Q. Is there a male facelift that doesn’t displace the beard towards the ear? For example, one with a pure vertical vector of pull, especially if the neck line is not a concern. The beard line is of great concern to most men, especially nowadays when wearing beard is so ubiquitous and accepted in all professions. Before and afters never show what happens to the beard, and when they do, I find the results unacceptable.
A. This is really a terrific question not often asked!
Without a in-person consultation we can only speak of generalities. Yes, there are ways to masculinize or feminize, ie individualize YOUR facelift.
Most facelifts today are performed suspending the superficial muscle and fascia (SMAS and platysma) in a vertical direction and redraping the skin in a upward-lateral direction.
Feminizing the face, neck and forehead include discussions regarding:
- Near total reduction and line-less forehead with continued brow expression
- Arched brows beginning at the level of the orbital ridge medially and ending 1 cm above the orbital ridge laterally
- Upward redraping of the skin with only enough upward lateral lift to drape the skin firmly
- No loss of side-burn but small elevation okay.
- High SMAS suspension with full cheek “apple” and highlight across the lateral cheek bone
- Shadow to no shadow under the medial cheek and cheek bone
- Tight jawline and neck line
- Total reduction in the tear trough nasojugal, nasolabial and marionette folds.
- Smooth transition of the neck muscle hiding the “Adams apple” down to the collar bone
- Well hidden scars over the tragus and along the back crease of the ear.
- Small hanging earlobes
- Diminished but evident forehead lines and expression
- Fuller and more horizontal brows at or just above the orbital ridge
- Upward and lateral redraping of the face skin with no temporal incision scar
- Upward and lateral suspension of the SMAS with tight, crisp jawline and neck line
- Reduction in the tear trough nasojugal fold
- Reduction in the nasolabial fold
- Total reduction of the marionnette fold
- More prominent chin and jawline
- Show of the “Adams Apple”
- Reduction of hair on the tragus and behind ear using post-operative laser hair reduction.
