How to Avoid a Bad Facelift

The American Society of Plastic Surgeons reports that in 2014 no less than 376,894 facial plastic surgeries were performed. Clearly, many want to avoid the consequences of looking older and enjoy the benefits of a younger, rejuvenated look. But just as many want to avoid a bad facelift.

You know what I mean. Celebrity media often features stories about bad facelifts. You can spot one across the room. Here are some of the telltale signs:

• The “windblown” look with skin stretched tight

• An unnaturally young look with no nasolabial folds (lines that naturally run from the corners of the nose to the corners of the mouth)

• Horizontal lines in the face

• The “constantly surprised look,” signifying a browlift gone wrong

• An artificially shortened hairline (at the temples)

• The “open ear,” with a greatly diminished tragus (the skin covered cartilage in front of the ear canal)

• The “Pixie Ears” look with unnaturally stretched earlobes

The media plays up the bad facelifts that unfortunately happen every year. Yet, a properly trained, highly skilled and experienced plastic surgeon can guarantee natural-looking results. How?

Avoiding a Bad Facelift

Bad facelifts often result from the surgeon’s inadequate level of experience. The expression “practice makes perfect” certainly applies to facial plastic surgery. The American Board of Cosmetic Surgery recommends when consulting with facial plastic surgeons:

Ask about their specific training and experience in facial cosmetic surgery. Also, find out how many facelift procedures each has performed, and be sure to look at plenty of before and after photos during your consultation—this will help you get a feel for a cosmetic surgeon’s aesthetic style.

This is important. The surgeon must decide how to proceed in a number of areas, depending on each patient’s individual characteristics and condition. Highly experienced surgeons know what works well in different situations – and what doesn’t. Patients do well to find out how many procedures of the type they’re considering a prospective surgeon has performed.

Most plastic surgeons operate on the entire body and often perform fewer than 20 facelifts annually. In contrast, for a number of years, I trained and supervised facial plastic surgeons as Midwest Medical Director for a very busy national facial plastic surgery practice. We did nothing but facelifts and other face/neck surgical procedures. Each of us often performed 400-600 per year. We entered our private practices with unparalleled levels of experience.