Choosing the right facelift technique has always been difficult for plastic surgeons, because a technique that gives excellent results in one patient may not do the same in another. Comparing techniques is made even harder by the different facial features of each person. Even identical twins are often treated with different techniques, because the type and severity of facial ageing can differ between them.
A study published in a specialist journal compared four well-known facelift techniques while reducing the differences between patients by operating on identical twins. In some cases only the excess skin was treated; in others the superficial musculo-aponeurotic system (the muscle layer beneath the skin), which many surgeons consider essential for a good result, was also treated.
The debate between supporters of superficial and deep techniques has never ended, but there has recently been a trend towards less invasive operations that allow a quicker return to social life. The results of the study were assessed over time by plastic surgeons who had not been in the operating theatre and did not know which technique had been used, so that they were not influenced by personal preferences. The results suggest that there are no substantial differences between the techniques, either in the quality of the result or in how long it lasts.
The growing demand for quick, minimally invasive procedures therefore seems to justify “softer” techniques, which are also much less risky. See also the MACS lift and the facelift.