There’s nothing as significant as a human face. Nor as eloquent. We can never really know another person, except by our first glance at him or her. Because, in that glance, we know everything.
Ayn Rand
There’s nothing as significant as a human face. Nor as eloquent. We can never really know another person, except by our first glance at him or her. Because, in that glance, we know everything.
Ayn Rand
Humans communicate by facial expression. Lines, furrows, shadows, and subtle contours express emotions, sentiments, confidence, insecurity, intentions, and age. Down-turned and deep lines or shadows indicate aging, fatigue, and sadness. Upturned lines, angles, and shapes can be restored surgically with a San Diego facelift, and communicate youth, energy, and happiness. Emojis are simple graphics of human sensibility and feeling. Emoji icons are easily sketched, but only facelift plastic surgery can re-position and re-shape aging, sagging, frowning facial lines to an upturned pleasant and youthful appearance.
The best facelift plastic surgery doesn’t look like surgery, it appears natural. Over decades of adulthood, facial soft tissues descend gravitationally from youthful positions of attachment on the facial skeleton. Progressive sagging changes facial shapes, angles, and directions of linear skin folding to point downward, and unintentionally indicate fatigue, loss of vitality, sadness, and other detrimental expressions. Facelift rejuvenation should restore youthful features. By lifting sagging skin and soft tissue, nothing revives vibrant features and contours like a well-planned and performed facelift. The best facelift procedure doesn’t look like a facelift at all, just natural, alert, happy, and pretty. Although fat transfer and injectable fillers complement facelift, they are no substitute for plastic surgery. Fillers may change basic features of your appearance rather than maintain your identity and restore youth. The misconception that aging is facial “volume loss” has been replaced by scientifically proven understanding that aging is mostly volume descent; Brows, cheeks, upper lip, and neck soft tissue sag downward with age rather than “deflate.”
Dr. Laverson personalizes his approach to facelift procedures in San Diego. There are similarities in how adults age, and there are individual differences. Each facelift performed by Dr. Laverson will include both general elements and specific elements for an attractive natural look that’s unique to preserve your individual identity.
HAPPYNESS describes elements of our unique anti-aging treatment. The results we offer for each San Diego facelift patient include: H = HAPPY. Our corner of lip lift creates a pleasant appearance. A = AWAKE / ALERT. Our levator advancement opens the upper eyelids. P = PRETTY, which everyone must have after the face lift procedure. P = PERMANENT BOTOX, Facelifts remove squint muscles between the brows permanently. Y = YOUTHFUL. With facelifts we only change aging features, not your identity features, so you still look like yourself, but younger. N = NATURAL, not surgical. We prefer natural over artificial, and avoid over-filled, over-pulled, over fat-grafted, over-puffed, over-stuffed, over-stretched, over-tightened, over-shiny, over-surprised facelifts. Nature did not make you that way, and we will not either. E = ELEVATED and EXTRA. With a facelift your brows, corners of your eyes, lower eyelids and cheeks, jawline, jowls, upper lip, and neck all descend with age and will all be lifted back to where they once were. It’s comprehensive. Because everything ages over time, everything should be restored and elevated together. Your parts should all be in harmony with one another. Extra is for extras you may need for the best result like laser skin treatment, earlobe adjustments, facial implants, nose surgery, and any other additions. S = SLENDER. Your neck ages with your face and sagging skin, muscle, and fat will all re remodeled to the slim neck you once likely had. S = SCARLESS and SECRET. Others should see YOU, not your facelift plastic surgery or scars. Scars are there, but not seen. Your facelift procedure is your secret. We will not betray your secret by visible scars, a “lateral sweep” of cheek skin, or sci-fi avatar features that may belong on a computer generated image but not on your face. You can trust us to keep your facelift procedure a secret, and to help YOU keep it a secret. The facelift should offer allure and youth. Those who know you should tell you how fabulous you look, not look at you strangely thinking, “What happened to you?”
The results of your facelift last for your entire life, provided you maintain it. Facelift improves gravitational aging by lifting soft tissue, but skin quality MUST be preserved after anti-aging surgery for surface texture to stay fresh, and to match youthful contours re-established by surgery. Skin maintenance usually involves sun protection, The GOLD cream or other regular tretinoin based care, occasional facials, skin peels, laser, radiofrequency, or plasma based treatments, neuromodulator (e.g. Botox®, Dysport®, Xeomin®, or similar), filler (hyaluronic based and/or other) and avoiding environmental damage by tobacco and/or toxins. After facelift, you still age, but you’ll ALWAYS show less aging features than if you not had a facelift.
NO, at Feel Beautiful Plastic Surgery you’ll look like yourself with younger features. We incorporate techniques that improve the quality of aging skin (CO2 laser treatment, fat transfer, post surgical tretinoin), that lift and secure aging skin and connective tissue to a youthful elevated position (deep plane surgical approach, Piezo canthopexy and cheeklift fixation to bone, levator advancement, progressive tension fixation), that restore youthful energetic expression (lip lift and corner of lip lift, jowl removal) for restoration of youthful features, but your identity features that you’ve always had are not pulled, stretched, tightened, or plumped to change your basic proportions.
For those who aren’t ready for a full, traditional facelift, the less-invasive mini facelift is a safe, quick recovery alternative. If you see mild to moderate wrinkling and loose skin on your face and neck or you’re developing incipient jowls and creases between your nose and the corners of your mouth, a mini facelift offers a more rested appearance, restores youthful tightness of your skin, and has preventive benefits by maintaining youthful features for years.
Mini facelifts are minimally invasive and require only light anesthesia.
Mini facelifts only address the layer of tissue directly beneath the skin, which means recovery time is quicker than a full facelift, which targets deeper tissues
Mini facelifts require shorter incisions, resulting in less scarring
Mini facelifts offer mini results, and are primarily preventive in nature, preserving existing youthful features before they age. Wrinkles on the lower face are smoothed, and skin of the face is tightened.
Full facelifts improve all of the visible signs of gravitational aging in the face.
Dr. Laverson restores an attractive facial shape and natural contours, specifically avoiding the dreaded pulled, stretched, windblown, tightened, distorted, artificial, surgically altered appearance common after historical and less sophisticated facelift procedures.
Every facelift procedure begins with a consultation. This important step gives you a chance to express your desires and concerns, ask questions, and learn more about the procedures available to you. The consultation is also a time for Dr. Laverson to learn more about you and your medical history, and evaluate your facial anatomy so he can customize a treatment plan to restore your natural, youthful appearance. A thorough consultation does more than just provide information—it prepares you for a positive experience, allowing you to go into your surgery with confidence about your choices and excitement about the results.
On the day of your facelift surgery, once you are settled comfortably in the surgical suite, the procedure can begin. It will include:
Dr. Laverson will give you specific post-operative instructions to help ensure a successful recovery and gorgeous results.
If you see sadness in your expression even when you’re not, if others ask why you’re tired when you’re not, or if you see advancing aging in your face and/or neck that you want to reverse, then schedule a no obligation consultation with Dr. Laverson. Wrinkles, shadows, downturned lines, jowls, sagging skin and fat, or sagging neck skin can all be improved or completely corrected by a brief, safe, face lift procedure. The key is to find a great surgeon, because not all face lifts are alike. Ideal candidates are typically:
Mini facelift procedures are performed on an outpatient basis, using light anesthesia. Short incisions are hidden around your ears. Tissue layers and neck muscles are repositioned more tightly, facial skin is re-draped and lifted, and excess skin is removed. The entire procedure lasts several hours, and the result is natural-looking, smooth, and more youthful. Although you continue aging, results are permanent. You’ll never look as old as you would have looked if you didn’t have the procedure.
Full facelifts require general anesthesia. Once you are safely unconscious, a similar approach to your deep facial tissues is concealed around the ears and within your hair line. These deeper tissues are surgically mobilized, advanced upward, and secured to deep immobile connective tissue of the face for a long lasting youthful correction. Excess fat and skin are removed to accommodate this correction and to trim facial shape.
Recovery from a facelift to most regular activities of daily living lasts two weeks. Swelling and dense stiffness of the surgical area lasts much longer. Directly after your procedure, mild discomfort is managed with oral pain medication. Within several days, over-the-counter pain medications are usually sufficient. Three weeks or longer are recommended before strenuous exercise. To preserve and extend the results of face lift, follow up appointments, good skin care, and ancillary anti-aging measures are recommended. Aging progresses over years and is best managed by regular treatments over time for your beauty, your confidence, your success, and your quality of life.
Along the hairline behind the ears and in natural creases and boundaries of the ear, beneath the chin, in the hair, and other areas where they can be best concealed. Occasionally scars may be visible or troubling. This is most common among men with short hair and women who wear their hair up, wear it back, and/or people with thin or sparse hair. This is often known in advance, and Dr. Laverson plans the procedure accordingly, to avoid visible scar. Still, if it’s a problem, he will revise the scar in the office. This is a minor procedure, usually performed without surgeon’s fee.
Yes. Doing all three at once creates better harmony between all areas of the face. Since all areas of the face age together, it may be preferable to treat all areas simultaneously.
Everyone ages differently. When you decide for facelift depends on your specific features and how you feel about your aging. Many prefer less aggressive surgery at a younger age to maintain a youthful appearance and prevent further aging.
As with other surgeries, it’s important to follow the surgeon’s pre-operative instructions and facelift preparation recommendations. These preparation instructions may include:
At Feel Beautiful, we’ll provide you with clear and specific instructions for preparing for your facelift.
Dr. Laverson customizes each facelift depending on the patient’s individual goals. Whether you’re looking mainly to lift jowls and tighten the neck or to lift and enhance your full face and neck, Dr. Laverson will perform the surgical techniques best suited to help achieve your desired results. In general, face and neck lift procedures include:
No matter which facelift procedure(s) Dr. Laverson performs, we know you’ll love your gorgeous results.
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We’re prepared, and our commitment aligns with yours: Your best result and your best experience. These aren’t just words, they’re our philosophy and passion. The reason many of our patients are past patients having new procedures is because we’ve earned their trust, and we will earn yours. Plastic surgery is an investment of temporal (time), financial, and psychological resources. Only an excellent result justifies your investment. Experience the Feel Beautiful difference. Call (858) 295-4001 to schedule your no-obligation consultation.
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