By: Martin Braun, M.D.

A face lift in Vancouver may be a great option for some people. However, many people do not need such an invasive procedure. At my practice, I offer several techniques for facial rejuvenation that require no surgery or downtime. But how do you know if a less-invasive option will work for you? Here are 3 clues:

1. You have good skin elasticity. Individuals with good skin elasticity usually respond very well to skin tightening procedures such as Ultherapy®, Accent XL® and Pellevé®. These treatments use thermal energy to encourage new collagen formation and promote skin contraction.

2. You do not have severe facial sagging. Heavy facial sagging usually requires a surgical solution, since excess skin must be removed. People with only mild to moderate degrees of skin laxity are good candidates for a non-surgical alternative. I evaluate my patients’ skin during their consultations in order to determine which procedure is best for them.

3. You want a soft, refreshed look. A face lift can provide dramatic results, but many people want more subtle enhancements. I offer a procedure called Soft Lift™ that addresses one of the most common (and commonly misunderstood) causes of facial aging: volume loss. Soft Lift restores facial volume and lifts the skin using a combination of BOTOX® Cosmetic and JUVÉDERM® injections. Unlike surgery, which pulls skin tighter at the jawline, the Soft Lift addresses the mid-face for subtle, yet noticeable, results.

There are a number of things you can do to avoid surgery and look great. However, if you do decide that surgery is right for you, adding non-surgical procedures such as BOTOX, dermal fillers and laser treatments can enhance the results of your surgery for longer-lasting effects.