FACIAL REJUVENATION USUALLY REFERS to the restoration of a youthful facial appearance. This can be achieved by many methods, either surgical or non-invasive. While there are many types of facial rejuvenative surgery, the most common are upper eyelid surgery, lower eyelid surgery, facelifts and browlifts as these procedures tend to have the most visible and dramatic effects.
As a general rule of thumb, women tend to opt for facial rejuvenative procedures earlier than men. Recent studies show that facial changes associated with the appearance of aging – such as the loss of bony volume in the mid-face and nasal region – tend to occur earlier in women than men, resulting in women often looking older than a male peer of the same age.
While many of the effects of facial rejuvenation may be duplicated by non- invasive procedures, their effects will almost never be as dramatic, predictable or durable as those achieved by surgical procedures. Take, for instance, non-invasive lifting and tightening procedures such as Ulthera or Thermage. While they may be able to achieve approximately 2mm of facial lifting, an invasive facelift will be able to achieve anything from 5 to 20mm of lift.
Some non-invasive solutions merely mask the problem and do not address the cause nor root of the aging appearance. A common example would be the filling in of laughlines which occur as a result of sagging cheeks: a situation where a lift targeting the cheeks would be a more natural and durable solution.
That is not to say that non-invasive procedures have no place in facial rejuvenation. Aside from avoiding the downtime and recovery period associated with all surgical procedures, non-invasive procedures also tend to be quicker to perform and relatively safer. A non-invasive procedure is therefore the best option if the aging changes are mild and easily corrected by such efforts. However, if one desires truly remarkable changes in one’s appearance, surgery is still the only way to bring about such transformations.
Ultimately, it is best to consult a doctor who has the full repertoire of non-invasive or surgical methods at his disposal. Sometimes the optimal solution lies in combining surgery with less invasive options.
