Because your face reflects age, health, and beauty more than any other part of your body, a surgeon’s technique has a profound impact. This is why the facelift is among the ultimate representations of a plastic surgeon’s craft. The facelift can do such wonderful things, yet remains a surgery that is the object of disparaging comments.
In less skilled hands, cheeks can be swept back, the face can be flattened, the ears and hairline distorted, all to the point that the facelift probably does more harm than good. Dr. Teitelbaum's facelift in Los Angeles can create dramatic improvements in both your aesthetic appearance and your self-confidence, with natural-looking results.
A facelift is a surgical procedure that is designed to renew and rejuvenate the face.
A facelift can take years off the clock, returning your youthful, contoured features to what they were before the aging process began. During a facelift procedure, the underlying tissues are addressed to achieve definition in sagging areas and add volume where youthful fullness is lost. The skin is lifted and tightened to sculpt and refine the appearance.
Dr. Teitelbaum’s fabulous aesthetics and outstanding surgical technique maximizes the results each patient can achieve from their facelift in Los Angeles. Rather than simply lift and pull each patient as much as possible, Dr. Teitelbaum’s philosophy is to focus on what patients need to achieve their individual beauty. A facelift adds youth. But further, Dr. Teitelbaum believes a facelift makes a person look healthier and more energetic. A facelift improves appearance not only due to the physical changes made, but because the buoyed spirit expresses itself through the face.
Getting ready to teach advanced facelift techniques in this cadaver lab at the Dallas Plastic Surgery Symposium.
For example, some people become very wrinkled with age, yet their wrinkles convey happiness and energy. Others develop lines that can inaccurately convey negativity, making their faces look sad, angry, mean, or melancholic. A facelift can allow the patient to convey through their face the happiness and joy they are really feeling by removing the lines that belie their emotion.
The best surgical technique for a facelift has been debated at every plastic surgery meeting for decades. Nevertheless, no one can tell what “type” of a facelift a particular patient underwent by looking at photographs of a patient after the procedure.
Dr. Teitelbaum is proficient at all of the major facelift techniques. Instead of operating as if “one size fits all,” he selects his method based on what best sculpts an individual patient’s face.
The more aggressive procedures have a greater risk of injury to nerves that can result in temporary or even long term loss of muscle function; recovery can take longer; there can be more swelling; and there can be more pain. Dr. Teitelbaum will use these techniques when they offer his patient a particular benefit.
Regardless of method, what is most noticed about a facelift is what parts of the face are lifted, how much they are moved, and whether the scars are placed inconspicuously so that the ear and the hairline look natural. A top Los Angeles facelift surgeon, Dr. Teitelbaum excels at all of these aspects of a facelift and offers his patients a gorgeous and long lasting improvement without the telltale signs of surgery.
As patients present with multiple cosmetic concerns that they wish to correct with a facelift in Los Angeles, and as every patient is unique, multiple facelift styles have been developed and perfected over the decades to treat all patient possibilities.
Dr. Teitelbaum strives to make his patients' faces look gorgeous, young, happy, and free from overly pulled and tight areas, distortion, and disfigurement. This sometimes means not pulling as tight as possible and not attempting to flatten every last line. This is a reasonable tradeoff that many facelift patients choose.
His celebrity facelift patients do not want to be called out in the press for having had surgery. In contrast, some of his patients are comfortable with a more aggressive approach. Dr. Teitelbaum understands the nuances that create these subtle but very real differences in goals and outcome.
Many people notice a bad facelift but they do not know what exactly is catching their eye.
Dr. Teitelbaum has studied these issues and is very attentive to avoiding every one of them:
While no one considering any operation wants to hear about so many negative possibilities, these are the issues that concern nearly every person considering a facelift. However, Dr. Teitelbaum is acutely aware of, and abhors these results and, therefore, provides his patients with very natural and gorgeous results, always striving to deliver the best facelift Los Angeles has to offer.
Does Dr. Teitelbaum do all plastic surgery himself?
Why Dr. Steven Teitelbaum became a plastic surgeon
A mini facelift is not a specific operation. A facelift surgeon in Los Angeles who uses this term does so with something else in mind. It may mean a reduced length of scar (though plastic surgeons today can do very extensive work on the inside through very small scars). Some patients are not emotionally ready to accept the thought of having a "full facelift" and may prefer undergoing something called a "mini facelift" for emotional rather than rational reasons. Dr. Teitelbaum has seen countless patients who "just had a little mini tuck a few years ago" and yet had the scars of a full-fledged facelift. For some patients, the notion of a mini-facelift suggests a more mild and natural appearance.
Similarly, there is no clear distinction between a "facelift," "lower facelift," and "necklift." Each surgeon means something else with each of these terms. What matters is not what the procedure is called, but what is going to be done.
Dr. Teitelbaum believes in doing as much—and not more—than will benefit a patient. He does not see a "full facelift" and a "mini facelift" as two distinct entities to choose between. Rather, there is a full spectrum of opportunities. The location and length of incisions, extent of dissection, and the tightening of muscles on the inside should be done according to what will most benefit that patient. Dr. Teitelbaum’s Santa Monica facelift patients get all the improvement suitable for them but with no more and no less scar, risk, cost, and recovery than necessary to meet that goal.
A facelift is often performed with other procedures to complement the results and achieve a more completely rejuvenated, refreshed appearance. Two of the most common procedures that are paired with a facelift are a brow lift and an eye lift. These procedures renew the upper regions of the face, smoothing the skin around the eyes and on the brow.
A facelift makes improvements from the cheek down; it treats neither the upper and lower eyelid nor the forehead. Loose, droopy, or baggy eyelids can make someone look tired or old despite the rest of the face. When we cry, don’t sleep well, or eat salty food, the eyes can look puffy and unattractive. Excess upper eyelid skin can interfere with vision, make the person appear stressed or tired, and interfere with the ability to apply mascara.
Sometimes a brow lift is of benefit with a facelift and in these cases the eyelids also need to be considered. Sometimes all three are done at once, and at other times it is better to do either just the brow lift or blepharoplasty in concert with the facelift. There are no rules. It is only important that each patient discusses and considers these important issues. Dr. Teitelbaum excels at addressing the eyes and face harmoniously.
The facelift treats more or less from the top of the ear down to the neck. But it does not improve the eyes, brow, or forehead. A low brow or a brow without a beautiful arch prevents the eyes from looking as beautiful as they are meant to be. An arch can make someone more feminine and comely. For these reasons, a brow lift is commonly combined with a facelift.
Some of Dr. Teitelbaum's Santa Monica patients do not need anything done along with a facelift. But many others need either their eyes, brows, or even both lifted at the same time. Brow lift patients may have low and horizontal eyebrows, often laying within the eye socket. The low positioned brow creates the illusion of excess skin in the upper eyelids (though there may be some there as well), and people will reflexively raise their eyebrows when their eyebrows are low. This can give horizontal lines to the forehead.
A brow lift repositions the eyebrows into a higher and more arched position. Since there is less crowding of the brow on to the eye, there is less of a need to raise the brows and therefore a reduction in the horizontal forehead lines. And while an upper eyelid lift reduces the upper eyelid skin, it is a brow lift that lifts excess upper eyelid skin that is to the side of the eye socket.
Though the facelift itself is considered by the public as being the culprit for the "deer staring into headlights" look, that is the result of an overly done brow lift. However, this negative result is entirely avoidable and should not be a cause for apprehension. Dr. Teitelbaum has performed many brow lifts simultaneously with a facelift and understands how to coordinate the two in order to create a graceful and balanced appearance.
About Dr. Teitelbaum's private AAAAHC accredited operating room
How much experience does Dr. Teitelbaum have as a plastic surgeon?
Facelifts are a major surgical procedure and should be followed by a period of recovery, rest and relaxation. We recommend remaining in bed for 12 hours after surgery, with the head of the bed elevated, as with multiple pillows. Despite the intensity of the procedure, not much pain is experienced as it is managed with pain medication. However, there will or may be a deep sensation of bearable but noticeable pressure. Patients are provided full postoperative care instructions and afforded plenty of time to discuss details with the surgeon and our staff. Patients typically return to stationary work within 7 to 10 days of their surgery, but light evidence of the procedure may be visible for 2 to 3 weeks after surgery.
Candidates for a facelift are men or women who would like to achieve a significantly more youthful facial appearance by lifting sagging skin and contouring the features. Ideal candidates for a facelift should meet the following requirements:
While there are drawbacks involved with every surgical procedure, most clients find that the benefits of a facelift far outweigh the risks. Dr. Teitelbaum is meticulously detailed and has extensive expertise, ensuring you are in the best of hands during your treatment. Minor complications can typically be managed with medication, at-home care, or revision techniques. Long-term complications are extremely rare but may include hematoma, poor scarring, nerve injuries, hair loss, or skin loss. Dr. Teitelbaum will go over both the advantages and the risks of a facelift with you in depth during your private consultation.
Though a few patients have facelifts in their forties, most wait until their fifties or even later. Sometimes women in their thirties will get facelifts, but their skin is so naturally tight that to do a facelift at that age will often but not always result in some facial distortion.
A man or woman is ready for a facelift when there is both frustration and sufficient room for improvement that makes the procedure worthwhile. A recent study demonstrated that facelifts last longer in patients who receive them at an earlier age. Notwithstanding that, a patient should never get a facelift before the benefits are enough to offset the expense and recovery.
Being told that “you are ready” for a facelift can be difficult and unnerving for many women. As a result, they may forgo the procedure for years when they could have otherwise benefited. Others have noticed subtle changes over the years and are eager to have the opportunity to improve their countenance.
The adage that “you can always tell when someone has had a facelift” is simply not true; overdone or poorly done facelifts have telltale signs, but in practiced hands they are also entirely avoidable. We encounter men and women everyday who have had facelifts and simply look wonderful; their facelift is undetectable.
Dr. Teitelbaum has the experience and sensitivity to help a patient decide whether they are ready for a facelift or whether they should wait. He frequently declines to do facelifts because, as surgeon and as artist, he essentially puts his name to every patient he operates on. It’s in neither the patient’s nor his best interest to simply perform any operation—least of all a facelift—on someone who is not going to have a gorgeous and worthwhile improvement.
Each of our facelift surgeries are preceded well in advance by a confidential consultation wherein we will discuss your goals for the procedure, your medical history, and the risks and benefits of the surgery. During this time and at any point prior to surgery, patients are welcome and encouraged to ask questions. The procedure is safe, widely offered and very popular, but it is not without its own considerable commitment and recovery period. Getting through these are trying, but bearable and the positive results will last up to a decade or longer. You have a lot to look forward to after a relatively brief period of intense recovery.
The results are so natural and the recovery was virtually painless. The experience with the office was first class and the epitome of professionalism. Dr. Teitelbaum listened and was available for any questions I had.
I am 73 years of age and finally decided to get a face lift with Dr. Teitelbaum. Wow, what a masterful job he did. It has been 3 weeks, and with a little makeup applied to my face, I'm seeing friends who are amazed how my face looks. I'm still the same old Joanie, but I look so much better. I recommend him to all of you who want a facelift!
I wanted to look less tired and everyone told me I needed a face-lift. I was scared because facelifts look so plastic. Then my friend went to Dr T. I visited her that night and she looked great, no bruising. So I decided to go and I can't believe I waited so long. Dr. T is an artist!
Dr. Teitelbaum was peaceful, direct and very informative. He heard my thoughts and I felt that we were working collaboratively from the moment we met.
