Who does not want to look young again? Nasolabial folds, dents, drooping eyelids, flabby neck – some people start protesting the imminent aging at 55, and some encounter these unpleasant signs of aging when they are 30. Over the years, the face seems to be more and more influenced by the gravity, and aging is noticed on the face earlier than on other parts of the body. But this can be fixed. There are methods that will allow you to rejuvenate your face and look 20 years younger right away. One of these methods is the surgical SMAS lifting.
What is SMAS?
The skin is not the only thing to blame for the sagging and drooping of the facial contours – this happens also because of the muscles that form our appearance. These are the broad muscles of the neck, buccal space, and the circular muscles of the eye. Adipose tissue is also important, especially the so-called buccal fat. So, SMAS is the superficial muscular aponeurotic system.
Exercises and creams do not help the ligaments
Let's take a closer look at our face: there is our skin, then there is the subcutaneous fat, muscles, aponeurosis and adhesions. Then there are the ligaments that attach all of the above to the bone. That is, our face actually rests on ligaments, and it is they who are responsible for the youth and elasticity of our faces.
The ligaments stretch out – which causes a sagging of the face, that is, the SMAS and the skin also sag.
“Creams, massages, exercises - all of these things affect the skin, but not the ligaments. Mimic and skeletal muscles also work differently. Skeletal muscles can be toned, while it is impossible to do the same thing to the mimic muscles. They are attached to the fixed part of the face. That is, the more they are reduced, the more of the skin is injured. The higher the mimic activity, the more creases in the skin. Therefore, the “exercises” of the face are meaningless,” says plastic surgeon Eduard Yurshevich.
How does the surgical SMAS lifting work?
SMAS lifting is work on the superficial muscular apparatus of the face. The plastic surgeon performs a facelift, affecting the structures lying deep under the skin, thereby returning all the displaced and lowered zones to the position in which they were originally in their youth.
The SMAS lift allows to correct a variety of shortcomings in detail: deep wrinkles, pronounced skin folds and accumulation of body fat. As a result, it is possible to achieve good results and obtain a long-term effect.
The surgery allows the patient to keep their own appearance
Previously, facelift surgeries used technologies that altered the anatomy of SMAS. As a result, after getting up from the operating table, the person might not recognize themselves in the mirror. They look younger, sure, but the face is unrecognizable. Modern surgical methods that are used in our clinic allow us to rejuvenate the appearance of a person.
“In older methods, a cut was made, one of the SMAS vectors was pulled up, while the other was pulled to the ears, and as a result, the appearance of the person was changed. Now we tighten the whole complex of tissues and maintain their own appearance. For many, this is the most important thing. Patients often say: I do not want to change my face. I just want to look younger,” says Edward Yurshevich, MD, plastic surgeon.
Advantages of the surgery and why is it called organ-preserving?
SMAS lifting can be part of a complete facelift according to the unique method of Dr. Yurshevich, which also became the subject of his doctoral dissertation. “Organ-preserving lifting means that we pull the sagging SMAS and the soft tissues to an elevated position in which they once were, without damaging the anatomical structures of the face. Therefore, this lifting is called organ-preserving. And to heal faster, perforating blood vessels that nourish the skin and muscle flaps are also preserved. Therefore we make sure that there is a natural flow of blood and fluids, as well as these fluids drain away from the face (there is much less swelling). Unfortunately, there will always be swelling on the face after the surgery - this is a surgical intervention after all. But it is the perforating blood vessels that help to speed up the drainage. The body also recovers much faster after surgery.
Other technologies alter the appearance or disrupt the blood circulation of exfoliating flaps, which leads to a longer recovery period. But we want to be beautiful today, right now,” says Dr. Yurshevich.
At the same time, it is possible to tighten the most important muscle of the neck - platysma and to further delay the aging process. A complex operation may include raising the forehead and eyebrows, which is performed endoscopically, plastic surgery of the upper and lower eyelids, lifting the middle and lower face (due to SMAS-lifting). We emphasize once again: with the preservation of perforating blood vessels, this can be done without damaging the anatomical structures.
Recovery period: how soon can we go back to work?
Cosmetics can be used eight days after the surgery. Sutures are removed after 7-10 days, you can go back to work in three weeks. The facial expressions remain the same. But at first there may be a change in the sensitivity of the skin of the face, though it recovers quickly. Three months later, you can already forget about the surgery at all.
Are there any seams left? This is one of the main issues that concern patients. The seams on the face during the lift are made in the natural folds of the ear. You can repeat the procedure no earlier than in 10 years.
For those who come to Riga to perform the surgery, it is important to know: they will have to stay in Latvia for 8-10 days, so that the staff of the clinic can control the postoperative period.
