Step 2: Making the Incision

For our Colorado facelift patients who choose a mini-facelift, the incision is made around the ear at the junction of the face and the ear, and at the temporal (sideburn) hairline. The purpose of the incision is to allow access for releasing the skin from the underlying tissues so that it can be elevated and tightened. Ultimately, the incision allows for the removal of excess skin and a scar which is unavoidable, much like the hemlines on a dress after fabric is removed to take it in. Fortunately, the resulting scar is inconspicuous due to its location around the ear and at the hairline.

By placing the upper portion of the scar at the temporal hairline, two additional goals are achieved. First, the lift can be performed more vertically, rather than sideways towards the ear. Since aging causes the face to drop downward, a more vertically oriented lift achieves a more natural appearing rejuvenation rather than a "windswept" or pulled look. Secondly, by placing the incision at the hairline, when the excess skin is removed after lifting the face the hairline is not elevated. This avoids creating a bald spot where the sideburn belongs which leaves a horribly aged appearance. The mini-facelift technique requires no scar trailing into the hair behind the ear or underneath the chin.

Mini-facelift compared to traditional facelift:

The traditional facelift places the upper portion of the incision into the hair-bearing scalp rather than at the hairline. This may force a more sideways pull creating a fake, operated look. Additionally, this incision location will cause an elevation of the sideburn by removing hair-bearing skin at the top of the lift and shifting the hairline upward. The upper part of the mini-facelift incision is placed at the temporal hairline which avoids these two problems. The traditional facelift adds an incision extension into the hair behind the ear which may be noticeable in patients choosing to wear a short hair style or pull their hair back. In a mini-facelift, the incision can be kept within the crease behind the ear without extension into the hair. Finally, the traditional facelift generally employs an incision beneath the chin to more extensively separate the skin from the underlying tissues and allow for sewing together of the neck muscles in the midline. As explained with later illustrations, the mini-facelift technique usually does not require this incision. There are advantages to leaving the skin attached in the lower face and there's often no need to sew the muscles together in the middle because they are pulled taught from the side during a mini-facelift.

To learn more about Denver facelift surgery, be sure to check out all the resources on our site and when you're ready, request your free appointment with Dr. Vath or Dr. Wolfe at The Center for Cosmetic Surgery in Cherry Creek or in Golden.