Surgical vs. Non-Surgical Facelifts: Exploring the Pros and Cons
There’s no hiding from age and at some point, everyone considers a facelift. It’s usually after the age of 40 that your face goes through the most significant changes, mainly due to volume loss. When volume is lost, the skin starts to sag, resulting in changes such as jowls.
Today, patients have the option of surgical and non-surgical facelifts, but which option is right for you?
Surgical Facelifts: Why You Should Do It
Also known as a rhytidectomy, a surgical facelift repositions the soft tissues in the mid and lower half of the face. It addresses common problems such as deep creases, sagging cheeks and excess fat around the neck. According to facelift clinic in Perth, Academy Face & Body, here are a few of the pros of a surgical facelift.
- Repairs loose skin. During a facelift, your surgeon will remove excess skin and tighten the rest, leaving you with a smoother, firmer-looking face.
- Tightens facial muscles. It’s only natural for the underlying structures of your face to weaken with age but a facelift will tighten them back up again.
- Enhances facial contours. If you go for a mid-facelift, your surgeon will tighten up your cheeks and lower eyelids, leaving you with better facial contours that make you look younger.
- Long-lasting effects. The results of a facelift can last for up to 10 years.
Now, let’s look at the cons:
- It costs more. Even though facelifts are more affordable than they once were, they are still more costly than non-surgical options.
- The risks are higher. Since this is an invasive procedure, there are more risks involved.
- More recovery time is required. Again, since incisions are required, patients need a lot more time to recover from the procedure.
- Additional aftercare is required. Patients need to be prepared to follow more aftercare instructions than if they underwent a non-surgical procedure.
Non-Surgical Facelifts: Why You Should Do It
There are a wide range of techniques that can be used to complete a non-surgical facelift, including fillers, IPL and Kybella. These are some of the pros associated with non-surgical facelifts:
- No serious pain will be experienced. Most non-surgical facelift procedures will result in minimal discomfort.
- Procedures are shorter. Since no anaesthetic is required, the procedures are not as intensive and complicated, which is why non-surgical facelifts tend to be shorter.
- Cost effective. Non-surgical facelifts are naturally more cost-effective because the procedure isn’t as complex.
- Recovery and aftercare are minimal. Since no incisions are required, patients generally require less recovery time and need to follow fewer aftercare instructions.
- Fewer risks are involved. Minimally-invasive procedures don’t carry as many risks as those that require incisions.
Now, let’s look at the cons:
- Regular treatments are required. Since the results of non-surgical procedures only last several months, it means patients need to prepare for regular sessions.
- Expensive over time. Because regular treatments are required, the costs of non-surgical facelifts add up over time.
Now that you have a better idea of the pros and cons of each of these options, it should be easier to make a decision. However, it’s always best to speak to a professional who can evaluate your skin first.