Facelift in Boston

Name: Facelift
Brand: Dr. Fechner
Rating: 4.8 (177 reviews)

Dr. Fechner in Boston is a surgical procedure designed to tighten and lift sagging skin, smooth deep wrinkles, and restore a more youthful contour to the face and neck.

Your Facelift with Dr. Fechner

For the most elegant and natural look achievable with a facelift, you want to choose the best plastic surgeon in Boston. Double board-certified facial plastic surgeon Dr. Frank Fechner has gained a reputation as an expert in face and neck lift procedures to rejuvenate the lower face, jawline, and neck. Because of his expertise in facial surgery, even other plastic surgeons and their spouses come to see Dr. Fechner for their procedures.

The facelift represents the quintessential treatment for improving aging changes of the cheek, jawline, and neck. No other treatment can replace this long-lasting facial rejuvenation procedure. Before performing arguably the best facelift in Boston, Dr. Fechner performs a comprehensive analysis of your unique facial anatomy and aging pattern to establish a custom-tailored rejuvenation plan.

Double-Board Certified Facial Plastic Surgeon in Boston

You can be confident in the skills of Dr. Fechner, as he is one of the most respected in the field of facial cosmetic surgery. Having performed thousands of facelifts in Boston, his depth of knowledge and experience is above and beyond the ordinary. Coupled with his compassionate approach, he uses the most advanced procedures for the most natural and beautiful results combined with excellent durability. During a delicately performed facelift procedure, the sagging facial and neck tissues are repositioned to create a more youthful, vital, refreshed appearance. Dr. Fechner’s modern facial rejuvenation approach is designed to treat all age-related facial issues. The treatment plan commonly includes face and neck lifts, performed in conjunction with volume enhancement with facial fat grafting and advanced skin rejuvenation treatments. With a facelift in Worcester, Dr. Fechner is looking to emphasize the pretty and youthful features present in each face, always avoiding tight, pulled, and unnatural appearances.

Candidacy for A Facelift

The force of gravity, coupled with aging-related loss of facial tissue elasticity lead to the development of unsightly jowls. This disruption of the youthful and clean jawline is a telltale sign of aging. Your neck area may have loose skin, lax muscles (which may look like vertical “chords”) and fullness due to fatty deposits accumulating in the neck and under the jawline.

This aging process varies from person to person and is based upon factors such as family traits, general health, and lifestyle factors such as nutrition, weight, smoking, and the extent of sun exposure.

Patients in their forties, fifties, and sixties represent the most common age group who see facelift procedures with Dr. Fechner, although he performed them successfully on many women and men who were significantly older. A good candidate for our Boston facelift is in overall good health and does not have major medical issues.

Heart disease, diabetes, and lung disease need to be well controlled; active cancer or bleeding abnormalities require medical attention prior to undergoing a facelift procedure. To protect your health, all facial surgeries and treatments are performed after an appropriate medical evaluation.

Facelift Before & After

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Customized Facelift Treatment Plans

There are various types of facelift procedures to address aging issues, and traditionally, plastic surgeons tend to advocate a single surgical technique. Dr. Fechner feels that this “one facelift fits all” approach should be customized to achieve superior results. Rather than forcing one technique onto each face, he formulates a treatment plan that appropriately addresses the individual's specific aesthetic needs and desires.

Facelift Procedures

Certainly, one facelift is NOT like the other. Patients trust their faces in Dr. Fechner’s hands because his vast experience allows him to take advantage of the range of facelift techniques and fine-tune the procedure to achieve what is most effective for the individual. He stresses that an excellent customized facelift in Worecester depends on a combination of many facets, which, if performed with skill and delicacy, will provide the most elegant outcome. Unfortunately, the names of various facelift techniques are confusing, both for patients and plastic surgeons alike. Names like “mini-lift”, SMAS lift, extended SMAS lift, MACS lift, plication facelift or imbrication lift are commonly used without clearly defining the differences. During the private consultation, Dr. Fechner will explain which specific facelift option will produce the improvements you envision for yourself.

"Dr. Fechner and his staff are amazing. I had a facelift and neck lift and could not be happier with the results. I would recommend him to my family and friends!"

Deep Plane Facelift in Worcester & Boston

The deep-plane facelift is a time-proven advancement of the traditional facelift in the quest for improved mid-face rejuvenation that achieves a natural appearance. The High-SMAS facelift represents a modification of the deep plane facelift. Most leaders in facelift surgery, including Dr. Fechner, are convinced that the technically more challenging deep-plane facelift represents the superior approach to natural-looking and long-lasting rejuvenation. As the name implies, by taking advantage of lifting in a deeper tissue plane, a better balance of rejuvenation is achieved, including the cheeks, hereby avoiding the “swept-up” look.

The deep plane facelift allows Dr. Fechner to release facial ligaments that tether the tissues, followed by controlled repositioning. This deep plane facelift does not rely on skin tension or pulling of tissues but on anatomical suspension. The incision line is well hidden around the ears and within the hairline. A natural and rejuvenated outcome for patients with more advanced aging characterizes the end result of a deep-plane facelift.

Facelift FAQ

How Long Does a Facelift Last?

Will I Need Someone to Drive Me Home?

How Long is the Facelift Surgery?

Will I Have Noticeable Scars with a Facelift?

Is the Recovery Painful?

How Long Does a Facelift Last?

As long as you take care of your skin and cover it with a broad spectrum UCA-UVB sunscreen, your facelift results will last for many years. For most patients, that can be in the range of seven to twelve years. Younger patients tend to experience longer results than older patients, as their skin is suppler and more resilient.

Will I Need Someone to Drive Me Home?

You should plan to have someone drive you home and stay with you until the pain medication wears off. It is also important to note that you will not have total free movement of your face and neck to safely drive a car after surgery. Plan to have a friend or family member stay with you for the first night at least.

How Long is the Facelift Surgery?

The time to perform facelift surgery will vary based upon the corrections needed. A typical facelift often requires about three to four hours, or longer if you are having other procedures in the same surgery, such as eyelid surgery or a brow lift.

Will I Have Noticeable Scars with a Facelift?

Wherever there is an incision, there will be a scar. Your surgeon will make every effort to minimize your scarring by making incisions hidden within the hairline or around the ear structure. Any scars from a facelift will be virtually undetectable once healed.

Is the Recovery Painful?

You should experience moderate pain after facelift surgery, easily treated with pain medication in the early stages. Bruising and swelling are normal and will fade quickly. Most patients will experience a tight sensation and some numbness that resolves within a few weeks.

Neck Lift

A neck lift may be considered a partial facelift for the rejuvenation of an aging neck. Dr. Fechner routinely uses a short incision hidden in an under-the-chin skin crease. Dr. Fechner will often perform a platysmaplasty, hereby firming and tightening neck muscles. In addition, he completed a thorough fat reduction from the neck region, which was performed with delicate hand sculpting in conjunction with our gentle neck liposuction in Boston. As a neck lift procedure focuses on the neck only, Dr. Fechner’s Boston neck lift patients find the recovery time fast and quickly return to their professional and social activities – with confidence that they are looking their best.

Platysmaplasty

Platysmaplasty literally means “reconstruction of the neck muscles.” The platysma is a broad, sheath-like muscle located beneath the skin of the neck. As aging progresses and tissue elasticity decreases, the front section of the muscles often produces unsightly neck “chords.”

When Dr. Fechner performs a platysmaplasty, he secures these separated neck muscle chords together using deep, absorbable sutures, correcting these cosmetic flaws. Dr. Fechner most commonly combines platysmaplasty with a facelift and a neck lift.

Corset Platysmaplasty

The most dramatic rejuvenation of the aging neck can be accomplished with a procedure called a “corset platysmaplasty,” a procedure perfected by Dr. Joel Feldman, a now-retired Boston plastic surgeon. Dr. Fechner has used the corset platysmaplasty for more than 10 years and finds this technique powerful for the most difficult necks. This technique differs from all other neck lift approaches by only tightening the platysma muscle where it is the loosest: directly beneath the chin. This procedure is the most thorough of all neck lifts and requires the removal of the tiny remnants of fat from the sheet of neck musculature with direct visualization. Like the incremental tightening of a woman’s corset, the neck platysma muscle is tightened with multiple rows of surgical stitches, creating a taut muscle layer for a lovely, more youthful neck definition. As part of the corset platysmaplasty, Dr. Fechner removes, at times, large amounts of fat that cannot be extracted with liposuction. The jawline can be redefined dramatically, and a crisp transition between neck and jaw restores the youthful look. In Dr. Fechner’s experience, corset platysmaplasty is an advanced and delicate surgical procedure that produces results that are unsurpassed in neck definition and longevity. Because of its unique technical aspects, all of Dr. Fechner’s corset platysmaplasty patients report a tight feeling in the initial stages of healing. Although this new sensation always normalizes, it represents the reassuring initial signal that the goal of the procedure was accomplished.

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Neck Liposuction

In young patients with good skin elasticity, liposuction of the neck is sometimes performed as a stand-alone procedure. It is not uncommon for Dr. Fechner to employ liposuction in conjunction with a face and neck lift. Most people accumulate unwanted fat within the neck; therefore, we consider the removal of such fat very important for an optimal cosmetic outcome. For neck liposuction in Boston, Dr. Fechner places tiny openings underneath the chin and behind each earlobe (usually hidden within a normal crease) to allow access to the small liposuction cannula.

Using negative pressure, fat tissue is carefully removed from underneath the neck skin to help produce an optimal definition of the chin and neck angle. Dr. Fechner takes special care to remove fat evenly for a smooth neck appearance. Generally, only a little fat removal is necessary within the neck to create the desired enhancement. In contrast to liposuction of the buttocks or thighs, neck liposuction is a rather gentle and more delicate procedure. To learn about non-surgical options for neck fat reduction, a patient may want to consider neck Coolsculpting or Kybella injections.

Finesse Lift

The Finesse Lift is a modification of the traditional facelift. It allows Dr. Fechner to complete the procedure in less time under local anesthesia with a sedative. As the treatment is less extensive and less invasive, recovery time is shortened. In Dr. Fechner’s experience, the Finesse Lift is best suited for younger people in their 30s or 40s who display earlier signs of aging and do not require a more comprehensive facelift procedure.

Midface Lift – Cheek Lift

The mid-face lift is an operation that has been falling out of favor with many experienced facelift surgeons. The goal of a midface procedure was to elevate soft tissues that are drooping from the cheekbone downwards, thereby creating flattening of the cheeks, saggy cheeks, and deepened nasolabial folds. As we understand the 3-dimensional facial changes due to aging, Dr. Fechner finds that volume restoration is the more effective and natural approach to cheek rejuvenation rather than performing a midface lift with its longer recovery.

Revision Facelift

Dr. Fechner is commonly sought after for second or revision facelift surgery. Some patients have had the unfortunate experience of undergoing a facelift that produced an unattractive outcome, looked uneven and strange, or did not fully rejuvenate the face as expected. A revision facelift is a procedure to correct problems after the first surgery or create the look the patient originally hoped to achieve. Common problems requiring facelift corrective surgery by Dr. Fechner are patients left with unsightly jowls, neck laxity, drooping cheeks, or unsightly scars.

Cases of an unfavorable facelift result include a tight, pulled appearance that looks unnatural, earlobe distortions (i.e., “pixie ear deformity,”) or step-off problems with the hairline. If you are unhappy with your appearance after a facelift, we recommend you have a private consultation with Dr. Fechner, a leading authority on advanced facelift surgical techniques.

Facelift with Fat Transfer (Fat Grafting)

Over his years in professional practice, Dr. Fechner has stressed the importance of volume replacement as a valuable adjunct for elegant and natural-looking facial rejuvenation. During the fat injection procedure, Dr. Fechner harvests the individual’s own fat from other body areas (i.e., abdomen, thighs, etc.).

After purification, he injects this fat carefully into regions of the face that are deficient in volume. Normally, Dr. Fechner performs the fat transfer in conjunction with a facelift to lift sagging tissues within the jowl and neck areas in the same surgical appointment. Volume restoration with natural fat transfer can enhance the aesthetic outcome of a facelift for patients who look gaunt due to the thinning of normal facial fat layers. The recovery time after fat transfer in conjunction with a facelift may range from 10 to 14 days.

Weight Changes and Facelift

Overweight people usually carry additional fatty tissue on the face, leading to a fuller facial appearance and skin that may have stretched beyond its capacity to recoil after weight loss. In general, facelifts in overweight people may bring about less dramatic changes than procedures performed on thinner individuals. When a person loses a significant amount of weight after a facelift procedure, new facial laxity will develop, which may require a touch-up procedure. If such a weight loss is anticipated, Dr. Fechner recommends losing the weight prior to undergoing a facelift.

Summary

In general, Dr. Fechner’s facelifts deliver superior and very gratifying results for his patients. It is important to keep in mind that a facelift “turns back the clock, but it cannot stop the hands from moving.” The natural aging process will continue after a successful facelift. Therefore, Dr. Fechner stresses the importance of a sophisticated maintenance program after the procedure that incorporates a healthy lifestyle, medical skincare, and a regimen of small, non-invasive office procedures. In a private consultation, Dr. Fechner will explain which specific facelift option will best treat your individual facial aging issues.