Yes, hello. I'm Lim Jongmin, a plastic surgeon at SOON Plastic Surgery
And today I'll be talking about mini facelift procedures
(What is a mini facelift and what are the difference between a full facelift and a mini facelift?)
Yes, firstly what mini facelift is
it basically started off from a full facelift
When it comes with a full facelift, a large incision is made
from the inside of the hairline to
inside of the ear to behind the ear
as well as the side of the face to the neck
So there are a few disadvantages when it comes with its scarring and a longer recover period with a full facelift
But in the other hand, the mini face lift is performed
around the areas where scarring is not as visible
with smaller incisions resulting into shorter recover period
So you can think of it as a smaller incision with faster recovery
(Procedure methods for a mini facelift)
First when it comes to the mini facelifts, each clinics
have different criteria
Some would still call it a mini facelift when an incision is made from the hairline to the front of the ear
Or when an incision is made behind the ears
to lift the double chin and the neck line can also be called a mini facelift
Broadly put it, they are all mini facelift
But from my perspective
If there’s a big scar in the front of the ears
The recovery period is long and the scar is easily seen
So at SOON Plastic Surgery we only make an incision inside of the hairline
and by removing small parts at the top to give less visible scarring
as well as shorter recovery period
(Advantages of a mini facelift and who would you recommend it to?)
To start of with mini facelift
As I mentioned earlier, the removal of the skin is same as the full facelift
The procedure is performed by removing
only the top area of the ears
So it’s an advantage that the recovery period is short
So it's recommended for busier patients
And for patients who wants
similar results as a full facelift and for patients who may have extra skin
that may need some tightening by lifting and by removing the excess skin
that provides results with fast recovery
is what a mini facelift will provide
(How much does a mini facelift cost and is it more affordable than a full facelift?)
It definitely is more affordable
Even with scarring
as it's inside the hairline it could be visible just after the procedure
But it will no longer be visible once the hair grows
And also even though it might feel a little swollen around this area
But the bottom part of the face doesn’t get swollen
So it’s appropriate for patients
who either has to work or for patients who cannot take a long break
The biggest difference of a full and a mini facelift is
For a full facelift
There are SMAS and subcutaneous fat layer beneath your skin
Whether we can do
an internal incision along these parts is the biggest difference
Mini facelift pulls SMAS layer by lifting
but it doesn't remove anything
Also the incision will be done only on the scalp
A full facelift is done on the front of the ear or back of neck
meaning more skin would be removed
Even if you still prefer mini facelift
it can’t have an as good result as the full facelift
But if you don’t have enough time
or don’t want swelling and scarring from a full facelift
then a Mini facelift would be a more suitable option
But we can’t assure Mini facelift will have the same result
(Is revision surgery possible for a mini facelift?)
Revision surgeries are possible for mini facelifts
Even after a mini facelift procedure
you might not be unsatisfied
around the lips, neck, or double chin
Because the surgery will be done by pulling up from upper cheekbone
so you might find it insufficient lift especially around the lips
so a revision surgery can be performed to make up those parts
Or when you move your mouth
you experience the surrounding skin loosening as time passes
then you can consider a thread lift on a regular basis
Or as time goes by, you found more loose skin
Those who have soft skin tend to experience skin loosening again
And if you want to tighten
the double chin or upper neck again
then there can be several options such as facelift or another Mini facelift
depending on the patient’s condition
(When are revision surgeries possible for a mini facelift?)
In case of thread lift, it can be redone
after 6 to 12 months
When it comes to Mini facelift or a full facelift
they are expected to stay effective for at least 5 years
Of course we hope it can stay effective for 10 years
but we can’t keep the patient’s skin to stay still
and it will get pressures and loose
which eventually will result in wrinkles
so we’d wait 5 years on average
(What are the side effects of Mini facelift?)
When it comes to the side effects of Mini lift
even though it doesn’t leave a visible scar
but scar can be the biggest issue
No matter how hard the plastic surgeon stitch the skin after a incision
tissue incision will always result in scarring
And that’s why we try to hide the scar by making incision are the hairlines
The main difference is
swelling in the early stage, what I'm saying is
We remove the skin around the temples on the sideburns to the upper cheekbones
And leave the lower face alone
That's why there's a big difference in swelling
Between the upper and lower parts
So the upper cheekbones and temples look a bit swollen for a month or two
Making patients think that their cheekbones have gotten big
You don't have to worry too much about this
Because after some time, the swelling will subside and return to normal
And there are some cases where patients with serious sunken cheeks
may experience more intensified sunken cheeks
when it was strongly lifted
In this case, changing the angle of lift
Or performing additional fat transplant
Can compensate for the sunken part
(Recovery period for a mini facelift)
It takes about 10 days to get the stitches out
actually the stitches can be taken out in a week if in hurry
Since it is the scalp by considering the recovery period
we try to delay the time we remove the stitches
And in fact, for up to a month
Every wound goes through a process where the inside is hardened and contracted
In the 2nd or 3rd month, the wound gets softer. And after six months
All scars heal completely
So the recovery of the wound
Varies from patient to patient
But in most cases, when we take the stitches out the swelling subsides
Within a month, the large swellings will all calm down
But depending on the patient
Some may feel a slight swellings
It could take a couple of months to recover to that point
We've learned about mini facelifts today
I'll be back with better information next time
Thank you