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Fillers vs. Facelift: When to Get Each Procedure

When you start noticing the first telltale signs of aging – wrinkles around your mouth, less resilient skin, and a loss of contour – you might start looking for solutions to help you grow older more gracefully. Dermal fillers are an excellent option for anyone seeking a quick fix without surgery, but you may eventually reach a point where you want to make a more striking change. Here’s how to tell when it’s time to opt for a facelift instead.

1. You Have Excessive Skin Laxity

Fillers can refine your appearance by providing subtle lift and volume to areas such as your lips and cheeks. For patients who desire more comprehensive rejuvenation, Sculptra can even encourage your body to produce new collagen. However, as you age, your skin will become thinner and less resilient. Your facial structure will also change as its natural fat pads shift downward due to gravity. At this point, you will likely notice your nasolabial folds or marionette lines becoming more prominent. You may also develop jowls or a “turkey neck.” 

Dr. Yula Indeyeva recommends facelifts to her patients with a more advanced degree of facial aging. Once you have significant volume loss in your mid-face and you have developed sagging skin or muscle banding on your neck, a facelift is a more effective and long-lasting intervention. 

2. You Want to Save Time and Money

At first glance, injectable treatments seem convenient for anyone with a busy lifestyle. There’s no downtime necessary afterward, and you don’t have to worry about the risks of anesthesia. However, your body will eventually metabolize the filler gel, and you will have to return to our office for touch-up treatments. Over the years, the cumulative cost of filler maintenance can add up, both in money and time. 

In contrast, Dr. Indeyeva’s advanced facelift techniques can remove years from your appearance in one procedure that typically requires 10 to 14 days of recovery. While fillers have a highly useful place in modern aesthetic medicine, only facelift surgery can restore your face’s youthful contours by repositioning sagging tissues and removing excess skin. 

3. You Are Searching for Long-Lasting Results

Unlike a facelift, fillers don’t address excessive skin laxity or provide any significant amount of skin tightening. Fillers also can’t elevate the facial musculature or fat pads, so the results they provide are far less dramatic than what a facelift can do for you. If you do your part to take care of your skin by avoiding sun damage, staying hydrated, and using medical-grade skincare products, you can enjoy the improvements made by your facelift surgery for a decade or more.

Are You a Good Candidate for a Facelift?

Altering your appearance is a milestone decision, and not one you should make lightly. The best way to determine your candidacy for facelift surgery is to set up a consultation with a Double Board-Certified Facial Plastic Surgeon. Come to your appointment prepared to discuss your medical history, including any medications or supplements you regularly take. This meeting is also your chance to have all your questions answered, so you can set realistic expectations for what surgery can help you attain. Every patient is different, and ultimately, your ideal anti-aging plan should focus less on comparing various treatments and more on what combination of procedures will help you achieve your goals. As a Double Board-Certified Facial Plastic Surgeon who has also been an aesthetic patient, Dr. Indeyeva understands the decision-making process from all angles. To learn more about surgical and non-surgical cosmetic procedures in Austin, contact us today.

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