FaceLift
in Miami, FL

Facelift

Most people are familiar with the standard facelift, which is usually reserved for younger patients with minimal skin laxity. The incisions typically begin above the hairline near the temples and extend to the cartilage near the inside of your ear. The incision continues behind the earlobe and finishes up the hairline behind the ear. In some cases where the neck needs work, Dr. Keyes may make a small incision under the chin.

A Facelift can be performed in two ways:

1. Skin Only: A “Skin Only” facelift, also referred to as a cutaneous facelift, is simple to perform and involves minimal downtime. However, they are typically less satisfactory for patients due to their limited effect on your facial appearance. Dr. Keyes removes any excess and loose skin to create a tightened look. The remaining skin is then repositioned to lift sagging cheeks and jowls, which can also improve the profile along the jawline. When skin is used to tighten the face, the skin responds by relaxing significantly around six months after the procedure. Skin-only facelifts typically last for 2 to 5 years.
2. SMASectomy: While the principles of surgery remain the same, this approach involves the excision of the redundant Superficial Musculo-Aponeurotic System (SMAS). SMAS procedures provided a significant lift by making incisions at the temples above the hairline so they were concealed. A SMASectomy targets drooping soft tissue throughout your face and repositions them to improve the appearance of your cheek, midface, and jawline and will last approximately ten years.

Most standard Facelifts will take between three and four hours.

Deep Plane Facelift

A deep plane facelift procedure in Miami can produce the longest-lasting results, with a lot of patients seeing results lasting up to 15 years. While standard and deep plane facelifts are performed under general anesthesia, the key difference between a traditional and deep plane lift is that the SMAS tissue layer and skin are lifted separately during a standard. In comparison, the skin, muscles, and SMAS are all pulled up together with a deep plane lift. Separately adjusting your skin and SMAS gives Dr. Keyes more control and allows him to tighten these two layers in different directions for a smoother appearance.

Another important difference between the two types of facelifts is that in a deep plane technique, Dr. Keyes goes beyond your SMAS layer and targets the deeper muscles. By releasing or tightening the muscles of facial impression, Dr. Keyes can reduce the tension on your skin, smoothing out any irregularities. Going deep also means that more overall lifting can be achieved. Simply put, the Standard facelift is less invasive and a more superficial lift compared to a deep plane lift, but both lead to optimal outcomes.

Dr. Keyes often recommends that patients undergo a combination of procedures, such as a brow lift, eyelid surgery, facial fat grafting, lip lift, or a neck lift, to complement their deep plane facelift.

Mini-Facelift

A much less invasive surgical procedure, the mini-facelift is a modified version of a traditional facelift that can help minimize loose skin around the lower portion of your face.

Dr. Keyes carefully tightens your skin and facial muscles and removes any excess tissue by using discreet incisions behind your ears. He will then close your incisions using a suturing technique that uses surgical precision to reduce the tension of your skin and minimize any visible scarring.

This surgery usually lasts less than two hours. Although you may experience some mild swelling and bruising, a mini-lift has a much less intense recovery than traditional full-facelift surgery.

Non-surgical Facelift

Sometimes referred to as a “liquid facelift,” this non-surgical approach uses dermal fillers to artfully sculpt your face by replacing lost volume. Depending on your aesthetic needs, Dr. Keyes can use a combination of fillers to help improve the shape of your face and provide you with natural-looking features. A non-surgical facelift is often used to diminish or correct such problems as drooping eyebrows, dark under-eye circles, sunken areas from under the eyes to the cheek, frown lines, flat cheeks, weak chin, jowls, jawline hollows, and scars.

During your treatment, a topical anesthetic will be applied to the targeted areas to numb your face, and Dr. Keyes will plot out the points with tiny marks where he plans on making the injections.

After the filler is strategically injected, it will be gently massaged so it’s evenly distributed. Dr. Keyes will evaluate the results, only adding more filler if necessary. After he is finished, your face will be gently cleaned off, removing any markings or residue from the treatment. An ice pack can be lightly applied to your face to help minimize any excessive swelling or bruising.

Results are almost immediate, and the final results are evident within a day or so. While each treatment and filler used will be customized to meet your needs, most of our liquid facelift patients can enjoy their results for up to two years.

What’s the First Step?

The first step in getting a facelift in Miami, FL, is to meet with Celebrity Plastic’s Patient Care Coordinator. During this meeting, our PCC will listen to your goals and help you determine if you are a good candidate for this procedure. Once it is determined that you can move forward, we will schedule your consultation.

On the day of your appointment, Dr. Keyes will discuss your cosmetic goals and evaluate your facial structure and features, including your skin quality and laxity. He will then review your medical history to ensure you are a viable candidate for facial surgery. Dr. Michael Keyes will review the techniques involved with a facelift, including the pros and cons of each approach and which method he believes would be best for you. Dr. Keyes will always take your gender, ethnicity, and physical anatomy into consideration as he shapes your face.

When you and Dr. Keyes feel comfortable with your procedure and the proper approach, he will create your custom procedure plan. Our Patient Coordinator will then schedule your surgical date and provide detailed instructions on how to prepare for your surgery for the most optimal results.

What to Expect on the Day of Facelift Surgery

On the day of your Facelift surgery, you will meet with Dr. Michael Keyes once more to review your procedure one more time. He will make the necessary marks to help guide him throughout your surgery and give you a better idea of your results. You will then meet with our Anesthesiologist, who will administer your anesthesia so your surgery is more tolerable. When you are comfortable and ready to go, you will be administered “Twilight anesthesia,” also known as conscious sedation, to minimize the risk of complications.

Once you are sedated, Dr. Keyes will make an incision in front of your ear near your temples, continuing under the earlobe towards the back of your ear, allowing it to blend in with your hairline. The skin will then be gently lifted and pulled to tighten the underlying muscle and tissue, with Dr. Keyes removing any excess skin and fat. Any incisions will be made in the natural folds of your skin to minimize the appearance of scars. Dr. Keyes will then close the incisions using sutures that create minimal scar tissue.

After your surgery, a compression dressing will be applied to help protect the incisions and prevent fluid from collecting. You may also have surgical drains left in to promote the removal of excess fluid.

The process can take four to six hours, depending on the complexity of the surgery and the number of additional procedures.

Deep Plane Facelift

Once your intravenous sedation with local anesthesia has been administered, Dr. Keyes marks the locations on your skin around your hairline and ears where he intends to make the incisions. Using advanced surgical techniques, he will proceed to release strategic ligaments at a deep plane that a traditional facelift, lifting and securing the layer of connective tissue and underlying muscle to tighten your skin and reposition the underlying layer of muscle and tissue. Once Dr. Keyes is finished, the incisions are meticulously closed.

You can expect some bruising, swelling, and potential discomfort for the first three weeks of your recovery. You are strongly encouraged to continuously wear your compression garment and neck support during the first few weeks for additional protection or until Dr. Keyes decides to have them removed.

You will need to avoid working for the first two weeks to recover comfortably and avoid strenuous activity for six weeks. While it is fairly common to experience ongoing swelling or bruising for more than a year, please do not hesitate to contact our office if you have any concerns whatsoever.