How Minimally Invasive Treatments Can Render a Subsequent Face Lift More Difficult

Abstract

Background: Minimally invasive antiaging procedures are often misused or overused, creating difficulties when the patient later decides to have a face lift. The goal of this study was to examine the most common problems that the senior author (G.S.) faces in his face lifts because of these noninvasive interventions and to demonstrate the methods he uses to solve them. Methods: A review of rhytidectomy cases from 2012 to 2017 performed by the senior author was conducted. All patients who had undergone any type of minimally invasive procedure before they had a face lift with the senior author were included in the study. The aim of the authors’ study was to examine their face lifts regarding the problems created by minimally invasive interventions that the patient had undergone in the past. Results: During the 5-year study period, the senior author performed 552 face lifts. By analyzing these patients, we found that 207 of them had previously undergone one or more minimally invasive procedures, in an effort to delay or avoid a face lift. The problems frequently encountered by the senior author in these patients were the following: (1) cheek fat atrophy because of previous energy-based treatments; (2) significant scar tissue formation because of previous energy-based treatments or thread lifting; and (3) large-volume injectables. In all the above-mentioned cases, the surgeon had to modify his basic surgical plan accordingly. Conclusion: Plastic surgeons today must be perfectly trained to evaluate and solve any of the problems caused during a face lift by misused or overused minimally invasive treatments performed in the past. CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic, IV.