Facelift in La Jolla, San Diego, by Dr. Singer
Each face is unique in appearance and anatomy. To sculpt the face through plastic surgery requires an approach that is individualized, studied, and measured. Plastic surgery is the fusion of art and science. Achieving the most appropriate result for each face requires the ability to evaluate facial anatomy, and then to apply scientific principles, skill, and artistry. Dr. Robert Singer is known worldwide for his expertise and skill in the facelift procedure. He has performed this delicate surgical procedure for many people wanting a rejuvenated, more youthful appearance. At Singer Surgical Centre in La Jolla, San Diego, Dr. Singer customizes the facelift procedure to each of his patients' desires and goals.
Facelift Indications
Time, gravity, stress, and sun exposure alter facial skin and features. Lines and wrinkles develop, and the skin and deeper tissues lose their youthful tone, loosen, and sag. Fatty deposits in the cheeks shift downward while fatty deposits develop around the eyes. Jaw lines soften and become jowls. Double chins and folds appear under the chin and in front of the neck. These changes may create a tired and unhappy look or even an angry appearance.
Today, men and women increasingly want to look as young as they feel. No one wants to look tired, especially when he or she isn’t. The facelift (rhytidectomy) helps reverse the signs of aging, producing a more natural, youthful facial appearance. As performed at our renowned San Diego practice, the goal of the facelift is to improve the overall facial appearance in a natural manner.
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Facelift Consultation
During a facelift consultation, Dr. Singer will personally listen to your desires and expectations for your procedure. He will then evaluate your anatomy and physical appearance to create a custom treatment plan that best suits your needs. There is no ideal single technique or single approach that is appropriate for every patient. That is why the procedure should be customized for each person. As performed at our renowned San Diego practice, the goal of the facelift is to improve the overall facial appearance, in a natural manner.
Facelift Procedure
Facelift techniques have evolved significantly over the past 15 years. Prior generations of facelift operations tightened only the skin and ignored important principles of aging and facial structure. Unfortunately, tightening only the skin can produce distortions of the facial features and result in an unnatural, flattened, wind-blown, pulled look, as well as a shorter length of efficacy.
Dr. Singer performs a modern multi-vector underlying support facelift at his surgical center in La Jolla. This facelift procedure is more precise, more natural, and longer lasting than prior types that only tightened the skin. The supporting deeper tissue, the SMAS (superficial muscular aponeurotic system), is tightened, lifting the underlying muscle layers of the cheek and the neck. The fat in the cheek is contoured into an improved position, or sculpted if it is excessive. The fullness of the upper cheek area below the eyelid (the malar fat pad) is corrected by elevating it into a more youthful position, counter-acting the direction of the descent of the tissue that occurs with aging. The skin is then redraped without tension, and any excess tailored. The loose skin, muscle, and fat under the chin and neck are addressed if those areas need improvement.
Surgical Procedure
Dr. Singer will personally perform the entire facelift surgical procedure. Facelift surgery can take between 2 1/2 and 6 hours depending on the individual case. Focus is put on not how quickly, but on how successfully the procedure can be completed. Incisions are placed along the hairline and hidden in the curves around the ear, and there may be a small incision under the chin. Fat is repositioned and may be removed, and the deeper areas are tightened and supported. Then, the skin is redraped and trimmed. Additional tissue may be added to fill depressions and creases.
While any surgical procedure entails risk, facelifts are generally considered to be a safe procedure. Choosing an experienced facelift surgeon like Dr. Singer can help to significantly lower your risk of potential complications. Minimally invasive procedures have made it easier to limit and hide scars and produce more natural-looking results.
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Anesthesia
Dr. Singer and his staff make every effort to ensure a safe and comfortable experience when you are having facelift surgery at our surgical facility in La Jolla, California. Your comfort and safety is always our primary concern.
Our AAAASF (American Association for Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgery Facilities) accredited private operating facility utilizes the services of well-trained personnel, including selected, experienced, board-certified physician anesthesiologists.
Our patients are anesthetized using sedation, allowing them to be asleep while breathing on their own, but usually not requiring deeper general anesthesia. Procedures that may last from 2 1/2 to 6 hours are performed more comfortably and safer with sedation rather than general anesthesia.
Newer and more effective medications will be prescribed pre-operatively, and administered during surgery and after surgery to make the patient more comfortable, reduce postoperative side effects, and speed recovery.
Facelift Results
You must have realistic expectations of facial plastic surgery. A facelift is not meant to completely alter your appearance and make you look like someone else. It is a way to turn back the hands of time and restore a more youthful, vibrant appearance.
The facelift does not improve the complexion or smooth all wrinkles. However, Dr. Singer offers procedures, such as injectable fillers, skin resurfacing, and facial peels, to improve skin texture. In conjunction with the facelift, the cheeks, chin, and lips can be selectively enhanced and augmented with other tissue, such as fat. Additional procedures on the eyelids, forehead, and nose can be performed at the same time as a facelift to enhance the results.
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Facelift Variations
Dr. Singer customizes the facelift procedure for the results each patient desires. In addition to a full facelift, he also offers the maintenance facelift (mini or mid-facelift), cheek reduction, and secondary facelifts.
"Maintenance" Facelift (Mini or Mid-Facelift)
We live in a youth-oriented society with an emphasis on fitness and a youthful appearance. Patients who show early signs of aging, in their 30s to 50s, may attain a significant improvement and rejuvenation with less invasive, short-scar or limited incision “maintenance" procedures. These less invasive facelift procedures help diminish the progression of the signs of aging, and avoid the more extensive procedures that would be necessary later.
For patients who have begun to notice drooping of the cheeks and mid-face, Dr. Singer offers the mid-facelift. Unlike traditional facelift surgery, only incisions hidden behind the hairline are required to complete the mid facelift and gently lift the mid-face area to a more youthful position.
Dr. Singer combines and modifies a number of facelift techniques to achieve the desired natural result while decreasing the recovery time of bruising and swelling. Rather than remove excess skin, younger patients may only require a repositioning, shaping, and sculpting of the tissue below the skin. In others, an isolated neck lift may be performed, without a mid-facelift if most of the changes of aging are below the chin and neck. These less invasive facelift options can be performed alone or in conjunction with other facial surgery.
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Buccal Fat Removal / Cheek Reduction
Some individuals are self-conscious about the appearance of their cheeks, feeling that their cheeks look round or chubby. These "cherub cheeks" or "chipmunk cheeks" can result from a variety of conditions. Young individuals may temporarily have full faces ("baby fat") that will naturally slim with time. Others simply have a genetic predisposition to carry fat in their faces, and finally some have full faces as a result of their general body type. The technical name for some of the fat in the cheeks is, 'buccal fat.’ The Singer Surgical Centre offers buccal fat removal, also called cheek reduction surgery, as a solution to those who want to reduce the size of their cheeks. Removal of these fat pads can slim the cheeks and contour the face for a more chiseled and defined appearance.
Secondary Facelifts
Secondary facelifts are a solution for individuals looking to improve the results from a previous facelift, or desiring further improvement of the signs of aging. The goal is to restore balance and harmony.
Contact Dr. Singer for a Facelift Consultation
Please contact our plastic surgery center in La Jolla, San Diego for more information about the facelift procedure. Dr. Singer will help you decide which facelift technique will most likely give you the results you desire.
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Contact Dr. Singer’s practice in the La Jolla, San Diego area to schedule a facelift consultation.
Robert Singer, M.D., F.A.C.S.
9834 Genesee Ave., Suite 100
La Jolla, CA 92037
Phone: 866.660.0206
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- Listed in “Best Doctors in America”
- Included in Town & Country, “Best Cosmetic Surgeons in the Country”
- Chosen by peers - San Diego Magazine and San Diego County Medical Society, “Best Doctors” and “Best Plastic Surgeons”.
- Selected by La Jolla Light Newspaper, “Best Plastic Surgeon”
- Former President of The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery
- Former Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons
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