Facelift Part II: Surgical Techniques and Complications

Although previous publications have reviewed face and neck-lift anatomy and technique from different perspectives, seldom were the most-relevant anatomical details and widely practiced techniques comprehensively summarized in a single work. As a result, the beginner is left with a plethora of varied publications that require sorting, re-arrangement, and critical reading. A recent survey of US plastic surgery residents and program directors disclosed less facility with facelift surgery when compared to aesthetic surgery of the breast and trunk. To this end four of the widely practiced facelift techniques (ie, MACS-lift, lateral-SMASectomy, extended-SMAS, and composite rhytidectomy) are described in an easy review format. The highlights of each are formatted followed by a summary of complications. Finally, the merits and limitations of these individual techniques are thoroughly compared and discussed.