Boston Cosmetic Surgeon - Dr. Moss

As people age, gravity tends to cause the facial skin to sag. Jowls begin to develop around the jaw line and fat deposits start to form around the jowls. A mini-facelift removes some of this excess skin and fat deposits, tightens the underlying muscles, and re-drapes the skin, to provide a smoother jaw line and a younger appearance. A mini-facelift is most useful for correcting jowls and/or neck fat in patients that have relatively little skin excess. A mini-facelift does not address the sagging skin of a neckline. A patient would have to consider a full rather than a mini-facelift if the neckline has excess skin and sag. Most patients who are candidates for a mini-facelift are between the ages of 40 to 55 years old. Some patients, even though they are candidates for a full facelift, prefer to have a lesser procedure and therefore choose to have a mini-facelift. A patient between the ages of 55 to 60 may also be a candidate for a mini-facelift, especially if they are looking for a lesser procedure and are willing to accept a lesser result.

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The goal of a mini-facelift is most often not a radical change, but rather a freshening up. Dr. Moss is often asked how long a min-facelift will last and his reply is that there is no hard answer to this question. Everyone is different. In most instances, people have just one mini facelift, but there are patients who go on for more than one, depending on both how the aging process affects them and how they feel about it. The results of any facelift should not be considered permanent as people continue to age with time. Some patients who have had a mini-facelift go on to have a full facelift at a later date.

The surgery usually takes about 1 1/2 hours and is performed under sedation. The surgical incisions are limited and are usually very easy to conceal. This surgery has very little pain. All sutures are removed in about one week. Dr. Moss recommends that the patient wear a chinstrap post-operatively for about a week, at which time most patients can return to work. Most patients can resume light exercise in about two weeks. And by six weeks they can resume their full exercise program.

Often some other procedure, e.g. eye lift, chin implant, brow lift, etc., is done with the mini-facelift. In addition, most mini-facelift patients undergo facial liposuction to further refine the sculpting of the neck and jowls. Dr. Moss and the hospitals and anesthesia departments provide substantial discounts when more than one surgery is performed at the same time.

In addition, many patients will also want to have injections of BOTOX^® Cosmetic to address creases in the brow, forehead or crow's feet or Restylane^® or Radiesse® to fill in the creases around the nose and mouth. Many patients find that they are so happy with rejuvenating one aspect of their face that they want improvements in other areas.