Your Beautiful Magazine!
Page 18
Female Focus
1/ Dear Dr. Poole I am a woman of 49 years of age and I have noticed that over the last couple of years my skin has given way on my face, especially in the neck. I was just wondering if it would be possible to have it lifted alone without the need of a full face lift. Many thanks
Hello, yes, it is around this age (45-55) when the skin becomes loose both in men and women. Before that, wrinkles can be noticeable to a certain extent and they can be handled with temporary fillers, but once the skin becomes loose, fillers are not the answer as they will only add extra weight and therefore make things look worse. The only answer for loose skin is to tighten it.
If you look at yourself in any mirror and tighten your neck by pulling it backwards, you will probably notice that this creates a fold or “dog ear” over the ear lobes and upwards. In order to correct that, the incision has to follow it up to the tragus and higher. You may also notice that the definition of the jaw is best achieved by pulling the jowls up and back towards the top of the ears and then again with the cheeks. In other words, yes, it could be done but it will not give a good result. To me there is not a “half lift” or “lower lift”. It is either done well or not, and as the cost is exactly the same, I would rather do it completely in order to leave an even and natural result. Each case must be assessed individually and the technique varies accordingly; in some cases the emphasis is put on the lower third and in others on the medial or upper one but my view is that do do it properly it has to be done as a whole.
2/ Dear Dr. Poole. What do you think of threading and what is the age at which you recommend it. Does it really substitute a face lift? Many thanks in advance.
Threading is a procedure where some threads with a rugged surface, similar in a way to barbed wire, are inserted below and through the skin and pulled upwards from the jaws and cheeks towards the temples. The threads are made of the same material as non absorbable sutures and therefore are permanent. It can be quite successful on an age group that ranges from 45 to 55 but later, the amount of loose skin is so large that by pulling it upwards, the only result you get is misplacing the wrinkles, creating new ones on top. Threading also, is not a permanent solution and quite often the skin ends up giving way in about 3 to 5 years (much less in many cases). It is only popular because it pretends to sort a problem in an easier way, but the reality is that this problem can only be sorted by proper surgery. Also it does require local anaesthesia and sedation, therefore it is often more expensive. Another problem associated with threading is the fact that the sutures used are permanent, something that makes it very difficult when in later the years you want to have a proper face lift, as they will be in the way.
I advise a face lift on women always after menopause, when the lack of oestrogen causes dehydration of the skin and wrinkles become more evident, together with loose or redundant skin. It can be done before that but it will be a waste of time and money as it will give way again later when it happens. However, some people like celebrities who need to look young and fresh at any time, can have it done and redone every 5 to 10 years. I don’t think that this is vanity as in those cases, their popularity and income may depend on their looks. A face lift is a safe operation that can be performed 3 to 5 times but is normally done just once in a life time, and because of that, my advice is never to do it before 50-55.
Article supplied by Dr. I. Poole, Clinica El Arenal which can be found at Av. Arenal 2, Jávea.
Tel: 965 792 418 11am - 1pm or 652 286 720 (24hr).
Dr.I.Poole@gmail.com
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