Facial Rejuvenation: A Plastic Surgeon's View

Plastic surgery can indeed erase years of aging and stress. It is the most effective way to achieve significant results. No matter what the advertisement say about all the over-the-counter wrinkles creams, if you really want to look younger, consider plastic surgery.

Facial rejuvenation and anti-aging skin care comes in many forms. As a plastic surgeon, I recommend different approaches for different people, always customizing it for the individual.

Different techniques provide different levels of treatment, downtime and results. Here is a list of common plastic surgery techniques so you can decide what is right for you.

Facelift: A facelift is one of the most common plastic surgery techniques. A well-done facelift will correct the effects of aging on the face. A face lift can refresh your look and soften wrinkles. A quality facelift will not appear tight or unnatural.

Forehead and Brow Lifts: Not as complete as a facelift, a forehead or brow lift can takes years off the appearance your face. As the name implies, a forehead, brow lift, or an upper eyelid lift will correct deep forehead wrinkles, as well as horizontal and vertical facial lines.

Eyelid Surgery: Technically called a Blepharoplasty, eyelid surgery restores your youthful gaze by correcting loose skin, and sagging around the eyes. For most of us, the eye area is one of the most deeply affected of the face.

Nose Reshaping: Also called rhinoplasty or a nose job, nose reshaping can beautify your nose, correct breathing difficulties and create a harmonious balance with your face.

Chin and Cheek Enhancements: To accentuate the contour of your profile and neckline and provide finer definition to your face, chin and cheek enhancements can provide a more sophisticated and bold look.

Fat Grafting: Transfer of fat from thighs or abdomen to eliminate facial lines, augment lips and accentuate cheeks. Fat grafting removes years of aging from the face without any risk of scarring or the need for sutures. It is an extremely effective technique.

To decide which is right for you, it is best to consult with an experienced surgeon who can evaluate you objectively. In my opinion, it is best to do the minimal surgery in order to produce some subtle but significant results. Avoid a surgeon who seems to always want to do the maximum, most drastic thing. Often, that is not really needed. A less extensive surgery is sometimes better for many reasons. You will experience less pain and discomfort and heal faster from a simpler procedure and if that is all you require, it will also look best. Plastic surgery looks the best, the most realistic, when it is modest and subtle.

An over zealous desire to achieve drastic results is one of the main motivating factors behind bad plastic surgery that observers consider grotesque. Sometimes the best approach is to realize that there are necessary boundaries which require wisdom on the part of the surgeon to place properly. A surgeon needs to know when enough is enough and advise his patients accordingly using the utmost compassion.