Facial shaping procedures include a traditional face lift, as well as a forehead lift, cheek lift, and fat grafting. These procedures can be performed individually or in combination depending upon the needs and desires of the patient. As a highly regarded Denver facelift surgeon, Dr. Slenkovich conducts thorough consultations to assess each patient’s facial structure, aesthetic needs and desires, and to recommend the best combination of facial rejuvenation procedures.
Because they are often performed in conjunction, we have included an overview of each of the common facial shaping procedures on this page. For more information on any procedure, please feel free to call us. We will be happy to answer all of your questions or schedule an initial consultation for you. Financing options are also available for our Denver face lift and other facial rejuvenation procedures patients.
Face Lift Overview
A face lift, or rhytidectomy, is intended to give the neck and face a more youthful contour. If you are experiencing any of the following, you may be an excellent candidate for a face lift in Denver:
- loss of skin elasticity and muscle tone of the face and neck,
- the appearance of jowls and deep creases between the base of your nose and the corners of your mouth,
- you have well-developed facial and neck wrinkles,
- you have lost your chin and neck contours,
- your overall facial appearance is tired and/or worn out.
A face lift is often performed on an outpatient basis under general anesthesia, although overnight hospital admission is available. Following the procedure, the head and neck are wrapped in dressings that are usually removed the day after surgery.
Face Lift recovery varies patient to patient. Minimal initial discomfort is controlled with oral medication. Sutures are removed within 7-10 days. Bruising and swelling decrease substantially within 10 to 20 days. The final result of a face lift is fully evident in four to six weeks or even sooner, while continued improvement is noticeable for several months. Depending on the extent of surgery and any adjunctive procedures, many facelift Denver patients are able to return to light-duty work within two weeks.
Dr. Slenkovich has written or edited a number of medical articles on Face Lift Surgeries including "Facelift, Extended SMAS", "Facelift, Mid Face", "Facelift, Anatomy", "Facelift, Composite", "Facelift, Platysmoplasty", "Facelift, Skin Only", "Facelift, SMAS Plication", "Facelift, Subperiosteal", and “Facial Fat Grafting". Dr. Slenkovich has also written or edited medical articles on Facial Implants. Click: "Facial Alloplastic Implants, Cheek: Malar and Submalar", "Facial Alloplastic Implants, Chin", and "Facial Alloplastic Implants, Mandibular Angle".
When a facelift is being performed, it is common to perform a cheek lift (midface lift) at the same time through the facelift incisions to further assist in restoring a more youthful facial form.
Cheek Lift
A cheek lift, or meloplication, uses sutures passed under the skin to provide a youthful mid-face elevation without the scars or long recovery time of a full face lift. It offers a simple but powerful way to maintain a youthful lift to the cheek area. The procedure can be performed by itself or combined with other facial procedures to provide a more comprehensive youthful appearance.
If you have skin excess in the mid-face area, early drooping cheeks, and hollowing of the upper cheek area, you may be an excellent candidate for a cheek lift.
A cheek lift is performed by placing a tiny incision near the nose, which is used to suspend a suture from the hairline to the cheek to elevate the tissue. The sutures beneath the skin provide an invisible support for the tissues in the mid-face. The operation is usually done on an outpatient basis, with local anesthesia and sedation.
Recovery involves minimal initial discomfort that is controlled with oral medication. Most patients return to normal activity within a week. Bruising and swelling will decrease within 7 to 14 days.
Dr. Slenkovich has written or edited several medical articles on Cheek Lifts and Facial Implants including: “Facial Alloplastic Implants, Cheek: Malar and Submalar”, and "Facial Alloplastic Implants, Mandibular Angle".
A cheek lift can be performed on its own or as part of a full face lift.
Forehead Lift – Brow Lift
A forehead lift, or brow lift, is intended to give a more youthful and rested appearance to the forehead and upper eyelids. You may be a candidate for a forehead lift in Denver if you have a sagging forehead or brows that hang too low and too close to your eyes, or if you have deep vertical furrows (frown lines) between your eyebrows.
A forehead lift/brow lift is done on an outpatient basis in our Colorado Plastic Surgery Center under general anesthesia or monitored sedation. Depending on your anatomy, this procedure can often be performed using small incisions that are well hidden within the hairline.
Recovery after a forehead lift usually involves initial discomfort that is easily controlled with oral medication. Most swelling and bruising is gone in 7-14 days, and light-duty work can usually be resumed within this timeframe.
A brow lift is sometimes performed in conjunction with neck lift.
Dr. Slenkovich has written or edited a number of medical articles on Forehead Lift (Brow Lift) including “Brow Lift, Coronoplasty”, “Brow Lift, Direct Brow Lift”, “Brow Lift, Endoscopic”, "Brow Lift, Mid Forehead”, “Brow Lift, Periorbital Rejuvenation”, and “Browlift, Pretrichial Lift”.
Fat Grafting
Micro fat grafting is a process in which fat from one area of the body is used to build lasting structural changes in the face (or body). Dr. Slenkovich can sometimes perform Fat Grafting in lieu of Face Lift Surgery.
In many ways, micro fat grafting, also called lipostructure is like a "permanent collagen injection" because once the fat has “taken” at the grafted site, it is essentially permanent.
If you have indentations in your skin, depressed scars or deep wrinkles, you may be a candidate for micro fat grafting.
Fat grafting is a procedure in which your own fat is collected, or suctioned, from a distant donor area such as your stomach and re-injected into the defect area. It may require sedation plus local anesthesia if large amounts of fat are to be collected.
Recovery after fat grafting usually involves minimal postoperative pain. The most common postoperative issue is swelling and some bruising. This is highly variable, based on individual healing characteristics. Swelling could last as long as two weeks. More than one session of fat grafting may be needed to achieve your goals.
Dr. Slenkovich has written or edited medical articles on Fat Grafting including: “Facial Fat Grafting".
Dr. Nick Slenkovich is a Board Certified Head and Neck Surgeon in addition to being a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon. Both of these certifications are critical credentials when choosing a plastic surgeon for your face lift or other facial contouring procedure. Please visit our Credentials page for more information about why these certifications are so important and what they mean to you.
As one of the best plastic surgeons in Denver, Dr. Nick Slenkovich has dedicated his career to the pursuit of surgical excellence and complete patient satisfaction. He performs all facial rejuvenation and beautification procedures with the utmost attentiveness, an approach that allows Dr. Slenkovich to consistently deliver highly rewarding aesthetic outcomes for his Denver otoplasty, laser skin resurfacing, facelift and eyelid surgery patients. If you would like to learn how these procedures can help you achieve your facial rejuvenation goals, please explore the respective pages.
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