Over the past 20 years, the field of facial rejuvenation has grown and changed tremendously. Most patients who walked through a plastic surgeon’s office in 1988 were offered surgery and nothing else. Today, the trend is toward customized programs that utilize surgical and nonsurgical options, along with skin care programs designed to suit each patient’s needs and wishes. The approach to each treatment plan is individual, with many tools and techniques available to achieve successful and satisfying results. With the availability of more tools, the artistry of the field has improved so that patients can be offered a range of procedures that can produce subtle to substantial changes in their facial appearance. For more information on this subject please visit Los Angeles dermal filler expert at http://www.facialplastics.info

 

Changes in Facial Rejuvenation Treatment

There has been a significant shift in the past two decades in facial rejuvenation treatments.  In 1988, surgery was the single treatment available to patients seeking facial rejuvenation, and surgical procedures were aggressively performed on specific areas around the eyes, mouth, and chin to tighten sagging skin. Brow-lifts were performed using a traumatic coronal procedure, and many deep-plane and composite face-lifts were performed. Facial lipoatrophy was not addressed at all. Overall, the results were less than optimal, the risks were higher, and recovery time was longer than it is today.

In 2008, facial plastic surgery procedures are much less aggressive and produce better outcomes.1 A conceptual change in the approach to facial aesthetics has occurred, with a shift in focus from facelifts to volume restoration (see table), as experience has shown that atrophy in the midface and other regions is responsible for the most pronounced appearance of aging.

Comparison of Treatment Options for Facial Rejuvenation: 1988 vs. 2008

 

1988

2008

Mostly surgical options

Customizing surgical & non-invasive procedures

Aggressive face-lift

Short-flap face-lift

Aggressive eyelid surgery with a high rate of complications

Fat- and muscle-preserving eyelid surgery; better pre-operative analysis; volume restoration

Coronal brow-lift

Endoscopic brow-lift

Midface & facial lipoatrophy not addressed

Multilevel fat grafting; injectables; endoscopic midface-lift; implants

Aggressive skin resurfacing

non-ablative laser resurfacing (fractional laser resurfacing), skin care regimen, portrait plasma, judicious chemical peels