How have Facelifts Changed and Improved Over Time? - NBC29 WVIR Charlottesville, VA News, Sports and Weather

If you are considering a facelift, doctors say it's important to understand how much the procedure has evolved and improved over time.  

"Initially, doctors just pulled skin and sewed it up," said Dr. Elizabeth Chance, a plastic surgeon with Martha Jefferson Aesthetic and Reconstructive Surgery. "Now, we've learned that we really have to re-suspend the muscles of the face to get you a normal look."  

Chance says the techniques she uses during surgery are vastly different from what was done in the past.  

"The face is a very complex set of muscles that give us the ability to show emotion and speak, and what we do is we take the outer edge of those muscles and we reposition them in a superior position so that it brings the face back to a youthful, egg shaped look," said Chance.  

In addition, many surgeons are also restoring volume to the faces of their patients, along with the facelift.  

"Age is not just gravity.  Age is also tissue loss and fat loss from the face, so what we've begun doing is replacing that fat loss to give you more youthful, full look," stated Chance.  

No matter what your age, or the reason for your fix, the end goal for everyone is the same - a natural, refreshed look.  

"A good facelift is where you don't really know someone has had anything done," said Chance. It's a subconscious effect.  If you look at the person, they look better, they look more rejuvenated and fresh and younger". 

For more information on this topic, call Health Connection at (434) 654-7009.

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