Mid Facelift

Mid facelift is a cosmetic facial surgical procedure in which the surgeon targets the nasolabial folds, the sagging cheeks (not including the double chin) and the eyelids, all of which require elevation in order for patients to achieve a youthful look. The candidates for this procedure are ones which have a good neck and descent of the cheeks and eyes and mid-face with jowling and deep nasolabial folds. Overusing fillers in the nasolabial fold and jowl area can be counterproductive and could actually produce a very unnatural appearance.

In order to achieve the most natural and youthful look, Dr. Rizk’s lift addresses the 2 aspects of aging in the mid-face: descent of the midface from gravity and volume loss in the mid-face that occurs with aging, giving a hollow area under the cheeks and a fuller area in the jowls. This is done by repositioning the jowl back into its original home over the cheekbone, in essence improving the gravity effect of descent but also volumizing the area which lost volume. Dr. Sam Rizk explains that his philosophy is to match the right surgical procedure to the right patient. He will not perform surgery that gives the patients a "tight" and plastic look, but instead focuses on maintaining a natural youthful appearance after surgery.

Dr. Rizk's Mid Facelift technique was designed to perform a modified deep plane surgery under the muscle and jowl fat layers, allowing for a more natural facial definition over the jawline and greater precision. This lift also heals more rapidly than more superficial lifts which cause more skin bruising. As an expert in the field, Dr. Rizk developed techniques that use smaller incisions which are well hidden in the hairline and inside the ear, as well as behind the ear, taking care to preserve the hair. A three dimensional telescope (a small camera-like tool) is used to give the surgeon a more precise view on a high definition 3d screen for a more precise view of the internal face using smaller incisions around the ear. This minimally invasive procedure is in contrast to much larger scars and less precise visualization of "traditional" older facelifts. Often using this technology results in less trauma by preventing excessive tissue and blood vessel exposure, thus quickening the recovery process. This is a stealth-like operation where incisions are made, the surgeon inserts the device (3D telescope) to help him/her get a clearer view before repositioning the fat and muscle layer of the cheek and jowl, returning them back to their original home in the upper part of the cheek.

Dr. Sam Rizk believes the vector of elevation is very important for a natural outcome and the vector of lift should be towards the hairline and ear (upwards and to the side), not sideways and not vertical. Vertical lifts create too much wrinkles around the eyes and horizontal lifts distort the mouth. Dr. Rizk also avoids using drainage tubes after this procedure and will sometimes incorporate the use of tissue glues in a deep plane mid facelift for a more rapid recovery and less bruising and swelling. As a result, Dr. Rizk's mid facelift allows patients to go back to their normal activities within 7-10 days following surgery. Herbal medicine should be taken both before and after surgery in order to help decrease the pain and speed up the recovery. Dr. Rizk has a special herbal regiment which he will recommend to expedite your recovery. Avoiding drainage tubes, which are used in many older facelift surgery, also decreases scarring and pain, as well as , avoiding a foreign tube in the face which decreases infection rates. Many patients opting to get a mid facelift also choose to undergo an eyelift or endoscopic browlift at the same time to correct a sagging brow or excess eyelid skin or fat.

Mini Facelift

The so called "mini facelift" or a "weekend lift" is a new media term to describe a quick, minor facelift surgery with fast recovery. Mini facelift is intended to allow patients to go back to their usual activities much more rapidly than the traditional facelift surgery. Mini facelifts procedures are claimed to better suit younger patients who are in their 30's or 40's since it is designed to meet an individual's needs to reduce or eliminate sagging or drooping of specific areas of the face such as the neck, the jawline and the nasolabial folds.

However, these lifts typically lift only the skin and not the deeper tissue and result in an unnatural appearance and do not last more than 6 months. These media-named and hyped procedures were not officially approved by any of the scientific plastic surgery associations as of yet. Some of the problems associated with these lifts are their lack of longevity and the "stretched", "pulled" look they can produce. Furthermore, these lifts do not address the neck, jowls or brow adequately. Dr. Sam Rizk offers many types of partial facelifts and necklifts which heal within 7-10 days and create a natural and long-lasting result.

The idea to lure the public into a "minilift" is not based on scientific proven data or grounds and is a marketing too. However, Dr. Rizk does a customized-type facelift depending on your degree of facial and neck aging. This custom lift may start in late 30's or early 40's with an isolated necklift and may progress into a partial lower facelift or a mid-facelift, or in mid 50's or 60's into a full facelift/necklift procedure.