There has been a proliferation of “trademarked” facelifts, which all are variations of a technique called the “S” lift. Claims such as “no down time”, “no bandages”, “no scars”, and “no bruising” are made to appear as more advanced methods as compared to “traditional” procedures. Qualified surgeons refer to these mini procedures as “conservative” facelift techniques or “mini” facelifts.

These procedures are designed for younger patients with minor signs of aging. However, since the majority of people seeking facelifts have signs of moderate or advanced aging, these facelifts are not an option to meet their goals. Some individuals seek out this procedure with unrealistic goals of what the “mini” facelift will accomplish and then are very disappointed with the results. In addition, these lifts do not work as well or last as long as properly performed facelifts. Often, these lifts are taught to surgeons with limited training who are not experienced in performing proper facelifts. They want to get into the rejuvenation market but do not know how to properly select candidates. There are now infomercial based businesses doing these partial facelifts in high volume. What’s particularly disturbing is that the managers of many of these businesses actually time the doctors to make sure they do the surgeries as fast as possible! A facelift should never be performed the same way McDonalds’s makes hamburgers.

For all of these reasons, it is very important to make sure that the surgeon who evaluates a prospective candidate is familiar with various facelift techniques and is able to speak knowledgeably about which technique is suited to a particular individual. The proper choice of procedure depends on a variety of factors other than a person’s degree of aging such as baseline health, facial shape and bone structure, level of skin sun damage, weight status, smoking history and most importantly, the candidate’s clearly articulated and realistic goals.