CASE #1

This 54 year old woman complains of “jowl formation” and laxity of the skin of the face and neck with platysma band formation. She underwent a cervicofacial rhytidectomy (face-lift) with correction of platysma banding and removal of the submental fat. Her postoperative result is shown six months after the face-lift surgery.

CASE #3

This 58 year old woman complains of bags of the lower eyelids, hooding of the upper eyelids, laxity of the skin of the face and loss of jaw line and neck definition. She underwent bilateral upper and lower lid blepharoplasty in conjunction with cervicofacial rhytidectomy (face-lift), including platysmaplasty and SMAS flap development. Her postoperative result is shown nine months after the cosmetic surgery.

CASE #5

This 64 year old man presented to Dr. Handel with concerns about aging changes of the face, especially deepening of the smile lines (nasal labial folds), jowl formation and laxity of the neck skin with neck bands (platysma bands). He underwent a face and neck lift and is shown 3 months after surgery.

CASE #7

This 64 year old woman complains of lax skin of the neck, platysma banding, wrinkles of the face and aging changes of the eyelids. She is seen one year after cervicofacial rhytidectomy, platysmaplasty and lower lid blepharoplasty.

CASE #9

This 58 year old woman complains of loss of an attractive jaw line, bands of the neck, deepening of the nasolabial folds and overall facial aging changes. She underwent upper and lower eyelid surgery (blepharoplasty) in conjunction with cervicofacial rhytidectomy and platysmaplasty. Her postoperative result is shown six months after surgery.

CASE #11

This 36 year old woman presents with drooping of her brow and fullness of the upper eyelid skin. She underwent brow lift through an incision hidden in the hairline. Her postoperative result at six months reveals that the brow position is improved and the fullness of the upper eyelids has been eliminated by raising the brow.

Facelift Surgery – As individuals get older, there are predictable changes which occur as a result of time, gravity and sun exposure that lead to changes in facial appearance typically associated with “aging.” The degree of aging varies a great deal from one individual to another, depending upon a number of factors. The type of skin that a patient has will determine to a great extent how “well” they age over time. Patients who have darker and more oily skin tend to age less rapidly than patients with fair complexions. Exposure to the sun greatly speeds up the “aging process.” Cigarette smoking is another factor that causes acceleration of the aging process of the face. There are many excellent procedures available for facial rejuvenation. Dr. Handel has been performing facial rejuvenation for nearly 40 years and has a track record of proven results.

A facelift (also known as a rhytidectomy) is a surgical procedure designed to remove many of the visible signs of aging in the face and neck and restore a more youthful appearance. The areas where the face-lift is most effective are in correcting sagging of the midface, softening the deep creases beneath the lower eyelids, helping to erase the nasolabial folds (the creases along the nose extending to the corners of the mouth) restoring lost skin tone of the lower face, tightening the jaw line and restoring a more youthful appearance to the neck.

Facelifts are often broken into three regions: The upper face, the mid face and the lower face and neck. The upper face, which consists of the area from the eyebrows to the hairline, may be characterized by drooping of the brows, deep vertical creases (the glabellar lines) and deepening of the transverse or horizontal creases of the forehead. The most effective facial forehead rejuvenation is achieved by a “brow lift.” A brow lift is a procedure designed to tighten the skin of the forehead and reduce the depth of forehead wrinkles. There are several ways that a “brow lift” can be performed. Sometimes, the operation is performed through an incision on the side of the temporal area (temporal brow lift) while sometimes, the operation is performed with a longer incision that crosses the entire forehead, either at the hairline or within the hair-bearing scalp. Other techniques for brow lift are “endoscopic” and rely on small incisions made within the hair-bearing portion of the scalp. A brow lift or “forehead lift” is generally performed in conjunction with a mid and lower face-lift. Dr. Handel will carefully analyze the characteristics of your forehead and make recommendations regarding the best procedure to help you achieve your goals.

The mid face area is defined as the region extending from the eyebrows down to the border of the jaw. This area is typically treated during a face-lift procedure by elevating and tightening the skin along with tightening of the underlying deeper structures. The deep structures include the subcutaneous musculoaponeurotic structures (the so-called SMAS layer) as well as the platysma muscle of the neck. When Dr. Handel performs a face-lift, the deep structures are rotated upward and tightened to give a lasting result. The excess skin is pulled superiorly and laterally and trimmed to eliminate wrinkles and improve the jaw line, yet maintain a very “natural and unoperated” appearance. Face-lifts can be performed with almost no visible scarring. The mid face-lift may also be augmented with other procedures such as cheek implants or autologous fat grafting to the malar or cheek area and the nasolabial folds and marionette lines. A mid face-lift is generally performed in conjunction with a lower face and neck lift.

The lower face and neck are defined as the area extending from the border of the jaw (the mandible) to the base of the neck. Over time, this area typically experiences progressive laxity of the skin, loss of definition of the jaw line, formation of neck bands (platysma banding) and fine wrinkles (rhytides) of the skin. The lower face and neck lift is typically performed in conjunction with a mid face-lift and will help to reshape the jaw line, remove the neck bands and tighten the skin of the neck. The scars are generally very inconspicuous.

Dr. Handel has had extensive experience performing all facets of facial rejuvenation for nearly four decades. He concentrates on providing the most “natural” appearing results. Ideally, the patient should not look as if they have had surgery, but they should have a “refreshed” appearance. While there are risks associated with facial rejuvenation procedures, the techniques used by Dr. Handel have been proven to be a relatively low risk with predictable results. Dr. Handel will analyze your specific anatomical requirements and will recommend a combination of procedures best suited to helping you achieve the look you seek.

Face-lift is generally performed on an outpatient basis under general anesthesia at the Beverly Hills Plastic Surgery Center. Patients may either return directly home or, if they prefer, arrangements can be made for convalescence under the care of a nurse. For out-of-town patients, arrangements can be made to stay at an adjacent hotel for the first few days after surgery before patients return home. Most patients undergoing facial rejuvenation are off work for about two weeks following which they can resume almost all normal daily activities.