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Mini-facelifts make Baby Boomers look years younger with minimal downtime, cost, plastic surgeon notes

Oak Park, Ill. plastic surgeon and author Allan Parungao, MD, notes that although American Society of Plastic Surgeons statistics show the number of traditional facelifts dropped 22% between 2000 and 2006, there was a 66% increase in minimally invasive procedures. More and more Baby Boomers are opting for less-invasive mini-facelifts.

Oak Park, Ill.—May 30, 2007—According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, 11 million cosmetic procedures were performed in 2006—of which 9.1 million were minimally invasive. Traditional facelifts decreased 22% from 2000 to 2006, compared with a 66% increase in minimally invasive procedures.

“Baby Boomers come to me every day wanting a younger-looking face with minimum downtime, less cost than a traditional facelift and no hospitalization,” says Oak Park, Ill. board-certified plastic surgeon Allan Parungao, MD.

“A mini-facelift offers same-day results, very little downtime and can be done in about an hour under local anesthesia,” says Dr. Parungao, author of A Woman's Guide to Cosmetic Breast Surgery and Body Contouring (Addicus Books, 2006). “And it costs up to 75% less than a traditional facelift.”

“I’d been thinking about a facelift for years, but I never thought I could afford to do it,” says Jo, 54. “Then I found out about mini-facelifts.”

What is a mini-facelift?

A mini-facelift is an outpatient surgical procedure that rejuvenates the bottom third of the face as well as the jowls and neck. The procedure has a number of names and variations, including S-lifts or short-scar facelifts, referring to the incisions’ shape and length. Some plastic surgeons call them weekend facelifts or quicklifts. One popular variation is the Lifestyle Lift® developed by David Kent, DO.

“There is also a non-surgical variation known as a thread lift or suspension lift, which uses barbed facial suspension sutures to lift sagging facial skin,” Dr. Parungao explains. “But because no skin is removed, the results are less durable and less predictable than those of a mini-facelift.”

One of the earliest telltale signs of facial aging is loose skin around the jowls or jawline. “A mini-facelift is highly effective in reversing the effects of jowling, as it brings the facial skin up and trims away loose, excess skin,” Dr. Parungao explains.

Because a mini-facelift disturbs less tissue than a traditional facelift, it results in much less bruising and swelling. “You can expect to resume your normal activities after only two to five days of recovery, versus two to three weeks for a traditional facelift,” says Dr. Parungao.

“I was at a family birthday party about a week and a half after my mini-facelift,” says Jo. “My dad, whom I hadn’t seen in a few months, kept looking at me and saying, ‘Something about you looks so young—but I don’t know what it is.‘”

“A mini-facelift leaves you looking refreshed and rejuvenated – not with the ‘overoperated‘ look that people associated with facelifts years ago,” Dr. Parungao explains.

For more information on mini-facelifts, visit www.parungao.com/mini-facelift.

Allan Parungao, MD, is an Oak Park, Illinois plastic surgeon board-certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. For more information, visit www.parungao.com