Dear Connie,
If the problem is mainly textural, laser resurfacing would give you the best result. If there is a large amount of excess skin, then a facelift of some sort with skin removal and redraping would give you the best long-term improvement. The former treatment costs $3-5000 and the latter $5000 to $8000 depending upon what needs to be addressed.

Gregory Caputy Chief Surgeon

Connie,
There are many options, depending on such factors as your appearance, complexion, goals, available recovery time and many others. It will be necessary for any Plastic Surgeon to see you, or at least quality photos, to begin to answer your questions.
It is possible to send photos through my website and probably others.

David M. Metzner, MD
www.drmetzner.com
(504) 885-9555
(985) 892-4675
(866) 298-5249 toll free

David Metzner M.D.

David Ross MD

Dear Gary,
If the excess is mainly skin, what is entailed is a neck lift with essentially the same incisions and down time (about 2 weeks) as a facelift. Often the muscles of the neck also need to be addressed and this is done through a small incision under the chin. Liposuction and "week end" facelift will not help with the skin excess.

Gregory Caputy Chief Surgeon

Gregory Caputy Chief Surgeon

The botox will help with facial expressions but the long-term cure of removing the minor muscles of frowning should be done at the time of the brow lift. Be careful using non-FDA approved drugs since you would not be covered in any way from long-term possible complications.

Gregory Caputy Chief Surgeon

Dear Bobbi,
It seems a little late to be checking into your surgeon's qualifications but you should make certain that he/she is a member of ASAPS (the group of plastic surgeons specializing in cosmetic procedures) and that he/she does often and does facelifts well. You should not take any aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) etc. for two weeks prior to the procedure. You will take about one month to heal although most of the swelling and scarring will be much better after two weeks. I would suggest that you make certain with your surgeon where the incisions will be placed and that your hairline will not be raised by the procedure (a particular problem with the old way of doing facelifts). Also, there are often many ancillary procedures and also many different types of facelifts (depth and extent of the procedure). You should make certain that the appropriate type is being planned for you. The best way to do this is to have multiple consultations with qualified surgeons.

Gregory Caputy Chief Surgeon

Dear Holly,
There are about 17 different ways of performing facelift surgery involving different planes, different incisions, different associated procedures and with very different results. A mini-lift is usually done after a true facelift for a small amount of redundant skin that was not well handled with the first procedure.

Gregory Caputy Chief Surgeon

The so called "weekend facelift" is basically liposuction of the neck combined with suturing the neck muscle bands together in the midline and sometimes using the laser on the undersurface of the sin of the neck. It can work well in individuals who are on the young side (30s and 40s), dont' have a lot of excess skin and have good skin tone. The so called "turkey neck" would probably not be a candidate, but you could consult with a local plastic surgeon.

Joshua Korman MD

Dear Marie,
That is exactly not what it is good for. The weekend facelift is vigorous liposuction coupled with inner surface laser resurfacing. Many of us are seeing the aftermath of these procedures and they are nearly impossible to correct. I would suggest that you speak with a local plastic surgeon in order to determine if liposuction alone would help you. If not, a facelift and necklift is the route to go - heal-up time is only about 7 to 10 days even from the more extensive procedure.

Gregory Caputy Chief Surgeon

Be skeptical about any "weekend, lunchtime procedure." Caveat emptor!

Jonathan Berman MD

Dear Marci,
A great many of us are trained in the area of composite and deep plane facelifts. The surgeon who has been championing this technique for many years is Dr. Sam Hamra in Houston,TX.

Gregory Caputy Chief Surgeon

Dear Marci,
There are a large number of plastic surgeons in your area. I would suggest that you call their offices first and then consult with three or more of them and ask them how many and what training they have to perform this type of facelift. Also, I would suggest that you ask them if, indeed, you need this type of facelift.

Gregory Caputy Chief Surgeon