• Home
• Surgery
• Facelift Surgery

Facelift

Explore Dr. Stanley Jacobs' Serial VectorLift^™, Mini Face Lift, and More for Santa Rosa, Healdsburg, and the Whole San Francisco Bay Area

Aging is inevitable, and it takes a toll on your face. Anyone considering facelift surgery in the San Francisco area can tell you that as the years go by, your skin begins to loosen on your face and neck. Crow's feet appear at the corners of your eyes. Fine forehead lines become creases and then, gradually, deeper folds. Your jawline softens into jowls, another chin shows up beneath your chin, or vertical folds appear at the front of your neck. Heredity, personal habits, the pull of gravity, and sun exposure contribute to these signs of aging.

If you've ever wondered how what is technically known as a rhytidectomy could improve your looks or self-confidence, you need to know what results you can expect from a facelift in the San Francisco area. Dr. Stanley Jacobs offers a variety of carefully researched options to address loose and sagging skin, including the Serial VectorLift^™ to focus on a balanced appearance, the SynergyLift^™ to include repair to damaged skin, and a mini face lift that requires minimal down time.

Is a facelift for you?

As with all facial plastic surgery, good health and realistic expectations are prerequisites. There is no ideal in a facelift. Rather, the goal is to improve the overall facial appearance by addressing mid-face sagging, jowls, a double chin, deep creases that extend from the corners of the mouth to the nose or that appear beneath the eyes, and more. This is primarily achieved by sculpting the tissues beneath the skin to give the face new contours and keep the skin tight and firm.

Skin type, ethnic background, degree of skin elasticity, individual healing ability, and basic bone structure are factors that should be discussed prior to surgery, as are a realistic attitude and psychological stability.

A facelift cannot stop aging, nor can it turn back the clock. What it can do is help your face look its best and give you a healthy and a more youthful appearance. A side benefit is that many patients experience increased self-confidence.

Before starting a facelift in the San Francisco Bay Area

Your choice of a qualified facial plastic surgeon is of paramount importance. During the preliminary facelift consultation, Dr. Jacobs will examine the structure of your face, skin texture, color, and elasticity. Photographs will be taken so he can study your face and, as appropriate, work up computer imaging of your expected results. Individual risks will also be discussed, along with your medical history, and he will assess your mental and emotional attitudes toward facelift surgery. He will have his staff provide a personalized cost for your procedure.

The specific procedure you receive depends on the doctor's suggestion and your own preference, but no matter what you select, you will benefit from Dr. Jacobs' skill, as well as from the expert spin he puts on traditional facelift surgery.

What is Dr. Jacobs' Serial VectorLift^™?

The purpose of any esthetic treatment, including a facelift, should be to enhance and restore a person's appearance while creating a natural-looking outcome. Dr. Jacobs' Serial VectorLift^™ technique achieves a natural result, without the appearance of being stretched or pulled, as can be the case with a traditional facelift. Dr. Jacobs is continually working on developing and perfecting his methods to allow his patients to enjoy beautifully balanced results.

A new facelift for San Francisco: the Serial VectorLift^™

About 10 years ago, Dr. Jacobs decided to look at the human face in an entirely different way. Having a strong interest in both physics and mathematics, he wondered what these disciplines might offer to the world of facial plastic surgery. Could there be a form of cross-pollination that doctors were missing? After all, a precedent has certainly been set with engineering and orthopedic surgery in the design of artificial joints.

In examining the face, he found that the undulations of the human ear create a perfect setting to camouflage facelift incisions. There are zigs and zags along what he calls the "California coast" where nature has cleverly allowed for no straight lines. In most cases, incisions for facelifts follow this "coastline." Incisions in front of the ear also allow access to the cheek, jowl, and jawline. The portion of the facelift incision that traverses around the earlobe and behind the ear allows the surgeon to tunnel under the skin to lift and tighten any neck laxity.

But once the incision is made, surgeons vary tremendously in what they do next for a facelift. Below the skin and its supporting layer of fat lies the fascia. This is a strong layer of connective tissue that has much more tensile strength than skin — especially aged or sun-damaged skin. Many doctors sew this loose fascia (Superficial Musculo-Aponeurotic System, or SMAS) in an upward direction to lift the face. However, lifting the fascia from just in front of the ear doesn't always yield ideal facelift results. Dr. Jacobs' Serial VectorLift^™ allows him to restore the tissue to its original place, leaving a natural look.

Surgeons who perform facelift procedures have traditionally been taught to sew the fascia in front of the ear because it's closest to the point of entry into the face and contains fewer key structures, such as branches of the facial nerve and blood vessels. A facelift surgeon who lacks the advanced skills necessary for a Serial VectorLift^™ will take this simpler approach. Some patients undergoing this old-school facelift technique will see modest improvements, but the results won't last for more than six to 10 months. In addition, the inefficient nature of this method may lead a surgeon to compensate for the lack of manipulation to the fascia by pulling the skin too much, which leads to the mask-like stretch that appears so unnatural. Most patients agree this looks "overdone."

If a surgeon studies the human face like a physicist, but crafts his scalpel and stitching techniques in combination with an advanced knowledge of anatomy, the results of a facelift are astonishing and beautiful: the Serial VectorLift^™. Small sutures placed into the SMAS, starting at the jowl, allow Dr. Jacobs to work the proper vectors to lift up toward the ear in a stronger, more balanced way. The position, angle, and number of stitches in a Serial VectorLift^™ will vary from patient to patient and from one side of the face to another. The results from this type of facelift are fuller cheeks, smoother jowls, and a mid-face that's curved (not stretched flat). Dr. Jacobs knows he has achieved the desired results from his Serial VectorLift^™ when a patient's face follows these graceful, natural arcs.

Dr. Jacobs has been using this Serial VectorLift^™ technique now for more than seven years. Having performed traditional facelifts for 15 years prior to this, he believes his new approach provides better, longer lasting results. Patients come to him for a facelift to get a more youthful face and less "jowling." What they don't expect is a Serial VectorLift^™ that allows for a beautifully contoured cheekbone and a youthful restoration that we believe is unparalleled in facelift surgery today.

What to expect after facelift surgery

Even though most patients experience very little pain after facelift surgery, Dr. Jacobs will still prescribe medication. Some degree of post-facelift swelling and bruising is unavoidable, and you will be instructed to use cold compresses to keep swelling to a minimum. Your dressing will be removed within one to two days. You will also be instructed to keep your head elevated when lying down, to avoid as much activity as possible, and to report any undue discomfort. Though there are few risks in facelift surgery and thousands are performed every year, it is surgery, and every surgery has some degree of risk.

Recovery after a facelift usually takes two to three weeks, though many San Francisco patients go back to work in just two weeks. Scars are usually not noticeable after enough time has passed for them to mature. In any case, they are easily disguised in natural skin creases, by the hair, or, in persistent cases, by makeup until total healing has occurred. Bear in mind that the aging process continues after facelift surgery and that some relaxation of tissues will occur over the first few weeks.

Moving forward with a Serial VectorLift^™ or other facelift

Facial plastic surgery makes it possible to correct many facial flaws and signs of premature aging that can undermine self-confidence. By changing how you look, facelift surgery can help change how you feel about yourself.

SynergyLift^™ for the San Francisco area

The SynergyLift^™ is the product of a six-year study Dr. Jacobs conducted in his continuing effort to achieve the best possible facelift results for his greater San Francisco Bay Area patients.

Forty years ago, plastic surgeons knew that facelifts improved the structure of the aging face-loose jowls, cheeks, and necks-but the damaged skin remained unchanged. They also knew that chemical peels (lasers didn't appear until the late 1980s) could improve just that aspect of damaged skin, but not the architecture. Early efforts at combining the two treatments (facelifts and peels) had some disastrous results with the facial skin dying. So for almost 40 years, the topic of combined treatments remained silent-until now.

What is SynergyLift^™?

Dr. Jacobs decided to slowly and carefully use low strengths of TCA chemical peels (starting at 10 percent and going up to 30 percent) to facial skin combined with facelifts. Over the last five years, he has performed more than 160 cases with 20 to 25 percent TCA chemical peels concurrent with facelifts and has found no additional untoward effects compared to facelifts alone (85 patients) or TCA peels done alone (77 patients) and studied over the same five-year period.

Not only did the simultaneous treatment show no ill effects, it produced results that were superior to the two procedures done separately, say six to 12 months apart, as is done most commonly (if done at all). A "synergistic" phenomenon takes place: 1 + 1 = 5, or facelift + TCA = much more improvement than facelift alone or TCA alone or when they are done on the same patient but separated by six months or a greater span. We believe the synergistic effects may be due to improved blood supply or some form of "cross-talk" from skin cells to muscle/fascial cells. The results are astonishing, so the SynergyLift^™ is recommended to more than two-thirds of the patients who come to see Dr. Jacobs for facial rejuvenation.

*

A SynergyLift^™ is a safe and very effective treatment. We believe it to be superior to conventional facelifts. The SynergyLift^™ has proven itself in more than 160 cases studied for more than five years, resulting in tightening of the jowls, cheeks, and neck, while erasing the ravages of sun damage on the skin.

Mini Facelift for Healdsburg and San Francisco

If you've ever put your fingers in front of your ears and pushed the skin upward, thinking "all I want is a little lift like this," then the Dr. Jacobs mini facelift is for you.

This procedure is designed for the active, on-the-go person, who wants a rested youthful look with minimal recovery. In our fast-paced world, it's good to know that a specialized procedure exists that's just right for our busy schedules: It's the "back to work in a week" facelift, also known as a mini facelift. Not everyone is a candidate for this surgery, so be sure to contact Dr. Jacobs to schedule a consultation.

Facelift FAQs

Will a facelift make me appear pulled or pinched, like I've had work done?

Dr. Stanley Jacobs' approach to the facelift in the San Francisco Bay Area is designed specifically to avoid this result. An unnatural, artificial look may result from a surgery by a doctor who fails to treat the face as it should be treated: as something existing in three dimensions. The skin and tissues are all interconnected, so Dr. Jacobs takes extra care to ensure that each of a patient's features works with the others to create an overall balanced and natural look. He follows curves and natural lines instead of applying a generic formula, giving his results an organic and long-lasting look.

Is there anything special I should do while healing?

Scars are especially susceptible to sunlight, which can make them darken as they heal, causing them to be more noticeable in the long run. One of the best things you can do during your post-facelift recuperation period is avoid sunlight—with a focus on keeping your incisions and sutures away from UV radiation. Wear adequate protection for times you need to venture outside. Talk to Dr. Jacobs to learn how to safely use sunscreen and coverings for these instances. You should also refrain from smoking, as the effects can also serve to inhibit your body's best healing efforts.

What does a facelift cost?

Because every patient is different, there is no easy way to answer this question. The cost of a facelift will depend on the scope of the surgery, which can range from a mini facelift to a more involved Serial VectorLift^™. Dr. Jacobs can discuss cost with you at your consultation, after getting a chance to assess your current facial anatomy and hearing what it is you would like him to accomplish.

Can any plastic surgeon with training in facial surgery do a facelift?

In the same way that anyone with a set of paints and some training could make a painting, maybe, but that doesn't mean that everyone's results are of the same quality. Dr. Stanley Jacobs is a facial cosmetic surgeon, which means he isn't someone who just happens to be able to handle facelifts in addition to all of his other many tasks. He focuses solely on faces, which gives him a particularly keen insight into the unique demands a truly natural facelift entails. He is certified by the American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, as well as the American Board of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery and the Royal College of Surgeons of Canada. He also sits on the California Medical Association's specialty committee representing facial cosmetic surgery as an elected house delegate. He has spent years researching cutting-edge techniques and is constantly improving his techniques to offer the best experience and results possible to his facelift patients.

Will a facelift hurt?

A facelift is a surgery, so there are incisions and tissue manipulation involved, but Dr. Jacobs and his highly trained and specialized team make every effort to minimize sensation. Anesthetic is applied depending on the type and extent of the desired surgery, dulling sensation in the targeted areas or helping a patient to "sleep" through the procedure. Because patients are sedated, there is no pain. There will be some swelling in the days after the surgery, but since Dr. Jacobs uses a delicate technique, pain is generally minimal (a 2 or 3 out of 10) and can be handled with medication as necessary. Most patients take Tylenol^®, but some choose a prescription pill. Icing helps tremendously. Everyone's level of tolerance is different, so anyone who wants to know more about this should raise questions during their consultation.

Is a facelift forever?

As much as we would like one simple and permanent anti-aging solution, the truth is that our faces, like the rest of our bodies, will continue to age no matter what we do. A facelift, then, is not freezing the hands of the clock, but is instead more like setting them back for quite some time. The aging process will continue after a facelift, but it will be working on a slimmer, tighter, more youthful-looking face.

Can I get the same facelift that my friend got?

What looks good on a friend may not actually be what looks good on you. Your unique bone structure, fat distribution, skin tone, health, and more will dictate your appearance, as well as how your face ages and would respond to surgery. It is impossible to duplicate results, particularly to mimic a specific look seen on another person. Dr. Stanley Jacobs emphasizes that a facelift should enhance your individual beauty, capturing a more youthful you.

Are there options for me if I want to avoid surgery?

Though Dr. Stanley Jacobs performs surgeries using modern techniques and equipment with his patients' safety, comfort, and ultimate aesthetic goals in mind, he understands that not everyone is looking for a surgical solution. While nothing but a facelift can duplicate the results of a facelift, he does offer minimally and non-invasive treatments that can help to bring a smoother, more youthful appearance to the skin of the face. BOTOX^® can temporarily smooth out facial wrinkles, while dermal fillers work to provide youthful contours in areas where volume loss has led to lines, hollows, and sagging.

If I get a facelift, can I still address other aesthetic issues, too?

Of course. There are a variety of procedures that complement a facelift, from other surgeries (including rhinoplasty) to the nonsurgical methods mentioned above (as well as chemical peels). Even hair grafts and longer eyelashes can add to a aesthetically refreshed appearance.

Where can I get more information about a facelift in the San Francisco Bay Area?

Be careful when it comes to seeking out information about cosmetic surgery, be it a facelift or any other procedure. Get information only from reputable sources, taking care to check credentials and double-check anything that sounds too good to be true. The facial plastic surgery board that certifies plastic surgeons is a good source of information, but there is little that can beat a face-to-face question-and-answer session with a qualified, trusted, and experienced professional such as facial cosmetic surgeon Dr. Stanley Jacobs. Call his San Francisco office at (415) 433-0303 or his Healdsburg office at (707) 473-0220. You can also send a message online now.

* Patient Results May Vary