Facelift
Facelift, or “rhytidectomy,” is Dr. Rad's true expertise. He is regarded as one of the most gifted facial aesthetic surgeons nationally and globally for his aesthetic vision, technical ability and the meticulous nuance that he delivers to each patient. Dr. Rad’s approach is not to erase every wrinkle but rather to refresh in an age-appropriate way and restore a natural appearance. By considering faces holistically, Dr. Rad finds the optimal approach, uniquely suited to each patient, towards beautiful, plausibly deniable results.
The process with Dr. Rad starts with an unhurried and comprehensive consultation, Dr. Rad first endeavors to understand what details about your face bother you and why. Most patients note that they look tired, sad, grumpy or fatigued. While these feelings may not be present, age-related changes in the face trigger associations with these emotions. Patients may be concerned specifically about loose neck and jowl tissues, or sagging cheeks with deep nasolabial folds and marionette lines. Oftentimes patients have had years of injectables and their efficacy has waned. With a good understanding of your concerns, Dr. Rad then carefully examines your facial anatomy to determine the best approaches to address your concerns and explains in great detail what results can be achieved safely and with longevity.
Dr. Rad will advise on all options such as lower face and neck lift, mini-facelift and S-lift, to more comprehensive procedures such as the SMAS facelift and deep plane facelift. Dr. Rad offers the full spectrum of aesthetic procedures from which the perfect plan can be tailored to meet your needs. Dr. Rad’s patients often want a 100% correction with the most longevity of the results. In these situations, Dr. Rad uses his signature Deep Plane Facelift technique, a highly meticulous operation that offers the most rejuvenation while still preserving your identity. The “deep plane” refers to elevating the muscle “SMAS” layer with skin mostly attached and lifting these tissue planes as a unit. By doing so, facial tissues are naturally lifted without a stretched appearance, scars heal beautifully, and recovery is about 2-3 weeks. Dr. Rad will show you many results to prove the point.
Once you’ve settled on the best approach, pre-operative planning proceeds with medical clearance by your PCP and medical specialists as needed (for example, your cardiologist). We provide detailed pre- and post-operative instructions, and you will meet with Dr. Rad one more time before surgery to review your medical fitness and the overall surgical plan. Every aspect of your care is optimized and Dr. Rad works closely with board-certified anesthesiologists in a hospital-based ambulatory surgery center (ASC) for the highest degree of safety.
“Facelifting is about restoring what time took away.”
- Ariel N Rad, MD, PhD, FACS
How do I know if I’m a good candidate for facelift surgery?
- Droop eyebrows and hooded eyelids can create a sad appearance
- Bags and hollowing under lower eyelids gives a look of fatigue
- Deflated apples of the cheeks create a sallow, unfeminine look
- Deep smile lines (nasolabial folds), downturned corners of the mouth and marionette lines caused by loose, droopy tissues
- Falling fatty deposits over the jawline called “jowls” which make the face look square rather than heart-shaped
- Loose, wrinkled neck skin and muscle bands create a “turkey neck” or “wattle”
Good candidates for facelift are in good overall health and who desire to look their best, naturally refreshed, and who don’t want the looks of a different person. Age is irrelevant – patients of all ages can desire improvements. A woman in her fifties or sixties may feel that her outer appearance doesn’t match the vibrancy and youthfulness she feels inside. On the other hand, someone who genetically never had a crisply defined neckline may opt for targeted neck lift. Slender and physically fit patients of all ages are often concerned to address sagging neck and jowls, deflated cheeks and hollowed eyes that are common with low body fat. Regardless of motivation, ideal facelift patients are self confident and engaged in life and in their professions, and they want to present their best faces to the world, whilst not looking extremely altered. Dr. Rad’s approach is to make subtle improvements in the multiple areas of the face that add up to a rested and refreshed appearance.