What is a Liquid Facelift?
Most people associate a “facelift” with surgery involving anesthesia, sutures, recovery time, and discomfort. The effects are striking, but they take time to manifest. A few weeks of recovery time are required before revealing the results. Even though facelift surgery has many excellent benefits, such as realigning the tissues underneath and tightening skin to give a smooth, taut appearance, many people are hesitant or unprepared to have surgery.
Thankfully, Dr. George Brennan – Cosmetic Surgeon Newport Beach offers a non-surgical substitute. A liquid facelift is a rapid, easy, and secure procedure that revitalizes the appearance of your face by successfully resolving folds, lines, and wrinkles.
What Exactly is a Liquid Facelift?
A less invasive cosmetic technique called a “liquid facelift” uses injectables, sometimes known as fillers, to give the appearance of a more youthful one. These fillers are meant to plump up the skin, lessen sagging, and help soften the appearance of lines and wrinkles on the face.
Collagen and elastin, two types of connective tissue in our skin, naturally deteriorate with age. As people age, they may also experience a reduction in facial fat. These conditions may result in a senior or aged facial appearance. Dermal fillers are injected during a liquid facelift, which helps fill up gaps in the aging skin layers. Liquid facelifts combat signs of aging on the face by adding volume to the skin tissue, effectively rejuvenating the appearance.
For various reasons, liquid facelifts are frequently preferred to conventional surgical facelifts, also known as surgical brow lifts. Liquid facelifts can offer many of those benefits as a surgical facelift, but they are safer, less expensive, need a lot less recovery time, and usually cause less bruising. Liquid facelifts are less unpleasant because they don’t require surgery, and many patients can return to work the following day. In addition, it restores volume to the face instead of just extending the skin, allowing patients to make subtler, more natural-looking changes.
Types of Dermal Fillers
Nowadays, you can select from various injections for a liquid face-lift. Because fillers don’t last forever, you must get injected again to keep the results.
Typical fillers consist of:
- Hyaluronic acid is the most widely utilized class of fillers. If you are unhappy with the outcome, doctors may inject a substance to break off the hyaluronic acid. The effects are fully reversible and last for around eight months.
- Calcium hydroxyapatite: These fillers are not reversible and take 12 to 16 months to degrade.
- Poly-L-lactic acid: This kind of filler lasts up to 24 months and promotes the creation of collagen. Three to four injections are needed throughout visits to get progressive results.
- Collagen or fat: Fat and collagen injectable fillers, often known as soft tissue augmentation, are a short-term solution for wrinkle and scar correction. The patient’s body fat may be transferred with this filler. Treatments for soft tissue augmentation might span three to twelve months.
Platelet-rich plasma is a promising new treatment employing the patient’s tissue. After taking the patient’s blood, the specialist spins it through a lab to separate the plasma from the blood cells. The doctor then injects the plasma into the patient’s face. Although there is little evidence to support the link, the platelets and growth factors in plasma may encourage the creation of collagen.
Benefits of a Liquid Facelift
A liquid facelift, a non-surgical cosmetic procedure, offers numerous benefits compared to traditional facelift surgery.
Here are some of the key advantages:
- Non-Invasive: Unlike surgical facelifts requiring incisions and significant downtime for recovery, a liquid facelift involves minimal invasion. It typically utilizes injectable dermal fillers and muscle relaxants to achieve desired results, resulting in less trauma to the skin and tissues.
- Minimal Downtime: Since no incisions or surgical procedures are involved, recovery time is significantly reduced compared to traditional facelift surgery. Most individuals can resume their normal activities shortly after the procedure, making it ideal for busy schedules.
- No General Anesthesia: Liquid facelifts are performed using local anesthesia or numbing cream, eliminating the need for general anesthesia. It reduces the risk of complications associated with anesthesia and makes the procedure safer for patients, particularly those with underlying health concerns.
- Customizable Results: Liquid facelifts offer a high level of customization to address specific concerns and achieve natural-looking results. A skilled practitioner can adjust the type and amount of injectables used to target areas such as wrinkles, fine lines, volume loss, and facial contours according to each patient’s unique needs and desired outcome.
- Immediate Results: Unlike surgical facelifts, which may take weeks or months to reveal the outcome as swelling and bruising subside fully, the results of a liquid facelift are typically immediate. Patients can see facial volume, contour, and smoothness improvements shortly after the procedure, with results improving over the following days.
- Stimulates Collagen Production: Certain dermal fillers used in a liquid facelift can stimulate collagen production in the skin, promoting natural firmness and elasticity over time. This can lead to longer-lasting results and improved skin quality beyond the treatment’s initial effects.
Liquid facelift offers a safe, convenient, and effective alternative to traditional facelift surgery for individuals seeking facial rejuvenation without the risks and downtime associated with invasive procedures. However, consulting a qualified and experienced cosmetic professional is essential to ensure the best possible outcome and minimize potential risks.
What To Expect When Getting A Liquid Facelift?
The technique for each patient will be unique based on the state of the facial skin and tissue, existing lines, and expected results. This is why the first step in any liquid facelift process should be carefully analyzing the patient’s face and assessing the main areas where fillers could be used to treat. Together with the patient, the Newport Beach cosmetic surgeon or dermatologist will design the course of treatment and offer recommendations. At this point, the anticipated cost of the procedure is to be disclosed, providing the patient with the chance to modify the course of treatment as necessary to accommodate their financial situation.
To attain the intended outcomes and treat volume loss, the doctor would probably mark injection sites on the face after deciding on a plan. After cleaning the injection sites, topical numbing medications are usually given to make the process as comfortable as feasible. A thin needle will be used to provide the injections when the tissue has become numb. The filler will then settle more smoothly if the injection sites are rubbed.
While most liquid facelifts are performed in one session, some patients may opt to spread the injections over several appointments. This will allow the patient to have touch-ups during subsequent appointments and when they need to see the effects in segments.
Are Liquid Facelifts Safe?
In general, liquid facelifts are safe if the person performing the procedure has a board license. However, having a liquid facelift carries certain standard risks.
Injection sites bruise, especially if you receive injections close to your eyes. If you use any blood thinners, these bruises may become serious. Before the operation, ensure your doctor knows all your medications and supplements.
Typical side effects consist of:
- Redness
- Swelling
- Soreness
- A little pain, especially when you laugh or smile.
Additional uncommon side effects consist of the following:
- Cysts or abscesses
- Allergic reactions
- Herpes simplex virus (HSV)
- Necrosis of the skin
- Bacterial infections like staph or strep.
Contact your doctor as soon as possible if you suspect an allergic response or flu-like symptoms following a liquid facelift.
How Long Does a Liquid Facelift Last?
The effects can be seen immediately and persist for six to twenty-four months. The kind of filler used, the quantity used, and the site of the filler injections all significantly impact how long the treatment takes. To maintain the appearance of a liquid facelift, a treatment plan could be created depending on each patient’s timetable. Because the procedure is only temporary, patients can assess their satisfaction with the result before committing to more frequent treatments or longer-lasting filler options.
What Is a Liquid Facelift’s Average Cost?
The price of a liquid facelift varies greatly and is influenced by several variables. Factors that could influence the cost include:
- The kinds of fillers used.
- The number of injections required.
- The filler required to treat a particular patient’s facial volume loss.
The cost may also vary depending on whether other treatments are included in the package with a liquid facelift and how experienced the treating physician is.
Patients should budget, on average, about $3,000 for a liquid facelift. Remember that additional treatments will cost more for upkeep and touch-ups. Contrast this with the cost of a surgical facelift, which can be considerably more expensive depending on the amount of work required to produce the desired results and has an average cost of over $7,400. Furthermore, remember that this is a cosmetic operation, and insurance will unlikely reimburse any associated costs.
Conclusion
Injectables are used in a minimally invasive, non-surgical cosmetic technique called a “liquid face-lift.” Botox and dermal fillers are usually combined in the medications used.
Compared to a surgical facelift, the results of a liquid facelift are less dramatic and transitory, but the operation carries fewer risks and has a more straightforward recovery process.
Schedule a consultation with an experienced, board-certified cosmetic surgeon to review your options, ask questions, and view pictures before and after making a decision.
The Easy Way to Facial Rejuvenation
BOTOX and dermal fillers are adaptable injectables that work well at different facial treatment sites. A liquid facelift can provide complete, minimally invasive facial rejuvenation from your forehead to your jawline. Nearly immediate results can be maintained with consistent skin care and follow-up appointments.
Contact Dr. George Brennan to schedule your liquid facelift consultation appointment.