Face Lift St. Louis - Rhytidectomy Missouri

Do you get comments from other people that you look tired, sad or angry? Do you have deep folds around your mouth? Do you have jowls that you dislike? Do you have deep lines or furrows on your forehead? Are you bothered by bands and extra skin on your neck? If so, you may be a candidate for a facelift.

Dr. Cabbabe always cautions his patients to be wary of advertisments for “minimal recovery” type of facelifts because often times the result is “minimal”. 

As we age, the thin eyelid skin under our eye descends down due to the effects of gravity. This same gravity affects the cheek and also causes “jowl” formation. As a result, the eyelid skin which is usually over the cheekbone descends below the cheekbone, causing dark circles and giving a tired appearance. Also, the muscle in the neck weakens and fat accumulates in the neck. This produces neck “bands” and fullness in the neck. Finally, the brow descends and extra skin develops in the upper eyelid. People raise their eyebrows to compensate, causing deep lines and furrows on the forehead. Fortunately, there are several options to improve these features.

Dr. Cabbabe is an expert in facial plastic surgery and has published on this topic in the prestigious Journal of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery:

Cabbabe S, Andrades P, Vasconez LO, “Lateral orbicularis oculi muscle plasty in conjunction with midface lifting for periorbital rejuvenation”, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, October 2009:124(4):1285-93

Dr. Cabbabe incorporates his experience with reconstructive and cosmetic surgery of the face to give patients the best results possible to meet their desires. He is also an expert in minimally invasive cosmetic surgery of the face and has published on these topics. His patients have a natural, refreshed look after surgery. His patients do not have “surprised” or “windswept” appearances because Dr. Cabbabe uses the newest and best techniques for his patients, not just stretching or pulling the skin back and removing the excess skin.

During your consultation, Dr. Cabbabe will carefully examine your entire face including the brow, upper and lower eyelids, face and neck. He will make recommendations in order to help you achieve your desired result while maintaining facial harmony. Some people who have early jowls but don’t need a full face lift may be a candidate for a midface/cheek lift which can be done in the office under local anesthesia. Dr. Cabbabe believes that the entire face should be in harmony and may recommend other procedures such as brow lift, upper blepharoplasty, lower blepharoplasty or neck lift to be done at the same time.

We believe that patients, their desires, and anatomy are all unique. Dr. Cabbabe believes that the key to a successful surgery is proper planning and discussion with the patient about their goals. Therefore, Dr. Cabbabe evaluates each patient and creates a customized surgical plan for all of his patients to meet their expectations. To schedule a consultation, call us at 314-842-5885 or complete the contact us form.

Face-Lift

During this procedure, incisions are made on each side of the face from inside the hairline slightly above the ear, down in front of the ear and back behind the ear. The skin and fat of the face and neck are elevated. The cheeks are then elevated in order to restore fullness to the cheekbones, improve the jowls, improve the lower eyelid skin and to turn the corners of the mouth up. The deep tissues are tightened in order to improve the contour of the face and neck. The skin is then re-draped and excess skin removed. No excessive pulling or stretching of skin is needed to accomplish this. Occasionally, a drain may be left in the face/neck overnight to prevent fluid from collecting. A droopy (witch’s) chin will also be addressed and lifted.

Brow lifting, upper blepharoplasty, tightening of the lower eyelids/blepharoplasty, neck lifting, rhinoplasty and skin resurfacing are incorporated as needed.

Mini Face-Lift

This procedure is similar to a face-lift with the exception that the scars are generally minimized in terms of length to the front of the ear and sometimes slightly behind the ear if needed. Otherwise, the same steps are carried out including elevating the cheek, tightening the deep structures and removing extra skin.

Preparing for Surgery

Dr. Cabbabe will ask that you refrain from taking any aspirin, plavix, Coumadin or any other type of blood thinner. He will also ensure that your blood pressure has been properly controlled if you have high blood pressure. This operation can be done under general anesthesia or local anesthesia with sedation.

Recovering from Surgery

Some patients are able to go home the same day. Many choose to stay, particularly if more than one procedure was incorporated. Pain medication and antibiotics will be prescribed. A drain may be left overnight. Bruising and swelling may be present around the eyes for one to two weeks for a full facelift. Swelling in the face lasts approximately 2 weeks. Dr. Cabbabe will ask that you keep ice on the surgical site to decrease this. He will also ask you to keep your head elevated to decrease swelling.