Facelift vs. Non-Surgical Alternatives: How Do They Compare?
When a person’s face eventually loses a significant enough amount of collagen and fat, wrinkles and other signs of aging will develop. Surgical procedures like facelifts are a long-established method of addressing the effects of aging, but there is also a wide range of non-surgical, injectable treatments that tackle some common concerns. Whether you’re having surgery or just a few injections, cosmetic changes are always a big decision. One of the main difficulties when planning a cosmetic treatment is deciding which one is best. Not sure whether you should choose non-surgical treatments like injectables or a surgical facelift? Chicago’s Whole Beauty Institute explains that there’s no replacement for having a personal consultation with a board-certified plastic surgeon. That said, here is a basic summary of the pros and cons of various face-rejuvenating options. Having at least a rough idea of what is available can make an initial consultation run more smoothly.
Muscle Relaxants
Many of the wrinkles that form around the eyes, on the forehead, and around the mouth happen because underlying facial muscles constantly contract and pull the skin as facial expressions are made. When we’re younger, these facial expressions don’t have much of an effect because our skin easily “snaps back” into position.
These are usually the first types of wrinkles most people will see in the mirror as they get older.
Wrinkles such as crow’s feet, frown lines, and forehead lines start to appear due to cumulative facial motion and eventually become deeper when the skin thins out and muscles become more dominant.
BOTOX® and other similar injectables contain botulinum toxin type A, a chemical that temporarily relaxes the muscles to prevent them from contracting so that the face appears smoother and more refreshed. They are injected into or just above the muscle layer of the face, but cause minimal discomfort and usually require little or no recovery time.
All botulinum toxin-based injectables take a few days to “settle in” and start working. These injectables are known as neuromodulators because they impact nerve activity. Results are temporary and will wear off after three to four months.
Facial Fillers
If you want firmer skin and more sculpted facial contours, surgery isn’t always necessary. Facial fillers work by restoring the thickness that the skin loses when its levels of collagen, elastin, and water are depleted over time. They can also help to compensate for some of the loss of facial fat that occurs as a result of the aging process. Many of the more pronounced wrinkles on your face—such as nasolabial folds or marionette lines—occur due to a lack of volume or damage to the collagen in the skin, as opposed to muscle contractions. They are also related to the downward drift of the facial structures that occurs with the aging process.
Hyaluronic acid-based facial fillers, such as Juvederm®, can immediately add plumpness and tone to the skin in general, and enhance volume in areas like the lips and cheeks. Collagen-stimulating fillers like Radiesse® not only add instant volume, but also encourage the skin to gradually produce more of its own collagen. This also occurs to a degree with the hyaluronic fillers.
Fillers are eventually metabolized by the body, but their results can last anywhere from a few months to two years. They are injected directly into the skin or deeper areas and have a relatively low level of discomfort. There’s usually little recovery time needed after an injection session, but swelling and bruising can occur.
Facelift
Eventually, if injectable fillers and muscle-relaxers are no longer helping to restore the appearance of your face, you might need a more effective treatment, such as a surgical facelift. More dramatic signs of aging that typically occur later in life, such as sagging skin around the cheeks and jowls and downward migration of the deeper facial structures, are best addressed with a facelift to remove the excess skin restore the natural position of key facial zones.
A facelift provides more significant improvements than non-surgical treatments for sagging skin and deeper structures. With that in mind, the procedure is more involved—typically requiring at least a local anesthetic—and the side effects are also more significant. A facelift requires recovery time, and it can take several weeks or months for the complete results to be seen due to post-surgical swelling and bruising. The combination of facelift and fat transfer are the most powerful way to restore the face’s natural structure and volume.
Unlike injectables, the results from facelifts can last for a decade or more.
Interested in learning more? For further details, contact board-certified plastic surgeon John Q. Cook and the Whole Beauty® Institute team to talk about facelifts and other rejuvenating options. Call 312-751-2112 (Chicago Gold Coast Office) or 847-446-7562 (North Shore (Winnetka) Office), or submit a contact form online.