Sometimes it might feel like we are racing to beat the clock and all of us are looking to turn back those proverbial hands of time. But as time marches on, gravity seems to work hand-in-hand with lifestyle, genetics and repetitive motion to map our faces with lines, while pulling down our cheeks and jowls with the weight of the world.
Preventative action. Proactive measures. Keeping ahead of the game. There seems to be no lack of jargon in today's day and age. And while these sayings might sound cliché, they are embedded with truth. We are looking to take preventative steps to ensure a better future. We do want to take action now to make things better later. And when it comes to curbing the aging process, everybody wants to be one step ahead of the game.
50-MINUTE LIFT can be the preventive measure in premature aging. Taking action now can slow down sagging in the future, keeping us one step ahead of time and gravity. You may not need a full facelift or you may be looking to support a previous facelift, or it could be that you just need to treat a localized part of your lower face. A 50-MINUTE LIFT can be a smart solution for any of these reasons.
About Mini Lifts and our 50-MINUTE LIFT
50-MINUTE LIFT is the less-invasive cousin of the Traditional Facelift. By focusing on a smaller portion of the face or neck, 50-MINUTE LIFT require less anesthesia, fewer incisions and sutures, shorter procedure duration and less time to recover. 50-MINUTE LIFT focus on the lower-third of your face, either the cheek and mouth or the neck and jowls area. 50-MINUTE LIFT is a unique combination of minimal incision facelift technique and elegance of the modern thread suspension technology.
If you have heard of a Lifestyle Lift or a Quick Lift procedure, the 50-MINUTE LIFT combines the durability of a traditional facelift, thread suspension of a Quick Lift or MACS lift and minimal incisions of a Lifestyle Lift.
50-MINUTE LIFT focuses on the neck and jowl area and mouth region. For a 50-MINUTE LIFT, incisions are made in front the ear. They start from the hairline and wrap around the ear lobe. Local anesthesia helps to numb the face, inhibits bleeding, and aides in the separation of the skin from the underlying tissue. In some cases the procedure can be performed only under local anesthesia with slight sedation.
Only small excess of deep fascial tissue, known as SMAS, is removed to allow additional movement of the skin upward and then the threads are placed to lift and secure SMAS to the deeper structures. When we age, our facial tissues move downward. To achieve a very natural result and to avoid a "windblown look" we reposition your skin and deeper tissues up, where they were when you were younger. In a traditional facelift it is difficult to do. We are able to do that by lifting the fallen tissues with special sutures. Let me note here that these sutures hold and lift only deep tissues, avoiding tension on the skin completely. This way the "pulled" look is avoided. Our Thread lift is very different from a widely publicized Contour Thread Lift. In a Contour Thread Lift small barbed threads are placed barely under the skin and lift the skin only with small barbed hooks. That is why the duration of such a lift is 6-9 month and the results are very suddle. 50-MINUTE LIFT does not rely on skin hooks; it moves stronger and tougher deep tissues and secures them to the bone or other stable parts of the facial anatomy. Skin only follows their movement. That is why the durability of a 50-MINUTE LIFT is 5-15 years and is comparable to a traditional facelift. The unique use of threads allows achieving the same superb result as a traditional facelift with less surgery in less time and with less recovery.
You can have 50-MINUTE LIFT on its own, or combined with other procedures such as an eyelid tuck (blepharoplasty), liposuction, cheek lift, corner lift, brow lift, chemical peel, or laser.
Because the 50-MINUTE LIFT is on a smaller-scale than a full Facelift, it can be a smart alternative for people with a localized trouble spot, who are looking for a less extensive treatment with a shorter recovery time. 50-MINUTE LIFT is perfect for people who had a Facelift years ago and are looking for touch-up treatment.
Other mini lifts focus on the neck and jowl area. The incisions are made in front the ear. They start from just below the hairline and wrap around the ear lobe. During the procedure a small piece of SMAS is removed allowing for the tissue tightening. Excessive skin is also removed. It is an elegant procedure, however, it results in more horizontal, rather then vertical pull. The results are not as dramatic as with a 50 MINUTE LIFT and are limited to the jowl and neck areas. The recovery is slightly shorter but so are the results.
Quick Lift is a procedure based on MACS (Minimal Access Cranial Suspension) lift. Similar to our 50 MINUTE LIFT it utilizes suspension threads to lift the fallen tissues up. 50 MNINUTE lift allows more significant movement of the deep tissues by combining Mini Lift and Quick Lift methods. The Durability and recovery of the Quick Lift is identical to the 50 MINUTE LIFT.
A Time to Heal
Because 50-MINUTE LIFT is less invasive than a Full Facelift, and similar to a mini lift, it requires less time off from work and your normal activities. However, you should expect to be off from work for up to a week. Discomfort you experience can be treated with medication. In many cases regular Tylenol is enough. Compression bandages and ice packs help to reduce swelling and you will be asked to keep your head elevates for several days (including when you sleep). Sutures will be removed about 5-7 days after the surgery and scarring will become less and less noticeable with time.
Are you a candidate for a 50-MINUTE LIFT?
50-MINUTE LIFT can be smart treatment for people looking for the following
- Treating a localized region on the lower face or neck
- Looking younger and more restful without having a traditional facelift
- Want to look younger but do not want an unnatural "pulled" look
- Postponing the full facelift down the road, or avoiding it all together
- Combining the 50-MINUTE LIFT with other procedures
- Supporting progress on Facelift done years ago
Sometimes less in more and because of that, 50-MINUTE LIFT has many advantages. 50-MINUTE LIFT is less invasive, entail less surgery time, require less anesthesia, involve less recovery time, and cost less money. But because it is less invasive, does not mean that the results are not as pronounced as a full Facelift. The results last about five to fifteen years.
Risks and Complications
While complications rarely occur, all surgeries come with some risks such as hematoma, swelling, bruising, numbing and infection. Dr. Volshteyn will discuss all risks with you during the consultation. You can help to minimize any risks by closely following pre-and post-surgery instructions which can include quitting smoking a couple months before surgery, not taking aspirin two weeks before and after surgery, and resting as appropriate. Be sure to honestly communicate with your physician during the consultation, expressing your goals and expectations as well as your full medical history. The consultation is also the appropriate place to ask any questions you may have. 50-MINUTE LIFT can offer people a smart solution for localized problems and it might just be the solution you've been looking for.
