Having a younger face is not a goal that can be reached by starting off with "Let's give it a go".

There are 3 basic principles in facial aesthetics:

Individuality, Holism and Scientificalness

All three principles must be observed at all times, without exception, for a successful outcome.

The principle of individuality stipulates that each individual's face is different from the other, each individual ages differently, and each individual's surgical goals are different, so treatment should be individualized.

The principle of holism stipulates that we consider the face as a whole. The face ages as a whole. Operating on a single area and leaving the other areas out creates a "done" appearance in the related area and causes an "older" appearance that is more striking than the non-operated areas. In addition, the principle of holism emphasizes the importance of addressing the face in three dimensions based on anatomical layers from the deepest bone skeleton to the skin on the surface. Aging creates different effects in each layer. For a natural rejuvenation effect, it is essential to include all anatomical layers in the treatment plan appropriately. The approach to stretch and release the skin is outdated by 100 years. In addition, together with the treatment process, it is necessary to plan external / auxiliary factors such as the person’s hair color, hairstyle and make-up. All as a whole.

The principle of scientificalness stipulates that you don’t believe in everything you see in magazines and on TV. Choose surgical techniques that have passed the test of scientific methodologies over the years, are widely used all over the world, are presented at congresses, are published in scientific journals, are preferred by many surgeons and are standardized in terms of their efficacy. If a specific form of treatment is not applied in university hospitals, but in an outpatient clinic in Etiler or Miami, think twice.

In summary, based on these three basic principles, it is necessary to develop a special, comprehensive treatment plan, a "facial rejuvenation project" tailored for each individual.

• Which technique will we employ for a facelift?
• Shall we include the neck?
• Will periorbital surgery be added in the same session or in different sessions?
• Will adipose tissue transfer be performed simultaneously with the surgery or in small sessions every 3-6 months after the surgery?
• Will the forehead stay relatively old when the face rises?
• If the forehead is to be done, is it going to be done before or after the upper eyelid?
• Is there any bone deficiency in the facial skeleton, such as the jaw? Is an implant needed?
• How soon do you need to resume work?
• How long can we tolerate anesthesia in one single session?
• One session? Two sessions? Three sessions?
• How tiring will each session be?
• What is the total cost?
• How can we distribute the cost between sessions?
• How should we adjust the timing between sessions?
• How many years after the first facelift surgery should/can the second surgery be done?
• Which techniques can I have for the first surgery and the second surgery?

Many other questions/variables could be added to this list. But in summary, it is required to develop a "project" for every patient who comes for facial rejuvenation.

 

 

Some patients have highly aging faces, their general health status is very good, and their financial standing favors the process. In this group of patients, we sometimes perform a combination of face, neck, forehead and eyelids in a single session. Surgery takes 7-9 hours while recovery takes 4-6 weeks. The surgery is quite costly. It is complete in one single session and we can achieve a stunning before-after effect. Think of it as a renovation project that includes the entire house you live in. On the other hand, you need to make room for this effort in your life and adjust your work, social life and budget accordingly.

In some patients, the process takes much longer. For example, the patient has a deep plane facelift at the age of 45 and returns to work in 10 days. After 6 months, we do an endoscopic forehead lift during the holidays. We maintain it with nanofat once a year. We apply it on Friday and the patient returns to work on Monday. Four years later, we add upper eyelid surgery under local anesthesia. In postoperative year 10, we perform a mini facelift and lower eyelid surgery on the superficial plane under local anesthesia and sedation.

In facial rejuvenation surgeries, it is critical to develop the project at the beginning from A to Z. If you make a mistake or an incomplete decision, it is difficult to go back.

For instance, if you have signs of aging on your neck, the neck should be included when doing the face. If you come back later and say you want your neck done, it is impossible to do it with a minor revision, and the facelift surgery will have to be repeated to have access to the neck. It wouldn’t mean anything if you said postoperatively, “Had I known, I would have gotten both of them done the first time.” You should know this from the beginning.

Or if you are in the risk group for lower eyelid complications, adding a midface lift to lower eyelid surgery will both boost the effect of the surgery and reduce complications. But in that case, it would be more reasonable to perform the classical facelift surgery in a separate session within the following years.

There are many other examples like these.

Facial aesthetics is a "higher medical specialty". It is impossible for you to make a decision or develop the "project" by yourself, based on what you have researched on the Internet about aesthetic procedures and what you have learned from this blog.

It's like looking at photos in magazines and trying to do a home renovation project with familiar builders. Maybe you will get certain things done, but the result will never be like one that gets out of the hands of an interior designer.

What we mainly do in facial rejuvenation interviews is to develop a project for you as I explained above. Even if you have no idea of undergoing an operation in the near future, it will be useful for you to consult a specialist before you step into facial rejuvenation procedures.

Let's develop a project of your face together.

Take good care...

... of yourself and your beauty.