. Even among facelift experts, there is significant discussion and dissension about what constitutes a particular kind of facelift.

Historically, the original term facelift really described a lower facelift or a lift in which the lower two-thirds of the face (cheeks, mouth, chin and jawline) are addressed. Whether a facelift was done on just the skin, with the skin and underlying connective tissue or using a deep plane technique, it was all about addressing the lower part of the face. As techniques progressed, the general term “facelift” evolved to include the temples and brow, requiring new terms for lifts of different parts of the face. Many surgeons chose to give these “mini lifts” catchy, branded names like the “QuickLift” or the “One Hour Lift.”

More About the Types of Mini Facelifts

Putting the marketing aside, though, there are really two types of true mini lifts — these are the mini lifts that we offer at The Maas Clinic^TM. There’s a mini lift of the face, which addresses the cheek and jawline area, and there’s a mini lift of the neck, which addresses just the neck area and can also improve the jawline to a certain extent. You can also have procedures that improve the uppermost portion of the face, only. These surgeries — the mini lift, neck lift and brow lift — give you even more control over problem areas and your final outcome.

The Mini Facelift

The mini facelift is an ideal treatment for patients who are satisfied with the appearance of the upper third portion of their face or who have only milder symptoms there, which other procedures can improve. For example, if you have fine lines in the forehead or glabellar area (the area between the eyebrows), Botox® may be more than sufficient to enhance these areas, allowing you to delay a full facelift for some time.

The Neck Lift

A neck lift can address skin and muscle laxity beneath the chin if this is the primary focus of your concerns. This procedure excises loose or sagging skin from the neck and tightens muscles to eliminate the jowls and provide smoother, trimmer contours and an enhanced profile. A neck lift may be included in a mini facelift if you also have concerns in the middle-third portion of the face, but you can have a neck lift on its own, as well.

The Brow Lift

Sagging or drooping browns are another common concern among patients, which can become an increasing concern as we age. Skin laxity and drooping skin can lower the position of the eyebrows, that result in an angry or fatigued look, which can also make you look much older than you actually are. A brow lift focuses on this concern, correcting it, in one technique, by lifting the skin of the forehead from the hairline, where the incision is concealed. The results are smoother skin of the forehead along with eyebrows which are restored to an attractive, alert and elevated position.

The Mini Lift Procedure

If you and Dr. Maas determine that a mini lift is right for you, you can schedule your procedure whenever you are ready. The mini lift procedure itself is an outpatient procedure that usually uses local anesthesia with sedation, though general anesthesia is also available if you prefer. The procedure typically takes about two hours to complete, with another hour or so spent in our recovery room before you are released. You will need a trusted friend or family member to drive you home since you will not be able to do so on your own after you have your anesthesia.

In a mini lift of the face, Dr. Maas works in the layer of tissues just under your skin called the SMAS layer. Along with your skin, this layer of tissue can be elevated, repositioned and restretched to fully contour the lower part of your face, especially the jawline, marionette lines between your mouth and chin and the lower part of the folds between your nose and mouth, formally known as the nasolabial folds.

The incision is usually hidden behind the hairline near the ears; if you do not have the necessary hair coverage, the scar will be visible but will be very small. We can work with you to keep your incisions to a minimum and to create an aftercare routine that ensures they heal as cleanly as possible. The mini lift of the neck is very similar in that the incisions will be hidden behind the ear and within the hairline.

However, the incisions are positioned slightly lower so that Dr. Maas can focus on the skin of the neck and the underside of the jaw. From that point, loose skin on each side will be gently pulled back, restoring contour to the neck and eliminating sagging skin (sometimes called a “turkey neck”) or other wrinkles. A mini neck lift also uses liposuction through a tiny incision under the chin to reduce any pockets of fat that may be causing a double chin appearance.

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Recovering From Your Mini Lift

Your recovery time will be specific to your procedure, your skin type and your health. In general, Dr. Maas recommends planning to take at least one week away from work or social activities to allow your face or neck to heal. Some clients experience residual redness, bruising or swelling for a few weeks after their surgery and do not feel comfortable relying on makeup to appear in public. For this reason, it is often wise to plan on taking as much time at home to recover as you can. Dr. Maas will be able to advise you on when you are healed enough to resume more active day-to-day activities — like light exercise or errand running — and also when you are cleared to return to strenuous exercise or heavy lifting, which usually takes one to two months. The six-month mark is typically when clients feel that they can see the complete effects of their surgery and feel like renewed versions of themselves.

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Why Have Your Mini Facelift at The Maas Clinic^TM in San Francisco

Corey S. Maas MD^TM is an internationally recognized expert in facial plastic surgery and facial cosmetics, with years of experience and research that have informed his techniques and offerings. At The Maas Clinic^TM, we offer mini lifts because we know that full facelifts are often unnecessary to achieve the results that a particular client desires. The invasive nature of a full facelift adds extra surgical risks, surgery time and recovery time. Client safety and satisfaction is our top priority, so we always aim to meet our clients’ goals with as little surgical intervention as possible. Mini lifts at The Maas Clinic^TM deliver the younger, sculpted facial aesthetic that many of our clients want without the need for an extensively invasive surgery.

You can choose between a mini facelift, neck lift or brow lift, depending on your particular concerns. If your cheeks and jawline are your priority, a mini lift of the face will likely be able to deliver your best results. If wrinkles or sagging skin on the neck are causing the rest of your face and décolletage to look aged, then a mini lift of the neck can eliminate those concerns.

Alternately, if your forehead and brows are your primary concern, a brow lift may be the right choice for you. Regardless of which procedure you select, if you are interested in facial surgery in San Francisco, you should schedule an in-person consultation with Dr. Maas. He can evaluate your concerns and make expert recommendations to meet your goals with beautiful, natural and lasting results.

Visit The Maas Clinic^TM today to start enjoying the best look of your life now!

To learn more about a mini lift of the face, neck or brows in San Francisco, the Bay Area and other surrounding areas, contact The Maas Clinic^TM to schedule a consultation with Corey S. Maas MD^TM today. Dr. Maas is committed to combining art and science for a result that is naturally beautiful — and beautifully you.

We will be happy to help you find out if a mini lift or alternate facial procedure might be right for you. Call us at (415) 567-7000 or contact us by email for more information.