Facial ageing is structural before it is superficial. With time the cheeks descend, the jawline becomes less defined, and the neck becomes loose. These are changes in the position of facial tissue, which is why treatments working on the skin surface do not correct them, and why a facelift addresses a different problem from a skin treatment.
Answer in 30 seconds
- Descending cheeks, a softening jawline and a loose neck are structural changes.
- Structural changes are what a facelift addresses.
- Surface treatments work on skin quality, which is a different problem.
- Neither is better. They answer different questions.
- Suitability is a question of anatomy rather than of age.
Consultations at The Offices 2, One Central, 6th Floor, Dubai.
What actually changes as a face ages?
Three structural changes account for most of what people describe as looking tired: the cheeks descend, the jawline becomes less defined, and the neck becomes loose.
“With time, the cheeks can drop, the jawline can become less defined, and the neck can become loose.”
The reason this reads as tiredness rather than as age is that these changes resemble the face of someone who has not slept. The expression is being altered by position, not by mood.
Why do skin treatments not fix it?
Skin treatments work on skin quality: texture, tone and surface. They do not reposition tissue that has descended.
This is the distinction worth understanding before you spend anything. If the problem is skin quality, a surface treatment is the right answer. If the problem is position, no surface treatment corrects it, and repeating one at cost over several years does not change that.
Both problems can be present at the same time, which is why the two are often discussed together and why the honest question is which one is producing the change that bothers you.
What does a facelift actually do?
A facelift repositions facial tissue that has descended and addresses loose skin in the neck and jawline.
For a suitable patient it can improve these changes and restore a more refreshed appearance, with a result intended to read as natural rather than as surgery. What is involved is set out under facelift surgery in Dubai.
“For the right patient, a facelift can improve these changes and restore a more refreshed, natural look.”
The phrase used on this practice’s own site is a result without the stigma of having had surgery. That is a deliberately modest ambition and it is the right one.
Am I too young, or too old?
What is assessed is what has actually changed and how much, not the number on a passport. Two people of the same age can present with very different amounts of descent, because descent is driven by tissue, skin and genetics rather than by a birthday.
How is this assessed at consultation?
By examining where tissue has descended, how much loose skin is present, and how the face moves.
“If these changes are bothering you, book your consultation and let’s see if a facelift is right for you.”
Bring one sentence describing what bothers you when you look in the mirror, without naming a procedure. It is more useful than a procedure name, because it leaves room for the correct answer.
Because the plan follows the assessment rather than the other way round, what determines the cost of surgery is a question best answered after that examination.
Request a consultation to find out whether your concern is structural or superficial.
Written by Dr. Augusto Valente Plastic surgeon in Dubai
