The essence of each surgical rejuvenation is the relief shift of the skin and muscle tissue, the inverse of age-related changes. An endoscopic facelift, reviews of which will be described in this article, is considered one of the safest methods of this type of operation. You can learn more about the procedure below.
General description of the procedure
What is an endoscopic facelift? This operation involves exfoliation of the skin, dissection, and then the movement of muscle tissue. If required, fat removal is done. Muscle fibers are also fixed, the skin is stretched and fixed. At the same time, excision of all excess skin, as well as connective tissues, is performed.
Endoscopic facelift belongs to the group of minimally invasive techniques. The fundamental difference from conventional plastic surgery is the absence of excision. And muscles, and skin, and connective tissue are redistributed so as to occupy their natural position, and thus eliminate existing age-related changes. Only adipose tissue is removed, because it will be just superfluous. Reviews of endoscopic facelift suggest that this method is by far the most effective in combating deep wrinkles and signs of aging.
To keep muscles and skin in a new place, special sutures or endotins are used, which are ribbons and forceps. The tape fixes the tissues for a very long period of time, and by the time they disappear, the connective newly formed tissue secures the skin and muscles. As for the staples, they dissolve on their own, there is no need to remove them.
Benefits
There are many benefits of endoscopic facelift. Reviews of patients who have already gone through this procedure prove the effectiveness and efficiency of this rejuvenation technique. What will be the benefits? These include:
- Minimum notches. If they are made, then the size will be small, not more than 2 cm.
- High precision procedures. Thanks to the use of an endoscope, specialists obtain an image and constantly evaluate the state of the entire surgical field.
- A minimum of intervention guarantees a person a small number of complications and consequences, or their complete absence.
- The rehabilitation period after the rejuvenation procedure is very short.
- The operation can be carried out locally, that is, in certain areas, or comprehensively.
Disadvantages of the procedure
But what about the shortcomings of endoscopic facelift? You can find only one drawback, which is the need for a highly qualified surgeon. There are also some age restrictions for this procedure.
The essence of the operation
So, we continue to consider the features of endoscopic facelift, reviews, photos of the results. This procedure got its name thanks to the method. During a simple operation, the skin completely exfoliates, removing from the operated area, as a result of which large incisions are made.
As for endoscopic technology, everything will be different here. In the necessary places, only small cuts are made, which are a maximum of 2 cm in length. After that, silicone tubes are inserted into them. A recording and lighting system called an endoscope moves along them. As a result, the specialist does not need to exfoliate the skin, since he receives the image using an endoscope. That is why there is no need to enlarge the cuts.
The small length of the incisions allows you to modify the technique used. For the endoscopic tightening of the middle area of the face, the vertical method is used, when the skin of the cheeks rises to the lower edge, without completely affecting the nerve nodes that are located in the central part of the cheek. The effectiveness of such a vertical lift will be much higher. It is necessary to redistribute a minimum of skin cover, but such an operation cannot be performed by the usual method.
In addition, endoscopic techniques combine interventions in different areas.
The duration of the operation will be from 40 minutes to 6 hours. It will depend on the scale of the intervention. As for anesthesia, the local form will be used only for partial correction or for blepharoplasty. Other types of tightening are carried out only under general anesthesia, so the procedure will be contraindicated for those people who have diseases of the cardiovascular system.
On average, the result of rejuvenation lasts for 5-7 years. This will depend on the individual characteristics of the body, as well as on the general state of health. A complex operation, as mentioned earlier, will provide a more lasting result.
Holding area
The division of the face into certain zones is explained by the mechanisms of aging, as well as an understanding of the whole subject of plastic surgery. Surgeons divide the face into the central and lateral part along a vertical conditional line that runs along the nose. According to this division, it immediately becomes clear why a vertical lift gives the most tangible results. Symptoms of aging are noticeable mainly in the medial zone of the face, and the lateral lift will be more effective only in relation to the lower zone of the face and lateral region. Of course, it will still reduce relief changes.
In addition, the face is divided into four zones. Conditional lines will run horizontally, which is located at the level of the nostrils and eyebrows. Let's consider them separately.
Lower zone
This should include the line of the jaw, neck, corners of the mouth, as well as the chin. Nasolabial folds will no longer be included in this zone, since they are formed if the skin of the cheeks is lowered, and correction is not available in this case.
Signs of aging will be: bryl, double chin, lowered corners of the mouth, wrinkles too deep, as well as folds located to the chin from the corner of the mouth. In the lower region, in most cases, excess fat accumulates, so the correction is combined with liposuction.
The mechanism of endoscopic tightening of the lower third of the face, reviews of which are presented below, will be as follows: initially, an incision is made near the ear, after which the soft muscles of the cheeks are redistributed. In this case, it is necessary to remove the drifts, and the folds localized near the mouth are smoothed out. No cuts are made under the chin to lift. In this case, you should pay attention to the fact that lifting the lower region will not affect the state of the middle zone of the face.
Middle zone
And what is an endoscopic mid-face lift? In general, the middle part is a space that is at the level of the eyebrows and nostrils between two horizontal lines located at the level of the eyebrows and nostrils. The lower eyelids and nasolabial folds are included in this zone, although the first ones are often included in a separate, fourth zone. Reviews about the endoscopic lift of the middle zone of the face from experts suggest that this area is aging most rapidly. The signs of aging will be the cheekbone, the relief between the ciliary edge and the drain furrow. Also an obvious sign of aging are nasolabial folds, which are formed in the form of overhanging tissues.
What will reviews say about endoscopic lifting of the middle third of the face by patients? Both patients and plastic surgeons say that the correction of this zone will provide the most pronounced anti-aging effect. The procedure will be especially effective if it is combined with a lower eyelid lift. The whole operation takes about an hour and a half if only the circular muscles of the face are affected. If check-lifting is carried out, the operation will take about 3 hours.
What will the operation itself be? During the operation, incisions are made along the ciliary lower edge directly to the natural folds. When cut, a muscle is dissected and moves to its original position. The muscles are fixed with endotins (staples), after which the skin is stretched. Folds that have formed in the corners of the eyes are removed by lifting in the temporal region. The complexity of the procedure lies in the fact that here you need to work with facial muscles. In case of their incorrect displacement, synchronous operation will be disrupted, and this will provoke asymmetry and facial expressions from different sides of the face.
However, there is another option for the operation. In this case, a lateral lift will be combined, in which incisions are made near the ear. A lift is also performed through incisions localized on the oral mucosa. The method is safe, since nerve nodules in the center of the cheeks will not be affected.
Upper zone
It is customary to attribute the forehead and eyebrows to the upper zone. Signs of aging in this area include drooping of the upper eyelid, drooping eyebrows, horizontal wrinkles and wrinkles on the forehead. The omission of eyebrows and eyes will not necessarily be caused by age. This symptom is quite successfully amenable to correction.
How will the operation be carried out? Cuts are made along the border of hair growth. This is due to the fact that it is necessary to hide the roller formed during the tension of the skin, as well as the seams themselves. The omission disappears, wrinkles are equalized, the height of the forehead increases. In reviews of an endoscopic lift of the upper third of the face, one can often find discontent, which is associated with an increase in the forehead. If this is a problem for you, then you can use other techniques for performing the operation: a sawtooth pattern, an oblique slope, and much more.
Often, lifting the upper third of the face is combined with other types of correction. Exfoliation of the skin on the forehead opens up many opportunities for rejuvenating not only the eyes, but also the middle, and even the lower zone of the face. Thus, the specialist can save the patient from folds in the temples, change the shape of the nose, fill the cheekbones. In this case, there will be no need to make lateral incisions for lateral tightening of the skin. However, the result of such an operation is initially not fixed with sutures, but with titanium screws, which are removed after 3 weeks.
Eye socket
The upper part of the orbit is usually attributed to the upper third of the face, and the lower to the middle. The operation is often performed here, because in the eye socket the most pronounced signs of aging are recorded: folds and wrinkles in the corners, drooping of the upper eyelids, drooping and inversion of the lower eyelid. Most often, patients who are not ready for radical rejuvenation perform the correction of eye sockets as a compromise.
During the operation, the surgeon works with various areas, which is disadvantageous. But blepharoplasty as a separate procedure is in great demand, which must be taken into account.
Rehabilitation and Complications
Minimally invasive surgery is attractive in that it requires a minimum amount of time to recover. In addition, complications with endoscopic facelift are very rare. Reviews say that there may be complications, but on average the rehabilitation period does not exceed more than a month.
During the first day after the operation, the patient must comply with bed rest. But if the scale of the procedure was small, and also if there are no complications, then a person can be discharged from the clinic on the same day.
For another week, the patient should wear a compression bandage that will hold the tissue in position. If liposuction was performed, then the bandage should be worn for another two weeks, but it will be worn at night. After a week, the stitches are removed, after which the dressing is removed.
In this case, you should pay attention to the fact that you can not wash your hair until the seams are removed. Do not blow dry hair.
Swelling, as well as hematomas, usually disappear within two weeks. To speed up the process, you can use physiological procedures and ointments. But even against the background of existing hematomas, the result of the operation will be noticeable, as evidenced by the reviews and photos of the endoscopic facelift.
Specialists at the same time recommend not visiting the bathhouse, sauna, beach or solarium for 3-4 weeks. This also applies to physical activity. Swimming in the pool is allowed only a month after the operation.
On this, the rehabilitation of endoscopic facelift is completed. If any complications are observed, then some procedures are prescribed.
The most serious complications are: asymmetry of the face, infection, damage to a large nerve. All this is the basis for additional surgical intervention.
Reviews
You can see the results of endoscopic facelift in the photo before and after the intervention, which are available in our article. Feedback on this procedure is mostly positive. They are based only on the personal impressions of those patients who have already used this method of rejuvenation. However, far from always the result is exactly what the client expected. A person who first encountered plastic surgery should definitely ask former patients and meet with a plastic surgeon who will show results before and after endoscopic facelift, advise which area to rejuvenate.
At what age is surgery allowed?
To correct cosmetic defects, there are practically no age restrictions. But for an anti-aging procedure, age will matter. Endoscopic tightening involves excision of the skin and muscles. A relatively elastic tissue will independently take root in a new place, and connective tissue will form quite quickly to consolidate this position. Unfortunately, in old age this will not be possible.
The skin with poor elasticity is not able to hold, as a result of which it sags again. The same applies to muscle fibers. Thus, any endoscopic procedure after 60 years will be meaningless.
You can resort to rejuvenation of the middle zone of a person of this kind already at the age of 35. Women, whose age is from 35 to 50 years, can safely use an endoscopic facelift.
As for the correction of the lower region of the face, it takes place a little later, from 45 to 60 years. But in combination with liposuction, it can be done earlier, if bryl and double chin are caused by a large amount of adipose tissue.
The age limit for surgery on the upper face is 60 years.
Patients can perform blepharoplasty at the age of 35 to 60 years.
Conclusion
Endoscopic facelift is an excellent alternative to surgery, which requires complete flaking of the skin. The endoscopic method is less traumatic, although its effectiveness is quite high. The only drawback is that such a rejuvenation technique has some age restrictions.