A lower facelift, also known as lower rhytidectomy, is a surgical procedure that addresses skin laxity in the lower face, jawline, and neck area. This procedure reduces the appearance of signs of skin ageing in the lower face, such as fine lines and wrinkles, by tightening the skin and underlying muscles. It also involves removing excess fat and repositioning facial tissues.
Understanding the Different Types of Facelifts
As your body ages, the skin starts to lose its elasticity. The facial tissues also lose their volume. With time, the lower section of the face develops descending skin and wrinkles. Although these changes are a normal part of ageing, a lower facelift can help reduce their appearance.
It is important to understand which type of facelift is suitable for each patient. The first thing is to understand the terms “lower face”, “upper face”, and “midface.” Hence the terms “lower facelift”, “upper facelift”, and “midface lift.”
An upper face procedure targets anything above the eyes, such as the forehead and brow line. The midface procedure is more focused on the area from the corners of the eyes to the mouth, which includes the cheeks and upper lip area.
A lower face procedure targets all the areas below the corners of the mouth. The procedure can help address jowls (descending or excess skin below the jawline), laugh lines, marionette lines (wrinkles in the corners of the mouth extending to the chin), and neck skin laxity. In other words, the procedure targets the lower two-thirds of a patient’s face.
What is the Difference Between a Mini Facelift and a Lower Facelift?
The mini facelift, often referred to as a short-scar facelift, is a procedure recommended for patients with minimal signs of ageing. This procedure uses a smaller incision that is located in front of the ear and extends up into the temporal area. Due to the smaller incision, it can only address skin concerns in the midface area.
A lower facelift has a longer incision that starts in front of the ear and extends around the ear into the posterior hairline, often combined with a small incision under the chin. This extra exposure allows much more elevation of the lower face and neck region. Through these incisions, the underlying tissues can be accessed in order to tighten muscles, remove excess fat, and reposition the skin.
Lower Face Lift Vs. Neck Lift: What’s the Difference?
A question that is often asked is “What is the difference between a neck lift and a lower facelift?” While both procedures address signs of ageing, they target different facial areas and concerns. A lower facelift targets the lower half of the face while a neck lift focuses solely on the neck region.
A more comprehensive traditional face and neck lift procedure combines both the mid face and lower face lift procedures to reduce the signs of ageing. These include skin concerns such as nasolabial folds, marionette lines, jowl formation, as well as laxity in the neck region.
Five Areas of the Face Treated with a Lower Facelift
A lower facelift can be customised to address specific skin concerns in the lower face, jawline, and neck area. This surgical procedure can target the following five areas of the face:
- Corners of the mouth (marionette lines)
- Chin (excess skin)
- Jawline (jowls)
- Neck (excess skin, excess fat, and muscle banding)
- Jowl area (excess skin in the lower part of the cheeks and jawline)
