Revision Facelift
Jupiter & Palm Beach, Florida
A secondary facelift or revision facelift is a facelift performed after a patient has already had a facelift procedure. Because a revision facelift is a much more complex and complicated procedure than a regular facelift, it's important to seek out the best facial plastic surgeon for revision facelifts.
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Dr. Azzi specializes in revision surgical procedures, specifically deep-plane facelifts and patients travel from all over the country to Jupiter and Palm City, Florida for these corrective facelifting procedures.
"Patients who consult me for revision facelift surgeries are going to have much different needs than the typical facelift patient. I tailor each procedure for the specific needs of the facelift patient taking into account the issues and scar tissue from the previous aging face procedure."
- Dr. Azzi
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The most common reason someone consults double board-certified facial plastic surgeon Jean-Paul Azzi, MD for a revision facelift is that they had a facelift in the past, but the natural aging process over time has caused enough movement to the jowls and neck that the tissues need to be re-tightened or lifted.
A well-performed deep-plane facelift can last over 10 years, while the most commonly performed type of facelift (>90%) - a skin lift - will only last 1-3 years. The most common problems people experience with these older types of very commonly performed facelifts is that the jowls, neck, and cheeks quickly droop again. Even worse, this tension on the skin incisions causes them to widen leaving visible scars.
Another common complication Dr. Azzi corrects during revision deep-plane facelift is pixie ear deformities. This is caused by a skin lift drooping prematurely and pulling the ear lobes down causing them to appear stretched. Patients who have older fashioned facelifts that are not deep-plane facelifts also tend to look "done" or "wind-swept". Dr. Azzi is an expert in the correction of all of these common facelift complications.
Another important consideration for any facelift surgeon is the overall appearance and anatomy of the patient. It is important to keep in mind that, after a facelift, the patient presenting for an evaluation for possible revision deep-plane facelift will have significant scar tissue and possible thinning of the skin.
Dr. Azzi is an expert in making adjustments tailored specifically to each facelift patient to successfully correct the aging problem. Dr. Azzi always uses his expertise as a specialized facial plastic surgeon to evaluate the entire face and determine if any other procedures could be beneficial to the treatment of the aging process. Procedures that are typically considered include browlifts, mid-facelifts, blepharoplasties or "eyelid lifts" and fat grafting for volume-related aging issues.
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As previously mentioned, the most common type of facelift by far is the superficial-based facelift. These are performed by over 90% of plastic surgeons. These procedures focus very simply on making incisions and removing some skin. No deep, supportive structures are actually lifted and secured to their previous positions from decades before. The deep structures of the face - SMAS and platysma muscle - are the actual elements that cause aging. Not addressing these structures is the equivalent to trying to repair a fallen ceiling or roof using just paint without working on the actual structural beams. Many plastic surgeons claim to work on deeper structures in the face, but more often than not, what Dr. Azzi finds during the revision is that a few sutures were placed over the muscle to simply tighten. This will lead to a pulled appearance and short-lived results. Longer-term, the scars will widen in front of the ears and a pixie ear deformity can form.
Another common deformity Dr. Azzi treats during a revision facelift is "cobra neck". This is caused by the use of liposuction under the neck combined with a superficial facelift or skin lift. This causes the center of the neck to look caved while the jowls quickly droop around them in the shape of a cobra snake. This happens because the deeper structures of the face were not addressed and fall to their previous positions.
"To properly correct the aging face, the deeper structures must be addressed. This is especially true for a second or third facelift. A deep-plane facelift does not tighten the skin, but is used to tighten the deep, sagging structures of the face. In this procedure, the SMAS and Platysma muscle is directly addressed and positioned. This takes the tightness off the skin allowing for the most natural and long-lasting results possible. Deep-plane facelift will correct jowls or jowling, heaviness, and banding to the neck and sagging cheeks and folds."
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-Dr. Azzi
In a small number of cases, a patient will present for consult because of wide scars from their superficial facelift prior. Remember, scarring is always from tension on the skin. This tension is caused by excessive skin tightness. Performing a scar revision for these cases will often produce the same results or worse. This is because a scar revision simply adds to the tension without addressing the heavy deeper structures in the face that are causing the aging. The only solution in these cases is the perform a revision deep-plane facelift and support the deeper structures, thereby taking the tension off the skin and providing a long-lasting, natural and youthful facelift.
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Click here for before & after photos of Revision Facelifts.
We invite you to come in for a revision facelift consultation with Dr. Azzi. He will take time to understand your goals, explain what he intends to achieve and how he plans to achieve it. Contact us below to schedule a consultation.