Non Surgical Facelift vs. Surgery: Which is Right for You?

Sometimes the mirror doesn’t reflect how we truly feel inside. Despite following a healthy diet and lifestyle our skin remains susceptible to the aging process.

Over time, the skin on the face and neck can develop wrinkles and sagging as muscles weaken and collagen diminishes, affecting our facial features. Luckily, natural-looking skin rejuvenation is available to help you look and feel great.

Clinique-K founder and chief surgeon Dr. Karl Schwarz in Montreal and his team are committed to helping you choose the right surgical facelift, minimally-invasive procedure, or a combination of both.

Surgical Rejuvenation vs. Non-surgical Facelift: Which One?

When choosing treatment options to rejuvenate your face and neck facelift surgery fillers often come to mind. In many cases, patients are candidates for both as each one plays a different role.

Nonsurgical treatment like a "liquid facelift" using wrinkle relaxers and hyaluronic acid fillers works best in younger patients whose skin is firm. It can help them achieve facial enhancement or to soften the appearance of dynamic wrinkles.

When a patient has considerable sagging, particularly the skin of the neck, they are typically a better candidate for a facelift or neck lift.

This is because at a certain point fillers and wrinkle relaxers like Botox will not be enough to achieve a satisfactory improvement that they would get from surgical facelift results. Cosmetic surgery may be required to reposition the skin’s deeper layers and remove excess skin. After that, additional treatments like facial fillers and laser skin resurfacing can be used to finetune the outcome.

A Facelift Improves the Lower Two Thirds of the Face and Neck

To give you an idea of which procedure might work best for your unique situation, consider the following: a facelift improves the lower two-thirds of the face and neck.

It helps to tighten neck skin, lifts the cheeks, smooths out the jawline, and improves the appearance of jowls and marionette lines.

Essentially, a facelift will give you a more defined or sculpted jawline by tightening the excess skin of the neck. You may still require eyelid surgery (blepharoplasty) or a brow lift because a facelift doesn't include upper face procedures.

What About Wrinkle Relaxers and Dermal Fillers?

Injectable treatments like Botox are used to smooth out the wrinkles of the forehead, frown lines, and crow’s feet, which are the little smile lines lateral to the eyes.

Wrinkle relaxers are neuromodulatorsthat are administered by injecting them directly into the muscles that cause wrinkles. They temporarily stop the communication between facial nerve cells, causing a wrinkle-smoothing effect.

Other minimally-invasive treatments include fillers such as Restylane, Juvederm, Radiesse, and tissue stimulating injections like Sculptra. These not only reduce wrinkles but are also effective for achieving more defined cheekbones, chin, jawline, lips and other lesser known areas like temples.

Dermal fillers and anti-wrinkle injections are ideal for both for non-surgical facial rejuvenation or when used alongside a facelift to enhance the results.

It is important to note that if you have a lot of excess facial or neck skin, no amount of filler will improve the face and neck contour as nicely as a facelift. At Clinique-K we often use fillers to prevent or improve signs of aging until a certain point, then we recommend surgical options like a facelift.

Minimally-Invasive vs. Surgical Procedures: A Natural-Looking Result is Always the Goal

At Clinique-K in Montreal and Longueuil, various facelift techniques, including the mini facelift and deep plane facelift surgery, are available to address different levels of facial aging and skin tightening needs.

Facelift treatments are tailored to each individual, ensuring that whether you opt for a full facelift, mini facelift surgery, or other facial procedures, you achieve the most natural and satisfying results.

If you are seeking less invasive options, non-surgical facelift procedures and facial injections offer advantages like minimal recovery time and effective results.

You can combine these treatments with non-surgical rhinoplasty and other scar and wrinkle reduction techniques to provide a comprehensive approach to facial rejuvenation.

In summary, if you're considering facelift surgery and the recovery process that's involved, it's crucial to consult with a plastic surgery specialist to determine if you are a good facelift candidate. Whether you're exploring the effects of a facelift treatment or the specifics of a neck lift, choosing the right facial plastic surgery procedure can make a significant difference in your youthful appearance and confidence.

To learn more about breast implant surgery and breast augmentation cost, we invite you to book a consultation and 3D Imagery at Clinique-K at our Montreal locations in Westmount and Longueuil.