Endoscopic Facelifts | Aging

By AazdakAlissimmo
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While most people have gruesome images of plastic surgery from watching the procedures on television, not all plastic surgery techniques are as bloody and gory. Some of the newer techniques available use smaller incisions and advanced instruments - which prevent blood and gore.

One surgery that really stands out among the gory surgeries shown on the makeover shows is the facelift. Long cuts are required so that the doctors can actually pull the skin down off of the patient's face, in order to work with the tissues underneath to make the face look smooth.

There are other techniques that are more recent than this - they allow the surgeons to do some of the facelift in steps. This means that there can be smaller cuts in the skin that are made, meaning smaller scars. There are also "mini" facelifts that work on specific parts of the face that need improvement.

All of these facelifts, however, do require extensive cutting and removal of tissues, as well as large scale manipulation of tissue and possibly loss of blood. While this in itself is not necessarily dangerous or bad, there are other ways to perform facelifts that are being developed.

The endoscopic facelift is being developed as we speak, so that doctors can perform both full facelifts and mini facelifts without the extensive cutting required today. This facelift is not like facelifts performed today in that it uses instruments that are placed under the skin through tiny cuts.

These instruments, along with a camera so that the doctor can see what he or she is doing, perform the work that would normally be done during a facelift. They manipulate and cut the underlying tissues, suturing them in place. Less blood can be lost, and less scarring takes place due to smaller cuts.

The endoscopic facelift is far from being perfect. It does not work in every instance - and not all plastic surgeons are trained in endoscopic technique. You will need to interview your surgeon, and call surgical offices before finding a surgeon who knows how to perform endoscopic facelifts.

You will also have to be prepared for the fact that your surgeon may need to cut you open and switch to a regular facelift in the middle of the procedure - endoscopic facelifts are far from perfect, and sometimes the tools do not work and you will need to have a regular facelift to assure success.

In all, endoscopic facelifts are still being perfected. They are a good alternative if you have other health issues that might make having a regular facelift a problem - such as a bleeding issue, or if you have problems with scarring. In any case, be sure to talk to your plastic surgeon about this option.

About the Author

Aazdak Alisimo writes about plastic surgery issues for PlasticSurgeonPractices.com, where you can locate a plastic surgeon in your city.

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