Some cosmetic surgery centers may advertise skin resurfacing as an acceptable alternative to a Walnut Creek or Danville facelift procedures, but the reality is that these two procedures have very different cosmetic goals. Both procedures are very popular with a wide demographic of patients, so I think it is important to outline how their results are – and are not – similar.
Facial Rejuvenation Basics:
- A facelift addresses the deeper causes of typical signs of aging by re-draping loose facial muscles and tightening excess tissue so that they appear more youthful.
- Skin resurfacing generally removes the topmost layer of skin cells, stimulating the body to produce new, healthier skin cells. I use an innovative technology known as plasma resurfacing, which leaves surface skin intact and rejuvenates from within. Skin resurfacing offers benefits for the health as well as the appearance of the skin.
Facelift vs. Skin Resurfacing
1. Loose skin:
- Face Lift: Face lift trims away loose skin along the mid-face, and depending on your surgeon’s approach may also correct “jowls” and “wattle” along the neck and jaw line. It will not correct loose eyelid or forehead skin, however.
- Skin Resurfacing: This treatment can have dramatic tightening effects, but these depend entirely on the health of the patient’s skin. Don’t expect your jowls to disappear completely with laser or plasma resurfacing alone.
2. Fine lines and deeper facial folds:
- Face Lift: Walnut Creek and Danville area facelift tightens skin and adjusts the position of facial muscles and fat, so it can minimize mid-facial lines and larger facial folds near the mouth. However, it cannot completely correct texture problems related to depleted tissue health or sun damage, even if it does create the illusion of healthier skin.
- Skin Resurfacing: By forcing the body to generate healthy new skin cells, resurfacing tends to reduce fine lines and pigmentation problems dramatically, but is not sufficient to correct deep facial folds. Skin resurfacing can help some patients reduce deeper wrinkles, but this effect is limited and difficult to predict accurately prior to treatment.
3. Sagging facial fat:
- Face Lift: Isolated fatty patches worsen facial lines and flabbiness, but for postbariatric facelift patients especially, facelift and facial liposuction together can be a very effective solution for this problem, although a Danville area facelift alone will not correct this problem extensively.
- Skin Resurfacing: By tightening the skin slightly this procedure may help mask the appearance of fatty areas around the face, but it will not address them directly.
The bottom line: Laser and plasma skin resurfacing technologies can be effective for subtle facial rejuvenation, especially for younger patients, patients seeking “upkeep” for a surgical facelift, or those with very limited finances. However, resurfacing results are not as complete as those of a facelift, and are insufficient to correct more obvious signs of aging.
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