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Is a Facelift Permanent?

A common misconception is that a facelift stops aging, though this is not correct. Rather, a Bellevue Facelift returns youthful features, by turning back the hands of the aging clock. Your body will never stop aging. Though it is possible to reverse the outward signs of up to a decade of aging with a Seattle facelift. You may still be 60 years old, but you’ll have the face you did when you were 50.

Will it be Obvious I Have Had a Facelift?

You have no doubt seen celebrities and media personalities who look more like plastic dolls than humans after many facial procedures. This is the exact opposite of the results Dr. Santos looks to achieve at Seattle Plastic Surgery.

In contrast, we seek to achieve natural results. We want to restore younger features without obviousness. When performed correctly, nobody should be able to tell you have had a facelift in Bellevue. It is common for patients to return to follow up appointments remarking about how happy they are with their procedures, the many compliments they have received, and how shocked that none of their closest friends suspected they have had a Seattle Tacoma facelift.

Seattle Facelifts With Local Anesthesia

Dr. Santos has helped pioneer the use of local anesthesia with oral sedation in facial plastic surgery. Traditionally, cosmetic and plastic surgery operations have been performed under general anesthesia. This requires full sedation of a patient and carries heightened risks during surgery.

Dr. Santos is able to negate the risks of general anesthesia by using local anesthesia. This keeps the procedure painless and oral sedatives ensure patients remain perfectly calm and comfortable. As his local anesthesia patients do not need extra time regaining consciousness. They typically leave their procedures much more cognizant in much less time.

Do you offer Facelift Financing in Bellevue?

While we do not offer in-house financing, we are partnered with Alphaeon Credit and CareCredit for private financing. You can learn more on our financing page and apply directly for either on their websites.

What is a Liquid Facelift?

A liquid facelift is not actually a facelift. Rather, it is a series of injectable treatments designed to smooth wrinkles and fill in areas of sunken facial features. They are great for patients seeking a quick “touchup” of areas of personal concern. However, at the end of the day, they are only quick, temporary fixes. They are no match for a true facelift performed by an expert surgeon such as Dr. Santos.

While we do perform liquid facelifts at Seattle Plastic Surgery, it is important to have realistic expectations about outcomes. We are more than happy to discuss either procedure with you in a consultation.

What is an Instalift?

Instalifts, or lunchtime facelifts, are quick procedures with essentially no downtime. Designed to gently lift the mid face, the Instalift utilizes a biodegradable thread implant. These can be great procedures for those on a limited budget or who simply wish for a near instant recovery period. As with liquid facelifts, we perform Instalift procedures. Again, it is important to realize these are temporary procedures. Permanent results should not be expected.

Historic Facelifts

Historically, cosmetic and plastic surgeons performing facelifts would perform incisions around the edges of a patient’s face and neck. After making incisions, the surgeon then pulls the patient’s skin taut, trimming the excess before placing sutures.

The primary problem with these procedures is that they provided unnatural results. Like those we often associate with the “plastic” or “doll” appearance so often parodied in the media. Seeking more natural results, surgeons refined this technique over the years.

What is a SMAS facelift in Seattle Tacoma?

SMAS is short for the superficial muscular aponeurotic system. This system extends from the lower layers of our skin into the supporting layers underneath. We know that as we age, the weakening of these supporting layers causes sagging. A SMAS seeks to remedy sagging by repositioning the skin, like a traditional facelift, but also some of the facial muscles.

During a SMAS facelift, a surgeon makes a series of incisions above your hairline. Next, they will gently lift your facial and neck skin, along with the underlying SMAS layer to tighten your facial features. Once satisfied with the placement any excess skin may be trimmed before your Seattle facelift surgeon places sutures at the incision sites.

This procedure leads to much more natural results than the skin only facelifts used in the past. In a sense, it is less of a skin tightening procedure than it is a skin and muscle tightening procedure.

What is a deep plane facelift?

The deep plane facelift is considered the gold standard of facelifts. They should only be performed by an expert in facial plastic surgery such as Dr. Santos. SMAS facelifts can produce exceptional results for certain individuals. However, they do still rely on skin tightening. As we learned in the traditional facelift section, skin tightening does not always provide the best outcome.

Deep plane facelifts go one step further than SMAS facelifts. Aging occurs all over our bodies, including beneath the SMAS layer. In a deep plane facelift, your surgeon will lift your skin along with all supporting layers to reposition. As well as tighten and smooth the visible signs of aging. Once satisfied on the best placement for the best results, your surgeon will remove excess skin and tissue before suturing. By repositioning everything as one unit, the most natural results can appear.

While this procedure sounds misleadingly extreme, it can actually result in quicker recoveries. Because there is no underlying separation, we experience less trauma, less swelling, less bruising and quicker recoveries.

What is an Endoscopic Facelift?

Endoscopic facelifts have appeared in more recent years. During an endoscopic facelift, a surgeon utilizes tiny incisions for insertion of an endoscope. They will then lift, tighten and reposition mid to upper facial areas. Endoscopic facelifts are typically recommended for younger individuals looking to reposition upper facial areas. In contrast to the typical older patient seeking Tacoma facelift surgery.