While dermal fillers are an incredibly popular treatment option for addressing common signs of aging, they aren’t right for everyone. Additionally, as you get older, you may reach a point in your treatment journey when fillers no longer yield the results you’re hoping for. At this stage, a facelift can provide the most natural-looking results while addressing the more significant signs of aging that fillers cannot treat.
Many patients assume that the most minimally invasive treatments will be the most natural looking, but that isn’t always the case. The right treatment for your needs and goals will depend on your facial anatomy, as well as the degree of laxity and other signs of aging you’re experiencing.
What Fillers Can Accomplish
Fillers are best used for softening fine lines and wrinkles and restoring volume. They are also appropriate for targeted contouring, such as adding volume and definition to the cheekbones or jawline. They cannot remove excess skin, improve skin laxity, or reposition facial muscles, so they may fail to achieve the same results over time as the aging process continues.
Who Is a Good Candidate for Fillers
A good candidate for facial fillers is a patient looking for light rejuvenation and temporary improvement of common signs of aging. If your goals are to soften fine lines, add definition to specific areas of the face, or restore volume in areas like the cheeks, fillers may be the right treatment option.
When to Think About a Facelift
Throughout the aging process, skin loses its elasticity, and becomes looser, creating areas of excess skin that cannot be treated with fillers. A facelift will trim and tighten loose skin while repositioning deeper facial tissues to meaningfully address more advanced signs of aging.
Facelift surgery does have more significant downtime than fillers, but modern surgical techniques allow the procedure to be performed under local anesthesia, which reduces potential risks and minimizes recovery time.
Maintaining Results with Fillers After a Facelift
Fillers help you maintain a baseline with your facial appearance, while a facelift can reset your aging baseline by about 10 years. So, after a facelift, fillers may remain part of your routine to continue to smooth fine lines, redefine facial contours, and treat any untouched areas that were not addressed through surgery.
There is no single treatment plan that works for every patient. At Maloney Plastic Surgery, we start with a personalized evaluation for every new patient, so you can follow the approach that works best for your needs. Our practice offers both surgical and non-surgical treatment options, and we may incorporate both to help you achieve and maintain the natural-looking results you want.
Begin your treatment journey at Maloney Plastic Surgery by requesting a virtual consultation with Dr. Maloney to discuss your goals.
