So many people get plastic surgery, or mini-plastic surgery, or even less invasive work done to their face that it can become confusing. We put this together to help guide you through the many different options that you have for providing major dermatological services to your clients, as well as helping them to look younger and have tighter skin. 

 

Rhytidectomy

This is the classic, full facelift that most people think of historically when they think of work being done. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons identifies this as, “a surgical procedure to improve visible signs of aging in the face and the neck.”

Traditionally the procedure is either done with a large incision on the side of the face or limited just around the ear. These are outpatient procedures and require anesthesia. An incision under the chin may also be added to improve sagging skin along the neck. 

While the total number of facelifts done is down about 3% year over year, there are still about 120,000 procedures done in the US. (Source).

Facelifts are the most effective way to have a dramatic and long-lasting impact on the face in a short period of time. However, they are invasive and come with significant post-surgical downtime and long healing – in some cases the full healing process can take up to a year or even a little bit longer. 

Facelifts are also expensive. Depending on several factors, it can run up above $10,000. In 2017, the average facelift cost was between $7,700 and $11,780. (Source). We know that a lot of TSLMS members charge even more than that – afterall you get what you pay for in this world and our members do excellent work. However, as noted above, and we have all seen, there is a decline in these surgeries as more people opt for a less expensive and less invasive alternative. 

 

Mini Facelift 

For those who do not want to go through the entire process, or pay the entire amount for a full facelift there is the option of a mini. As noted by Medical News Today, “a mini-facelift is a less invasive procedure that also aims to lift the wrinkles and sagging skin in the lower part of the face. Because it involves a smaller, s-shaped incision around the ear, it cannot address neck sagging or excess skin. Scarring and recovery time may be shorter than in a traditional facelift.” 

A mini facelift is not only less invasive, but it is less expensive than a full facelift – costing about half to two-thirds, depending on the exact procedure. As one plastic surgeon defines the difference:

There are several variations on the mini facelift procedure, so the answer to the question above may differ depending on which plastic surgeon you’re speaking to. In general, however, a mini facelift involves making much shorter incisions in the skin (the mini facelift is also sometimes called a “short scar” facelift for this reason). Usually, just two small incisions are made in front of the ears. After these incisions have been made, the surgeon lifts just the mid-face (the area around the cheeks), rather than lifting the entire facial region. Unlike full facelift surgery, a mini facelift never involves auxiliary procedures like a brow lift or neck lift.

As you have probably guessed by now, the mini facelift creates much more subtle results than a full facelift. It’s only able to treat mild to moderate skin laxity of the neck and jowl. It will not, for example, get rid of prominent jowls, nor does it treat the neck area beyond providing a subtle lift.

However, while the mini facelift has some limitations, it has numerous advantages that make it appealing to suitable candidates. Most notably, it offers a much shorter recovery time; mini facelift patients often heal well enough to return to work within three to seven days. They also experience less pain and swelling during recovery (owing to the shorter incisions used during this operation). The mini facelift procedure carries a much lower risk of complications, too, thanks to the fact that it can be performed under local anesthesia. Finally, the mini facelift procedure is more affordable than a full facelift.

Even so, there are other alternatives to skin tightening and pathways to youth. 

 

Popular Minimally Invasive Cosmetic Procedures

There are a growing number of minimally invasive procedures that can mimic some of the effects of facelifts and mini facelifts without surgery. They rank in popularity as follows:

•  Botulinum Toxin (up 3% year over year with almost 7.5 million treatments a year in the US)
• Soft Tissue Fillers (up 2% with almost 2.7 million procedures done last year in the US)
• Chemical Peels (up 1% with almost 1.4 million)
• MicrodermAbrasion (with about 700,000 treatments)
• Laser Skin Resurfacing (almost 600,000 )

Also growing in popularity, but still only being consumed by several hundred thousand people, are other injectables and laser and energy treatments. This, however, is the fastest-growing segment of the treatments we do.