Month: September 2009

Facelifts – A Primer

Facelift or rhytidectomy in Denver, Colorado is a procedure designed to reposition tissues in the face into a more youthful position.  Facial aging affects several structures: the skin, the muscles of the face, the fat volume of the face, and the bone volume of the face.  Once upon a time, it was thought that all you had to do to get a tight face was pull the skin tight.  Times have certainly changed!

In modern facelifting or rhytidectomy, the skilled surgeon analyzes all the aging structures of the face to determine what treatment each layer may need to effectively turn back the hands of time.  For instance, the skin may have been ravaged by sun exposure, smoking, weight loss, or time.  It may not be as elastic as it once was.  The extra skin will need to be removed.  The skin may need to be further tightened and toned using fractional laser resurfacing.

The underlying muscle can get loose especially in the neck (platysma) and this may need to be tightened to remove the old “turkey neck.” There may be excess fat in the neck and jowls that would benefit from liposuction to help shape the lower face and neck.  Finally aging can cause bone loss in the facial skeleton, the results possibly being a small chin, sunken cheeks, or weak jawline.  Facial implants or revolumization with fat or injectible filler would restore the proper volume relationships.

Facelifts or rhytidectomy are surgical procedures which means they leave scars and have some downtime associated with them.  Younger patients may only need a small scar in front of the ear to tighten both skin and muscle.  Older patients or those with poor skin quality may need scars that are both in front of and behind the ear to redrape the excess skin.  These scars are placed in easily camouflaged areas to allow for minimal show.

General anesthesia used to be the only option for patients, but now patients in Denver can get their facelift or rhytidectomy in the doctor’s office using just oral sedation and local anesthetic.  This allows for faster and safer anesthetic recovery. Cost savings are enormous also.

If you are interested in facelift or rhytidectomy in Denver, Colorado please call (303) 708-8234 to schedule your complementary consultation. Or, visit us on the web at http://www.drmanishshah.com for more information.

Restore lost volume with Radiesse!

When it comes to adding volume to a face that looks like it is deflated, there is a great option for many people.  An injectible filler known as Radiesse (Radiance in Europe) is available to those who want to recontour their faces.  Radiesse is FDA-approved to fill in the nasolabial folds, those deep lines that travel from the nostril to the corner of the mouth.  Other off-label uses include augmenting the chin and jawline, lifting the cheeks, filling in the hollows around the eyes, and correcting/camouflaging small irregularities on the nose.  Radiesse is made from calcium hydroxyl apatite, a mineral that is found in our tooth enamel.  It is very biocompatible.  Many patients will get between 12-18 months duration before the product is gone from under the skin.  Unlike many of the other fillers available, Radiesse leaves behind standing volume that future injections can build upon. Most people need their first injection followed by a booster injection at three months.

If you are interested in more information about Radiesse and how it could help revolumize your face, please contact us at (303) 708-8234 to arrange a consultation in our Denver, Colorado office.  Or, for more information, visit us on the web at http://www.drmanishshah.com.