Conventional face lifts can take years off your age, but they're invasive and scary, requiring anesthesia and several months of recovery time. Enter the liquid face lift, which uses only injections of various types of fillers to mold and sculpt the face. However, although promoted as a more efficient option to plastic surgery, liquid face lifts are nothing like traditional face lifts, cautions the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), as they don't reduce loose, sagging skin.
Liquid Face Lift Overview
Described as a "nonsurgical face lift," the Liquid Face Lift Association promotes this cosmetic procedure as a noninvasive option to going under the knife. With aging, the skin loses collagen and elastin, the two proteins needed for facial volume and elasticity without which the skin sags, creases and wrinkles. According to the Liquid Fact Lift Association, a group of doctors who used dermal fillers and botulinum, or Botox, injections to treat wrinkles noticed that these substances gave the face a subtle "lift." A liquid face lift involves a combination of both Botox and dermal fillers to recontour the face—no anesthesia or recovery time required.
Conventional Face Lifts
A surgical face lift, or rhytidectomy, reduces signs of aging in the lower part of the face and neck, getting rid of midface sagging, jowls caused by weakened muscle tone and loose skin under the chin and jaw. According to the ASPS, you can choose from various types of face lifts, including a traditional face lift, limited-incision face lift or neck lift. During a traditional face lift, a cosmetic surgeon makes an incision that starts at the temples, goes around the ear and terminates in the lower scalp. The underlying fat may be redistributed to other parts of the face or removed and tissue repositioned, says the ASPS. Excess skin is removed and the incision sutured shut. Surgical face lifts do require use of anesthesia. The ASPS states that it may be several months before postsurgical swelling goes away and the incision line fades.
Liquid Face Lift Procedure
A liquid face lift is markedly different from a surgical face lift in its method of delivery. The Liquid Face Lift Association states that patients can choose to lift the entire face or focus on problematic features, such as eye bags, jowls, cheeks or temples. Botox is used along with dermal fillers to give the face more "lift." The Liquid Face Lift Association explains that Botox relaxes the muscles that pull your face downward, while dermal fillers add volume and lift. Hyaluronic acid, fat replacement and Sculptra, a poly-L-lactic-acid filler, are some of the filler types that may be used along with Botox in a liquid face lift, according to Harper's Bazaar.
Cautions and Concerns
The term "liquid face lift" is misleading, cautions ASPS member surgeon Dr. Robert Singer, who notes that this procedure is assiduously marketed as a quick replacement for the conventional face lift. "But it's really not," he says. "It's not a face lift. It doesn't correct a lot of excess looseness and laxity of the skin of the neck or the cheeks." He goes on to state that it can be of benefit to the right kind of patient in that it fills the face and gives subtle lift to certain tissues. It's also not permanent; according to a February 2006 news report on Houston's Channel 2, results last between eight and 12 months. Surgical face lifts, on the other hand, give you results that last between five and seven years, states Mayo Clinic.
Other Information
Dr. Singer describes "liquid face lift" as simply a marketing term that's used in excess to promote the procedure. Liquid face lifts do not have the endorsement of prominent organizations such as the ASPS and the Plastic Surgery Educational Foundation. According to the ASPS, some techniques used in liquid face lifts may be under investigation. Before liquid face lifts are determined to be safe and effective, more research is needed, states the ASPS.
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