What the SMAS Facelift Lifts

A facelift is easier to compare when you know what is being lifted and what is only being tightened. With a SMAS facelift, a few questions make any surgeon's answer easier to follow, whatever their own method.

What the name points to

The name "SMAS facelift" points to a layer that sits beneath the skin. The name tells you the surgeon works on that layer and not only on the skin surface. It does not tell you how far the lift reaches, how it is secured, or which parts of the face move.

Those details are the first thing to ask about.

Questions that separate one plan from another

Ask the surgeon to point to the areas of your face that the plan will lift. Then ask which parts are lifted through the deeper layer and which parts depend on the skin alone. If the answers sound the same for every patient, ask what changes for your face.

A short list of questions written before the visit makes the answers easier to compare. A plastic surgery society published tips for acing your plastic surgery consult, which is a useful base for that list.

Why your own concern matters more than the label

A person who sees jowls and a person who sees a tired neck may be offered the same procedure name for different reasons. Tell the surgeon which feature bothers you, and ask whether this procedure addresses that feature directly or only nearby.

Match the concern to the procedure first, then judge candidacy.

Another source to compare

A consumer health page on what a facelift is and what to expect is one more source to compare with your surgeon's explanation.

If that page and your surgeon disagree, ask the surgeon to explain the difference.

Health history belongs in the conversation

Surgeons ask about your health history before planning. A society page on facelift candidates describes who is a candidate for the operation.

Bring a full list of medications, past surgeries, and habits to the visit. Ask which of them the surgeon wants to know about before planning begins.

Side-by-side replies from each surgeon

Before you book, write down the feature you want changed and the questions above. Put the same questions to each surgeon you meet around Mercer Island, ask for plain answers, and set the replies next to each other afterward.

A society page of common facelift questions is a good place to compare your list against.