A common age for people to begin considering a facelift is mid-40s or early 50s, but there’s no universally agreed upon idea of how old a facelift patient should be. Everyone’s skin ages differently, with changes determined in part by genetics, individual anatomy, sun exposure, and lifestyle. With this in mind, some patients choose to have a facelift in their mid to late 30s if they feel like they have significant sagging and want to avoid excessive use of fillers. On the other hand, patients in their 60s or older can also have facelifts, provided that they are in good general health. Although people who have relatively good skin elasticity tend to enjoy better facelift results—indicating that it’s better to choose the procedure sooner rather than later, due to loss of elasticity over time—patients with much older, looser skin can still see significant improvement to their appearance with a facelift. Here’s what Milwaukee area patients should know if they’re thinking of choosing this procedure.
Dermal fillers are ideal for replacing volume if your skin is still relatively firm (aside from some wrinkles), but when it comes to correcting more severe skin laxity, deflation, and jowls on the lower jaw area, there’s no substitute for a facelift. This is because when your skin ages, it has less collagen, fat, and moisture to keep it firm and supported. Thinner skin creases and sags more easily, especially when exposed to harsh external agents like UV radiation from sunlight, tobacco smoke, pollution, and weather changes.
In more advanced stages of aging, sagging skin may start to pull away from the face, causing the cheeks and temples to become more gaunt and forming more loose skin around the lower jaw and neck.
It’s often said that the “triangle of youth,” which consists of high, full cheeks that taper down to a slim jawline, is reversed as the decades pass and the lower face becomes heavier. With a facelift, the redundant skin is removed, and the remaining skin and tissue are moved to a higher, more youthful position to restore the younger-looking facial contours. Each facelift is individualized to match the specific patient’s unique concerns and goals at their stage of life, with long-term results in mind.
Want to learn more about what’s involved in a facelift from Parkins Plastic Surgery? Call (262) 269-1050 or write us a message to request a consultation.
