Facelift Strategy – 3 Key Steps To Better Results
Strategy isn’t the first word that comes to mind when most people think of facelifts. Yet, Dr. Mark Anton—a board-certified plastic surgeon and peer-nominated top doctor by Castle Connolly—says individuals seeking a facelift need a solid plan to achieve the best results.
With this in mind, we asked Dr. Anton what his decades of experience has revealed about key steps to facelift success.
His first piece of advice for patients? “Anyone seeking a facelift should only work with a board-certified plastic surgeon,” he emphasizes. “I realize this may seem obvious, but I’m surprised at how many individuals actually skip this step. Maybe they don’t realize the significance of the certification process…or the immense skill it takes to perform this surgery safely and successfully.”
Dr. Anton, who is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, clarifies the certification’s importance. “Board certification in plastic surgery carries great significance in the world of American medicine,” he explains. “To receive certification, an individual must complete an Ear, Nose & Throat residency, an orthopedic residency, or 3-5 years of a general surgery residency.” After this training, the plastic surgeon must pass rigorous written and oral boards before being conferred the title of board-certified plastic surgeon.
In other words, certification infers confidence that the surgeon you choose has the education, experience, and skills to perform the surgery safely and successfully.
Another important strategic consideration is understanding yourself and your options. “A large part of looking great at any age is knowing what procedures will help you accomplish your goals,” Dr. Anton says. For a facelift that means working with your plastic surgeon to understand if what you want to accomplish is feasible or sensible.
One of the best examples of a non-sensible request is the patient who wants the same features as someone else. “This is the wrong way to approach a facelift because facial features are not interchangeable,” Dr. Anton explains. “You can’t just plug someone else’s chin or nose or cheekbones on your face and expect satisfactory results. Each face is unique and, as such, requires a unique surgical and aesthetic plan.”
No one wants to be noticed as the person who had surgery to look younger. And, to be honest, no plastic surgeon wants to be recognized as the doctor whose work is noticeable.
This ties closely to Dr. Anton’s third key aspect of a facelift strategy—achieving natural-looking results.
“I think we all instinctively know how important it is to look like you didn’t have a facelift,” he says. “No one wants to be noticed as the person who had surgery to look younger. And, to be honest, no plastic surgeon wants to be recognized as the doctor whose work is noticeable.”
With this in mind, Dr. Anton encourages patients to examine the surgeon’s body of work before committing. “Ask to speak with former patients and look at before-and-after photos,” he advises. Even though bad plastic surgeons are out there, Dr. Anton boasts a stellar track record with regard to patient satisfaction. Since he started his private practice in 1990, he has a less than 1% revision rate in over 4,000 cases.
It’s no surprise, then, that Dr. Anton’s signature Triple Layer Facelift is so well received. Unlike some facelifts that primarily tighten the skin, Dr. Anton’s Triple Layer technique involves going under the outer skin layer to tighten the Superficial Muscular Aponeurotic System (SMAS) and then later re-draping the skin so that it is never pulled too tight or unnaturally across the face.
Typically, he performs this plastic surgery procedure on the jowls, neck, and the mid-face. He explains that a qualified candidate for this procedure has one or more of the following concerns:
A deep line that runs from the corner of the nose to the corner of the mouth
Loss of a well-defined jawline
Loose sagging skin and excess fatty tissue
Sagging or “turkey” neck
If you’re thinking about a facelift, be sure to consider Dr. Anton’s expert advice: Work with a board-certified plastic surgeon, understand yourself and your options, and do your research to ensure you receive nothing less than natural-looking results.
