According to a recent article in the Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery, having a facelift can make you look seven years younger than you actually are. In this study by authors Nitin Chauhan and Peter Adamson of the University of Toronto, and Jeremey Warner of the NorthShore University Health System in Evanston, Illinois, volunteer first year medical students were shown photos of 60 people who had a facelift. The students estimated the patients to be an average of 8.9 years younger than their actual age. Prior to the surgery the medical students thought them to be 1.7 years younger, yielding an age difference of 7.2 years after plastic surgery.
This is fairly consistent with patients in my practice who typically perceived that they look about 10 years younger than they did prior to their facelift. In the study cited, the patients, who were mainly women between the ages of 45-72, who had combined procedures; such as neck-lift and facelift, or eyelift and facelift, had the biggest perceived difference from their actual age.
While I am a real proponent of minimally invasive procedures for facial rejuvenation, in most cases these will not give the same degree of change that is attainable from surgical procedures. Many patients are surprised to learn that newer surgical techniques, like the MACS facelift, offer fairly quick recovery and minimal downtime. Not a bad option for turning back the clock 9-10 years.
For more information about Facelifts, MACS Lift or to schedule a consultation, please call Grand Rapids Plastic Surgeon, Dr. Steven Ringler at 616.328.8800
