What is a facelift?

Medically called a rhytidectomy, in simple terms, a facelift is a surgery that uses hidden incisions along the hairline and ear to lift and reposition the facial tissues to a more youthful position. Unfortunately, facelift surgery is associated with the stigma of “bad” cosmetic surgery – a look that appears unnatural or overdone. The reality is, in the hands of expert facelift surgeon Dr. Brace, a facelift is often the most natural and powerful procedure a person can undergo to rejuvenate the face and neck. A facelift performed with the most advanced techniques has tremendous power to rejuvenate self-esteem and confidence.

Before & After

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* Individual results may vary.

Facelift by Dr. Brace: Facial surgery specialist in Guelph

Dr. Brace is an expert facelift surgeon with double board-certified training. His practice is focused exclusively on surgery of the face and neck. He has studied under facelift masters and innovators and has refined his own techniques. He continues to be a lifelong student and teacher of this surgery.

His results are consistently beautiful and natural. His goal with each patient is to restore the face to a youthful shape without changing an individual’s appearance or making him or her look like someone else. Dr. Brace creates elegant refinements, reversing the changes time has created and recapturing the natural beauty and contours of the face and neck.

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Focus on the Face at Guelph Facial Plastics

Focus on the Face at Guelph Facial Plastics

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Types of facelifts

Due to the stigma of the word “facelift,” many surgeons have re-named and rebranded their version of a facelift to be more accessible to those who can benefit from this procedure. This creates some confusion for patients who are trying to research this surgery. The important distinguishing element for patients researching a facelift is to determine their tolerance for downtime and the longevity of the lift they seek.

SMAS procedures

Surgical facelifts have evolved from tightening the skin alone to tightening the layer of the face called the SMAS (superficial musculoaponeurotic system) and removing the excess skin. When the skin is treated alone (without SMAS), an unnatural appearance is created, and where the stigma of unnatural facelift surgery originates.

The procedures that tighten the SMAS are advantageous because tension is taken off the skin and put in a deeper layer of the face. This gives a natural result along the neck and jawline, but the result is limited by not allowing for correction of the nasolabial folds. The advantage is minimal downtime (one to two weeks) but the results have a shorter lifespan, with a high revision rate at 2 years.

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Deep plane facelifts

A deep plane facelift is the most advanced and natural-looking technique. This approach corrects the cheeks, jawline and neck. A deep plane lift is a delicate but extensive procedure, in which Dr. Brace releases the ligaments of the face so that the SMAS, fat pads, ligaments and muscles of the face and neck can be completely re-draped and repositioned. This gives the most balanced appearance between the face and neck, with correction of nasolabial folds and the longest lasting results, usually 10 years or longer.

Because all the tension is placed deep on the SMAS there is no stigma of an obvious or overdone facelift once the face is healed. This is Dr. Brace’s procedure of choice for facial rejuvenation. The incisions are meticulously, individually tailored, based on each person’s anatomy and degree of facial laxity. Sometimes the incisions are almost entirely in front of the ear, in others they extend behind the ear along the hairline.

Who is a candidate for this surgery?

Both men and women from across Canada seek facelift surgery from Dr. Brace. The most common reason to seek a facelift is loose hanging skin at the jowls, neck and cheeks with deep nasolabial folds. Most people seeking a facelift are in their 50s to 70s. However, deep plane facelifts are also effective in treating younger adults to improve acne-scarred skin or to remove excess skin after significant weight loss. The final reason to seek a deep plane facelift is to revise a previous facelift that placed excess and unnatural tension on the skin, creating an overly pulled appearance.

Revision facelift

As in any aesthetic procedure, there will be a small subset of patients who do not achieve the complete aesthetic goals of facelift surgery. This can be for a host of factors. Common reasons to seek a revision after a deep plane facelift are the recurrence of the neck bands at the front of the neck or an unsightly scar that did not heal as intended. These are usually dealt with as a minor procedure under local anesthetic.

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What is a neck lift?

A neck lift is a procedure that addresses fullness, sagging skin, and/or muscle banding of the neck under the chin. In isolation, this is not a very common procedure but it is often combined with a facelift. There are a variety of techniques used to address the neck.

Types of neck lifts

Dr. Brace offers a variety of neck lifts depending on the factors at play. These include:

  • Submental liposuction
  • Belkyra injections
  • Profound treatments
  • Grecian Urn direct neck lifts
  • Platysmaplasty
  • Chin implant

Who is a candidate for a neck lift?

Each neck lift procedure is tailored to specific concerns. For fullness under the chin from excess fatty tissue, a micro liposuction procedure is the most effective and definitive procedure for contouring the neck and achieving great definition of the jawline. For those who wish to avoid the OR, Profound RF micro-needling can both melt fat and tighten skin. Similarly, Belkyra injections destroy fat and can create definition in this area. For those with prominent neck bands, the surgical solutions is called a platysmaplasty.

This involves removing fat between the bands surgically and sewing the muscle bands together to create a smooth neckline. If there is excess skin or a ‘turkey neck’, then this skin can be directly excised and closed with a Grecian Urn direct neck lift. In some cases, adding a chin implant to increase the projection of the chin and stretch the neck skin is all that is required. Not everyone is a good candidate for isolated neck procedures and often a facelift approach is a better option. A consultation is required to determine who is a good candidate for these procedures.

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Compassionate care with sophisticated, natural-looking outcomes

At Guelph Facial Plastics, Dr. Brace approaches each patient with a personalized and compassionate touch. He understands that each individual has unique facial features and goals, and he takes the time to listen attentively to their concerns. With an artistic eye and surgical precision, Dr. Brace tailors facelift procedures to harmonize facial proportions and restore a naturally youthful appearance, all while preserving the patient’s individuality.

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My experience with Dr. Brace and his team at Guelph Facial Plastics has been outstanding.

D.J.

Facelift & Neck Lift Testimonial

Anna's Story: Facelift and Neck Lift Testimonial

Plastic and Reconstructive SurgeonDr. Matthew D. Brace, Medical Director

Dr. Brace is a highly respected, double-board-certified facial plastic surgeon known for creating elegant, extremely natural results. Dr. Brace is the current Vice President of the Canadian Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and adjunct faculty in facial plastic and reconstructive surgery at the University of Toronto, McMaster University, and the University of Western Ontario. Dr. Brace creates elegant refinements to recapture the natural beauty and delicate contours of the face and neck.

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The gift of renewed confidence

One of Dr. Brace’s passions is deep plane facelift surgery. The degree of correction and restoration of youthfulness from this surgery is a key component of what drew him to facial plastic and reconstructive surgery as a specialty. The impact that this type of facelift surgery has on his patients, who are given the gift of renewed confidence and self-esteem, is Dr. Brace’s motivation to continue to refine and enhance his techniques.

Exceptional training and skills

Dr. Brace’s extensive surgical expertise in the face comes not only from hundreds of facelift procedures but also from his advanced training and practice in head and neck surgery. Dr. Brace uses these same skills and techniques to treat patients with facial tumours. He enjoys an elite level of comfort and skill working in the face around the facial nerve.

He extends the power of the deep plane facelift to provide cutting-edge care for cancer patients by using hidden cosmetic incisions to access and remove facial cancers and to recruit skin with facelift ligament release techniques to reconstruct cancer defects. With hundreds of cases of experience, Dr. Brace is a talented surgeon with a keen artistic eye who is highly respected by his colleagues.

Consultation

The first step in facelift surgery is a private consultation. During the consultation, Dr. Brace will assess your general health, your facial and neck aesthetic balance, your aesthetic concerns, and the aging components of the face that lead to these concerns. He will then take standard photographs and provide you with his recommendation at this time for the best facelift result.

In most cases, Dr. Brace will point out other areas of your face that will not be corrected by a facelift and will discuss options to address these areas if needed. This may include the eyelids, brow, upper lip, and skin around the mouth. Sometimes, a facelift is unnecessary to achieve your aesthetic goals, and Dr. Brace will advocate for a different approach.

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