How is the face lift performed?
The facelift surgery begins with carefully planned and placed incisions that are hidden along the hairline and border of the ear. The skin located in front of, below and behind the ear is then gently lifted. The deeper tissue layer beneath the skin that attaches to the facial muscles is termed the superficial musculoaponeurotic system, or SMAS. It is the SMAS layer that is then lifted up and tightened in front of the ear. The SMAS is continuous below the ear with a wide, thin muscle that crosses the entire front of the neck, termed the platysma muscle. Similar to the work on the SMAS, the platysma is lifted and tightened below and behind the ear. By lifting and tightening both the SMAS and platysma, the lower face, jowls and neck line are repositioned to a more youthful level. Permanent sutures are used to stabilize the SMAS and platysma layers in their new position to ensure a long-term result with the facelift. Essentially all of the tension for the lift procedure is placed along the
