(Dallas, Texas.) Not all faces are the same, so it only makes sense that not all face lifts should be performed the same way. Each person’s face lift results should look unique and natural to them. As a renowned plastic surgeon, Dallas facelift specialist Dr. Rod Rohrich carefully analyzes a patient’s distinctive facial features, then assesses overall goals with the patient before the face lift to ensure patient and doctor are in agreement and the facelift is personalized for each patient’s unique circumstances.
This level of personalization is possible because modern face lifts use better surgical and non-surgical techniques than in the past. In fact, the term “face lift” is, today, a misnomer. In modern a face lift, the face should not be lifted only, because it results in a “windswept,” unnatural look.
A modern face lift corrects aging features using an advanced customized, designed lift-and-fill procedure. This includes not only lifting deeper layers of the face, but filling the central cheek area, which deflates with age. The modern face lift, together with modern neck lift procedures and other techniques, amounts to a complete facial rejuvenation.
Dr. Rohrich pioneered lift-and-fill face lifts and facial rejuvenation through his innovative work in the science of facial aging. He conducted this important work in his plastic surgery practice in Dallas, Texas, and at the Department of Plastic Surgery at UT Southwestern Medical Center. He now applies advanced facial rejuvenation techniques every day for the benefit of his patients.
Dr. Rohrich has received frequent recognition for his work, advocacy, and teaching in plastic surgery and his advanced knowledge in several areas, including face lifts. D Magazine voted him one of the best doctors in Dallas, Texas, for more than 10 years in a row, and he has been named a Texas Monthly “SuperDoctor” several times.
Face Lifts Today
A face lift as they are performed today is a multiple-component procedure which uses several different and harmonious techniques that create a natural, and more youthful look. Key features are:
- The use of a deep layer lift to reshape the structure of the sagging cheek area
- A procedure called “fat compartment filling,” which fills the central deflated area in the patient’s face with fat that has been collected from other areas
Lift-and-fill face lifts are often done in conjunction with brow, eyelid, and skin resurfacing procedures. The combination of techniques to meet individualized goals of each patient is called facial rejuvenation. Dr. Rohrich’s goal for facial rejuvenation is to use his knowledge of the science of aging and lift-and-fill face lift processes to make changes that have a non-operated look harmonious with the rest of your face. The result is a more natural, youthful and rested look.
Dr. Rohrich’s groundbreaking work in face lifts with natural results has led to national recognition, including being named by Harper’s Bazaar as one of the best plastic surgeons in the U.S. and by Good Housekeeping Magazine as one of the best doctors in America.
The Best Facelift Candidates
Your first visit with Dr. Rohrich will determine whether you are a good candidate for facial rejuvenation. You are likely an appropriate face lift candidate if:
- You are in good physical and emotional health
- You have reasonable expectations for the face lift procedure
The best face lift and facial rejuvenation candidates are men and women whose faces and necks have just begun to sag. Their skin still has elasticity and their bone structure is strong and well defined.
Most face lift patients are in their late 40s, 50s or 60s. However, facial rejuvenation is often successfully completed on face lift patients in their 30s and early 40s, as well as men and women in their 70s and 80s. Dr. Rohrich uses completely different types of face lift/rejuvenation procedures, both surgical and nonsurgical, for each of these age groups.
For example, many younger patients benefit from Botox and fillers alone, without a surgical face lift procedure. Mature patients often benefit most from skin resurfacing, such as laser or chemical peels, which are minimally invasive facial rejuvenation procedures.
Lift-and-fill face lift and neck lift patients look younger and fresher. Facial rejuvenation can enhance self-esteem, but won’t give patients a totally different look, as some face lifts will.
“Remember aging is a process, and facial correction is not just one procedure. Total facial rejuvenation incorporates a series of carefully planned actions, from the proper use of science-based skin care and sunscreens to the use of fillers, neuromodulators, lasers and finally surgical rejuvenation. Face lifts and facial rejuvenation surgery cannot completely restore the health and vitality of your youthful face, but the procedures will do a lot to make you look as good as you feel!”
–Rod J. Rohrich, M.D.
Dallas, Texas, Plastic Surgeon
Expertise in Face Lifts
Dr. Rohrich frequently has presented his innovative facial rejuvenation findings and processes to peers in the plastic surgery profession and taught them the pioneering principles of the lift-and-fill face lift. Many of his speeches and educational symposia about face lifts and facial rejuvenation have been conducted in his role as the youngest president of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, the largest association of board certified plastic surgeons in the world.
In addition to performing thousands of face lifts and facial rejuvenation procedures to help patients in his Dallas, Texas, clinic, Dr. Rohrich has taught his successful face lift techniques to hundreds of aspiring plastic surgeons. He is the Founding Chair of the Department of Plastic Surgery at UT Southwestern Medical Center and has served there as a distinguished professor of plastic surgery since 1990.
Dallas Face Lift Consultation
After performing several-thousand face lifts, Dr. Rohrich says two of the most important things for you and your surgeon to consider before scheduling cosmetic surgery are:
- The way you feel about your current appearance (He will ask you to identify at least 3 top concerns.)
- Your hopes for the outcome of the face lift (He encourages you to be realistic about the results you expect.)
Before you decide to have a face lift, think carefully about your expectations, so you will be ready to discuss them with Dr. Rohrich. He recommends looking into the mirror and listing the top three things that bother you about your appearance. These three things will provide the basis for your pre-op face lift discussion with Dr. Rohrich, as he begins to plan how he will enhance your overall facial appearance with a lift-and-fill face lift.
To assist with this process, Dr. Rohrich suggests you bring photographs of yourself that show your appearance 10 to 15 years ago. He will photograph these images during your face lift consultation and return them to you. These images will be extremely valuable as models to help Dr. Rohrich determine which face lift techniques he will use to restore your current facial features to what they once were.
Goals During a Face Lift Consultation
During most face lift consultations, Dr. Rohrich wants to accomplish these six primary goals:
- Physical examination of your face. During your face lift consultation, Dr. Rohrich will carefully evaluate your entire face, from your brow and eyelids to your neck and upper chest area. His pre-face-lift examination will include the overall texture of your skin, as well as wrinkles and underlying structures. Everyone has very unique facial features that contribute to their overall beauty and appearance. This preparatory information for the face lift helps him determine how to best optimize your overall facial appearance for the long-term.
- Computer imaging. In addition to a visual analysis, during the face lift consultation Dr. Rohrich will complete a computer imaging process to help you see and better understand how your face might look after the face lift procedure. The computer images are educational tools to help you learn about face lifts. They do not guarantee results.
- Observation of expressions. During the face lift examination, Dr. Rohrich might request that you make several different expressions with your face, so he can view your features as they are animated.
- Medical history. You should come to the consultation prepared to discuss your medical history, including any information about conditions, drug allergies and treatments. To guide you to the best possible face lift results, Dr. Rohrich needs to know about any medical issues or previous surgeries you’ve had, in addition to medications you take currently.
- Recommendations. At the end of the face lift consultation, Dr. Rohrich will draw on his vast expertise in facial aging and your individualized facial analysis to tell you what he believes is the optimal way to achieve best results for your face lift. His recommendations, based on thousands of face lifts during his plastic surgery career and on the way you have aged, describes the techniques you will benefit from to look your best long-term.
- Facial photography. After your face lift consultation, a photographer will photograph your face for your medical record. You will meet with Dr. Rohrich’s staff to discuss face lift fees and scheduling dates. You might decide to schedule an additional face lift consultation to review the computer imaging, so you can visualize the results of each face lift technique Dr. Rohrich designs specifically for your procedure.
The key to a safe and positive outcome for your face lift, as well as any other facial rejuvenation procedure, is for you to be healthy, a non-smoker, motivated and have realistic expectations for your appearance after the face lift has been completed.
How is a Face Lift Performed?
Facial rejuvenation is highly individualized for each patient, so Dr. Rohrich will develop a personal plan for your face lift and neck lift. He will go over this in detail with you during a face lift consultation and again on the day of your procedure.
The antiaging, lift-and-fill face lift Dr. Rohrich designs will be based upon:
- Dr Rohrich’s many years of study of the science of aging
- His skill and experience as one of the nation’s best surgeons
- How your face has aged over time
- The level of fat loss you have experienced in deep cheek compartments, which causes hollowness and subsequent sagging of the outer cheek skin (jowls)
The face lift procedure involves making hidden incisions, harvesting fat from your own body, filling hollow areas very precisely, and suturing deep layers to reshape the cheeks and neck.
“As we age, the fat compartments in our face decrease and cause the sunken look we associate with aging. Using a patient’s own fat to augment the face results in a more natural looking face lift.”
-Rod J. Rohrich, M.D.
Dallas, Texas, Plastic Surgeon
Incisions for face lifts usually begin in a natural line in front of the ear or just inside the cartilage at the front of your ear. They continue behind the earlobe to the lower scalp. This helps hide the face lift incisions, so after the procedure you can wear your hair just as you do now.
After making incisions during the first part of the face lift, Dr. Rohrich will:
- Separate the skin and develop a deep-layer superficial musculoaponeurotic plane (SMAS). This tightens the high cheek areas and lifts the lateral cheek for shaping.
- Inject all the fat compartments to restore a youthful, non-operated appearance (see above)
- Trim fat around the neck and chin, if needed, to improve the contour.
- Tighten underlying neck muscles (the platysma)
- Replace the skin and remove any excess.
- Suture deep layers of tissue.
- Close skin in a tension-free manner.
During the face lift procedure, Dr. Rohrich uses a unique growth-factor-and-stem-cell tissue glue harvested from the patient’s own blood in the operating room. This internal skin glue minimizes the bruising and swelling that often come with a face lift. Together with meticulous post-surgical care, the tissue glue enhances wound healing and accelerates recovery.
A small, thin drainage tube may be temporarily placed under the skin behind your ear to drain any blood that collects there during the face lift. Dr. Rohrich will wrap your head in bandages to minimize swelling.
You have the option to recover in Dr. Rohrich’s specially designed plastic surgery hotel, where you will be attended around the clock by superb, highly-trained concierge registered nurses. They are skilled specifically in face lifts and other facial rejuvenation procedures to optimize your care and safety.
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All of Dr. Rohrich’s Dallas, Texas, face lift follow-up appointments are complementary. They help ensure you are healing well and are happy with your face lift results. In this way and many more, Dr. Rohrich works toward an optimal outcome for your face lift experience.
Revision Face Lifts
Some face lift patients find that time erodes the benefits of their initial face lift, and they want a secondary face lift or revision face lift to correct it. This happens in part because older face lift techniques used technology and medical procedures less advanced than today’s techniques and equipment. Face lift techniques used by plastic surgeons in past years were good for their time, but weren’t as long-lasting as newer facial rejuvenation and modern face lift techniques.
In Dr. Rohrich’s experience, there has been a recent increase in secondary face lifts. He attributes this to two changes.
- Our middle-aged population is growing, which means more people statistically will need secondary procedures.
- Patients are choosing face lifts at an earlier age. Younger face lift patients have many more years left in their lives, and the procedures are expected to last a longer.
Dr. Rohrich has extensively studied face lifts, neck lifts and other types of cosmetic surgery with the specific goal of helping prevent secondary procedures lifts. He has published many articles and given many presentations about secondary face lifts and other secondary cosmetic procedures.
He regularly conducts retrospective studies of his own patients to learn anything he can that might help him reduce the need for secondary face lifts and other secondary cosmetic surgery procedures.
The lift-and-fill facial rejuvenation techniques Dr. Rohrich pioneered as a cosmetic surgeon are even more important during revision face lifts to avoid the windswept look that changes a person’s natural appearance.
To help avoid revision face lifts, Dr. Rohrich pioneered five plastic surgery techniques he calls “The Five R’s.” When secondary face lifts are needed, these techniques help avoid tertiary face lifts.
- Resecting the scar
- Releasing abnormal vectors
- Refilling with fat grafting
- Reshaping the tissue
- Re-draping the skin
Dr. Rohrich believes revision face lifts can be avoided with the plastic surgeon’s careful analysis, preparation and execution of the primary face lift procedure.
Above all, Dr. Rohrich believes it’s important to find a cosmetic surgeon who is thorough and precise, with the knowledge and experience to complete the proper preoperative preparation for a face lift. The surgeon must be willing to work hard for the best possible results during the procedure, and be willing to analyze and continually improve his or her own face lift methodologies.
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