People are taking advantage of conditions during the pandemic to improve their appearance. It makes perfect sense. With so many working remotely, people want to look better on Zoom. That’s important because webcams magnify every defect you have. The beauty of working from home, though, is that you can recover from a cosmetic procedure without missing much work. The question is which procedure to have. It’s a facelift vs. fillers. Which is best for you? Here are some facts to keep in mind:
Facelift vs Fillers – Cosmetic Procedures in Your 20s
An increasing number of people in their 20s want to improve their appearance. Since we usually recommend trying BOTOX® and fillers before surgery, is that the option of choice in your 20s?
Not usually. If you’re not satisfied with your appearance in your 20s, the issue is typically an imperfection in your face and neck structure. If you were born with an asymmetrical face or a large, misshapen, or crooked nose, surgery is your best option. Some may want a non-surgical nose job using fillers. A skilled physician can do a good job, but it won’t last. You’ll need more shots every year or so, which will really add up.
You might have noticeable marionette lines that extend from the corner of your mouth to your jawline. At one time, physicians hoped they could treat these with fillers. This solution has not worked well. The one solution that will work is a surgical facelift. Or your concern could be with your neck. You may have excess fullness or sagging neck muscles due to “tech neck.” You’ll need more than neck liposuction. Your neck muscles must be tightened. Again, you’ll need a neck lift, alone or as part of a lower facelift.
People in Their 30s Sometimes Need Fillers
Fillers are an anti-aging treatment. Why would you need them in your 30s? In Inland Empire, the environment plays a big role. As we age, we all naturally produce less collagen and elastin each year after our 20s. These proteins are vital for younger-looking skin. Inland Empire’s hot, dry climate and abundant sunshine can actually make this worse. If you don’t have sufficient sunscreen protection anytime you spend more than a few minutes outside, excess UV light will cause an even greater decline in collagen and elastin production. Skin starts sagging. Circles appear under your eyes. Crow’s feet emerge. And nasolabial folds (smile lines) become noticeable.
And if the environmental damage to your face wasn’t enough, heredity adds to the problem. Some people’s collagen and elastin production just naturally decline faster than others. And then there are lifestyle factors.
Smoking isn’t just bad for your heart and lungs. Tobacco reduces circulation to your skin, too. Excessive alcohol speeds up facial aging. And a poor diet doesn’t provide the nutrients your muscles, bones, and skin need. So, if in your 20s you joined your friends in smoking, vaping, having more than 2 alcoholic drinks per day for women or 3 for men, and didn’t eat right, you could start paying the price with facial aging appearing in your 30s.
Facelift vs. Fillers: When to Choose Fillers
When you’re young, you have natural fat pads under your skin. These round off your facial features, giving you an attractive, youthful look. After your 20s, you lose facial fat every year. Most of us put it on somewhere else! Eventually, loss of facial fat volume becomes noticeable. You start looking older and less attractive.
If you have volume loss in your face, fillers are often the best treatment. Volume loss appears as hollow or sunken cheeks, circles under your eyes, and moderate nasolabial folds. Bellafill has FDA approval to treat moderate or deeper nasolabial folds for up to 5 years.
If your facial muscles are still firm, fillers can restore facial volume and your good looks. Unfortunately, most fillers are a temporary fix. Hyaluronic acid fillers like Juvéderm® and Restylane® generally last 6 to 12 months. After that, your looks will start to fade unless you get another round of shots. Bellafill costs more but may last 5 years or longer.
Fat grafting can provide volume where you need it by transferring fat from places where you don’t want it. Fat transfer, as it’s also called, should provide results that last for years. After all, think about fat that you’d like to get rid of, but after years it’s still there! Unfortunately, with traditional fat grafting methods, up to 60% of transferred cells die within the first year. That can cause bumps, hollows, wrinkles, and lines to appear.
The BeautiFill system is a big advance in fat transfer. Using it, up to 95% of grafted fat cells survive in their new location. You get great results. If you don’t lose a lot of weight, those great results can last for a substantial number of years.
That’s a big advantage because years of Juvéderm® or Restylane® shots can really add up. Most people need 3-4 syringes injected every 6-12 months. At best, within 3 years they’ll have gotten 9-12 shots. However, a facelift at my Inland Empire, California practice costs about the same as 10 Restylane® syringes. So, if you look at the facelift vs fillers question from an economic point of view, a surgical procedure’s advantage is clear.
Facelift Usually Beats Fillers for people over 50
By your 50s, loose skin and volume loss are not generally your only facial aging issues. Sagging face and neck muscles are often a factor. Sagging muscles cannot be tightened by anything other than a facelift or neck lift.
A facelift will not only firm loose muscles; it can also smooth wrinkles and nasolabial folds and eliminate marionette lines. At STC Plastic Surgery, we won’t put you under anesthesia, but you won’t feel anything during your procedure. We use a local anesthetic plus oral sedation to numb the area and put you safely to sleep. Experts have said this is “the safest method available.”
I’ll use small, hard to see incisions beneath your chin and behind and in front of your ears. I’ll tighten up your muscles through those incisions and smooth out wrinkles, marionette lines and nasolabial folds. Finally, I’ll remove excess skin. If volume loss is an issue, we can combine BeautiFill fat grafting or a long-term filler with your facelift.
After just 7-10 days recovery time, you’ll be surprised at how much better you look. Your friends and coworkers will notice, too. Most will not know why (unless you tell them). Your results can last for years, especially if you avoid tobacco and excess alcohol and eat a face-friendly diet (please read “Can Food Fight Wrinkles and Aging Skin?” on LookYounger.News).
However, you personally feel about facelift vs fillers, it’s important to work with a qualified physician. For a facelift, neck lift, or blepharoplasty (eyelid surgery), you owe it to yourself to choose a board-certified facial plastic surgeon or plastic surgeon who specializes in facial cosmetic procedures. They should have a lot of experience in the procedure you need. These specialists also often do well with filler injections. If fillers are your best choice, you could consider a board-certified cosmetic dermatologist as well.
Some think they can save on fillers by going to someone other than the kind of specialist described here. It’s important to recognize that filler injections are not without risk. For instance, if injected into a blood vessel, fillers can cause tissue death, blindness, and stroke. Save money elsewhere – don’t risk your face and your health by getting filler injections from someone who is not truly qualified. Done right, fillers can really make you more attractive. Isn’t your face worth paying a little more for an expert?
If you want to look better on Zoom or anywhere else, you can find a qualified board-certified physician at one of these websites.
- American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons (aafprs.org)
- American Society of Plastic Surgeons (plasticsurgery.org)
- American Academy of Dermatology (aad.org)
If you’re in Inland Empire, California, feel free to call or contact me at STC Plastic Surgery in Ontario.