Growing older does not mean you have to look older. You may have noticed that some people age more gracefully than others. Often, there’s more to this than just “good genes.” Many patients here in New Jersey owe their youthful looks to facelift surgery. When patients who visit our Paramus, NJ, practice from Ridgewood, Hackensack, Mahwah, Somerset, and throughout Bergen County, North New Jersey, and surrounding areas look younger, they often feel younger, too.
This This 50 year old patient was concerned about the tired appearance of her eyes, sagging jowls, and heavy, full neck. After consultation with the patient about options, Dr. Parker performed the following procedures: an endoscopic brow lift, an upper and lower eyelid blepharoplasty, and SMAS facelift with medial and lateral platysmaplasty.... Read More
This 72 year old requested Dr. Parker to improve the growing heaviness of her jowls as well as the loose skin on her neck. She said it was very important for her to look natural—she wanted the sagging soft tissues in her face and her neck tightened, but things not over-done. The patient said her weight has always been stable. Dr. Parker discu... Read More
This 64 year old was referred by her dermatologist to address her concerns about her sagging facial and neck skin along with her increasingly prominent jowls. Several weeks later, Dr. Parker performed a SMAS facelift along with fat injections to the face as well as a medial and lateral platysmaplasty necklift. He injected fat conservatively t... Read More
This 68 year old was referred to Dr. Parker by another patient, bothered by the aging of her face and neck. During the patient’s initial consultation, Dr. Parker discussed treatment options. They agreed upon a surgical plan which he carried out several weeks later. At surgery, Dr. Parker performed a SMAS facelift with fat injections to soften... Read More
This 77 year old existing patient of Dr Parker’s requested facial and neck rejuvenation. She complained of her “turkey” neck, prominent jowls, heavy upper eyelids and puffy lower eyelids. The patient reported her weight to be stable. Dr Parker performed an upper and lower lid blepharoplasty as well as a SMAS facelift along with a medial and l... Read More
This 48 year old woman came to Dr. Parker requesting liposuction of her neck. She felt that her inherited sagging neck trait had been getting worse in recent years. The patient’s weight is stable. Dr. Parker reviewed treatment options with the patient and her husband. He recommended against liposuction of the patient’s neck due to poor skin t... Read More
This 47 year old had chosen to have a lower lid blepharoplasty with Dr. Parker 8 years earlier and was very happy with her results. She recently returned to him asking if he could also help her treat laxity she was seeing in her mid and lower face. The patient felt her face was dropping and that her jowls had become more prominent. Dr. Parker... Read More
This 64 year old was referred to Dr. Parker by another patient requesting improvement in the appearance of her face and neck. She was specifically bothered by the increasing prominence of her jowls and the fullness of her neck. Dr Parker performed a SMAS facelift as well as a medial and lateral platysmaplasty necklift. The patient was pl... Read More
Because gravity and the aging process affect individuals at different times, there is no “right time” to start thinking about a facelift. Both men and women concerned about improving the signs of facial aging are potential candidates for a facelift. You may be a candidate for a facelift if you experience the following:
Loss of skin elasticity and loose skin of the face and neck
Jowls and deep creases between the base of the nose and corners of the mouth (known as the nasolabial folds)
Loss of youthful chin, jawline definition, and neck contours with central neck bands
Tired facial appearance
Before & After*: Facelift, Brow Lift and Upper and Lower Blepharoplasty
At Parker Center, we tailor your facial rejuvenation to meet your specific needs. This may include injectable fillers and wrinkle treatments, facelift or mini facelift surgery, or a combination of procedures. Review this blog post to learn about the options for treating facial aging.
Financing Surgery Makes Dreams Come True
We believe plastic surgery should be accessible to as many people as possible. That’s why we offer financing through lenders that specialize in setting up payment plans for elective cosmetic surgery. We can discuss financing during your consultation.
If you have mild to moderate skin laxity of the lower face and neck, you may be a candidate for FaceTite instead of facelift surgery. This minimally invasive treatment uses radiofrequency energy to tighten the skin and reduce small areas of fat for facial rejuvenation with minimal downtime. It will provide a relatively subtle improvement but is not a substitute for a facelift.
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Injectables such as Botox (or other neuromodulators) will temporarily reduce the wrinkling caused by over-active muscles (think the “11” wrinkle lines between the eyebrows. Fillers such as Restylane (or other hyaluronic acid fillers) will also temporarily improve areas of volume loss or wrinkles.
Dr. Parker did a beautiful job on my face. I look 10 years younger, but best of all… not one person noticed I had anything done. Everyone tells me that I look really good. The staff was wonderful. The nurses are very caring and they gave out their cell phone numbers in case I needed them.”
-Facelift Patient
Does a Facelift Include a Brow Lift and Eyelid Surgery?
Medical terminology can sometimes be confusing and this facelift wording is a good example of that. A facelift, or rhytidectomy (in medical terminology, “rhytid” is “wrinkle”, “ectomy” is “to remove”, so a rhytidectomy is a procedure to remove facial wrinkles) is an operation that addresses the lower 2/3 of the aging face and is often combined with a neck lift. A brow lift, otherwise known as a forehead lift, corrects the aging forehead and eyebrows; that is, the upper 1/3 of the face. Eyelid surgery, otherwise known as a blepharoplasty, rejuvenates the aging upper or lower eyelids or both.
Before & After*: Facelift, Browlift & Blepharoplasty
Our Experienced surgeon
Dr. Paul M. Parker
Board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Paul M. Parker combines an unwavering dedication to patient satisfaction with surgical expertise to create aesthetically pleasing, natural-looking results.
A facelift is performed to make a patient look natural, refreshed and somewhat younger, certainly not different. Dr. Parker will review pictures of the patient from 10-15 years earlier prior to surgery in planning the patient’s facelift surgery. His goal is to help reverse the signs of aging but avoid any “tell-tale” signs of doing so.
A “mini” facelift addresses the face only. A full facelift addresses the face and neck together.
How Is a Facelift Done?
A facelift or mini facelift is performed in our on-site, fully certified ambulatory surgery center called Surgiplex, LLC, under monitored intravenous sedation or general anesthesia administered by one of our board-certified anesthesiologists. The time of surgery will vary based on what type of facelift procedure is being performed as well as any additional surgeries. A full facelift typically involves the following steps:
Step 1: Tightening the SMAS & Restoring Volume
In performing a facelift, Dr. Parker makes carefully concealed incisions in front of and behind the ear that allow him to address the lower 2/3 of the face and neck. He separates the skin along with a 3 to 4 mm thickness of fatty tissue from the deeper fatty tissue and thick fascial layer called SMAS (submusculoaponeurotic system).
Dr. Parker next lifts and tightens the SMAS with sutures (called a SMAS plication), which elevates the deep facial fat into a more youthful position. This maneuver restores a youthful cheek contour, softens the nasolabial folds and gets rid of the jowls. It also reduces the amount of skin tightening allowing for a natural appearance and typically, imperceptible scars.
Dr. Parker addresses the age-related loss of facial fat with conservative fat injections to the areas in the face which have become deficient. He harvests the fat for injection most commonly from the patient’s abdomen, purifies it, then judiciously injects it into these areas to help create more youthful contours. The patient’s pictures from 10-15 years ago help him target the fat injections. The goal here is restore what aging has changed, but be sure the patient looks natural—that “natural look” is paramount to Dr. Parker and his patients.
Step 2: Getting Rid of Central Bands in the Neck
If Dr. Parker is also performing a neck lift, he will commonly make a small incision in the crease just beneath the chin. This will enable him to identify the inner edges of the paired platysma muscles. These muscles commonly loosen with age, causing annoying central bands in the neck. Dr. Parker will excise excess deep fat that lies beneath these muscles (called subplatysmal fat), then unify the muscle edges with sutures (called a “medial platysmaplasty”).
Step 3: Lifting & Tightening the Neck Tissues
Next, using the incision in front of and hidden behind the ears, he will lift the outer edge of the platysma muscle on either side and suture it to the mastoid process behind the ear with sutures (called a “lateral platysmaplasty”). This medial and lateral plastysmaplasty in the neck creates a internal “hammock” effect which re-creates a natural and long-lasting youthful neck and jawline.
Step 4: Removing Excess Skin
The last step in performing a facelift is removing the excess skin from in front of and behind the ears. Dr. Parker carefully does this, exercising his vast experience and judgement to remove just the right amount of skin and not “over-tighten” the face and neck. This allows the patient to look natural and refreshed as well as avoids an over-operated look. He then very carefully closes all of the incisions with sutures to make the resultant scars inconspicuous. In performing this type of state-of-the-art, facelift, Dr. Parker achieves a natural-looking, long-lasting lift in both the face and neck.
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Facelift at The Parker Center
How is a SMAS Facelift different from a Deep Plane Facelift?
A deep plane facelift varies from a SMAS facelift in that the skin and SMAS layers are lifted together as a single unit and not separately as in the SMAS technique. This single plane technique does not allow the SMAS and skin layers to be tightened in different vectors to give better and more natural aesthetic results. Also, because the facial dissection is in a “deeper” plane, it potentially exposes the facial nerve branches to a higher risk of injury than with the SMAS technique.
What Other Procedures are Complementary to a Facelift?
A facelift with not eliminate fine wrinkles around the mouth nor reduce an upper lip which has lengthened with time. These issues are most commonly addressed by Dr. Parker with dermabrasion around the mouth to smooth the wrinkled areas. A lip lift will correct a long upper lip so it looks more youthful. These procedures can be performed at the same time as a facelift or separately under local anesthesia. They are relatively straight-forward in Dr. Parker’s hands and quite effective in rejuvenating the upper lip and area around the mouth.
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Your Consultation & Imaging Session
Consultations at the Parker Center are special. Dr. Parker will spend extra time with you, ensuring that he understands your goals and that you are fully educated about each potential solution. Additionally, our imaging expert will help you see the possibilities with digital photo imaging to show you what you will look like after surgery. Patients who are comparing providers often tell us our consults are the most thorough and informative they’ve ever experienced!
One to two weeks before your scheduled facelift, you will undergo a one-hour, in-office, face-to-face education session with one of Dr. Parker’s Nurse Educators. During this session, the nurse educator thoroughly reviews a detailed information packet to further educate you about your facelift. This includes a discussion of what to do to prepare for surgery, what occurs on the day of surgery, and what to expect after surgery during your recovery. It’s a detailed session that really educates our patients about the entire surgical process at the Parker Center. Patients tell us they love it because they feel so well-prepared for their surgery. Learn more about what to expect during your pre-op education session.
What Can I Expect After a Facelift?
Facelift patients are monitored overnight in the comfort of their own home by a private duty nurse. After surgery, there is very little pain and most patients do not request medication. Stitches are removed within one week. Swelling and discoloration subside within 10 to 14 days. Camouflage makeup may be applied after one week.
How Long Is Recovery After a Facelift?
Patients may return to normal activities in 10 to 14 days and exercise in 2 to 3 weeks.
Rapid Recovery Facelift
The Parker Center’s Rapid Recovery techniques used during and after your facelift help you heal more rapidly and comfortably than what you might experience at another practice. This means less time off from work and a sooner return to your normal activities.
Dr. Parker’s Rapid Recovery protocol includes:
Short-acting anesthetic agents and anti-emetic medications to hasten the recovery from anesthesia
A tailored regimen of medications given before, during, and after surgery to minimize postoperative pain, swelling, and bruising
Three postoperative medical manual lymphatic drainage massages to reduce swelling and bruising as well as accelerate healing
The day after your facelift surgery, you can shower and resume light activities. We encourage you to move around briefly starting the first day to boost circulation.
There is usually very little postoperative pain. Patients may shower and shampoo their hair the day after surgery. We remove sutures within 10 days. Swelling and discoloration typically subside within 10 to 14 days. You can apply camouflage makeup after 1 week and resume exercise in 2 weeks.
Our Signature
Rapid Recovery Program
Our surgical procedures, anesthesia, medications, and aftercare are tailored to minimize post-operative discomfort and accelerate recuperation.
I would like to thank you for the wonderful job you did on my face. Being a doctor, I know a lot about these procedures, and I also know a couple of very good plastic surgeons whom I could have chosen. Choosing you was therefore not an easy decision for me, but the results show that I wasn’t wrong….I have no reservations in recommending you to any person interested in having plastic surgery.”
-Facelift Patient
How Long Do Facelift Results Last?
A facelift does not stop the aging process. If Dr. Parker performed a facelift on one of two aging twins, the patient who had the facelift will always look younger as they both continue to age. It is said that a biplane SMAS facelift should last approximately 8 to 12 years. This number will vary based on an individual’s genetics, how well they maintain their health, and whether they smoke, tan excessively, or have substantial weight fluctuations.
Before & After: 10 Years After a Facelift
Next Steps
To meet with Dr. Parker and his team in Paramus, New Jersey, to learn more about facelift surgery and other facial rejuvenation options, request a cosmetic consultation using our online form or call
(201) 967-1212 for an appointment.
We believe plastic surgery should be accessible to as many people as possible. That's why we offer financing through lenders that specialize in setting up payment plans for elective cosmetic surgery. We can discuss financing during your consultation.
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Results: Dr. Parker is known for remarkable results that may surpass your expectations