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Non surgical face lift
When we consider facial aesthetics we divide the face into three zones: the upper face, the midface and the lower face. An aesthetically pleasing face would have an equal proportion of hairline to the bridge of the nose, from the bridge of the nose to the upper lip and the upper lip to the chin. The lower third of the face can be further broken down into thirds from the bottom of the nose to the opening of the mouth, the opening of the mouth to the crease above the chin, and finally, the crease of the chin to the bottom of the chin. These features should all be in proportion.
The young and beautiful feminine face will typically look like a downward pointing triangle with the apex at the chin. However, as we age that triangle flips and becomes a pyramid with more weight being at the lower part of the face due to the loss of bone in the face and the loss of some volume of certain fat pads and the dropping and accumulation of others in the lower face.
We can also use an imaginary line called Rickett’s line from the tip of the nose down to the chin at an oblique angle with the lips also touching that line. Any deviation from this imaginary line would suggest out of proportion feature of the lips that may need to be addressed.
Different areas of the face respond, better to different treatment types with the upper face responding well to Botox treatments to soften the appearance of lines and wrinkles and the lower face responding better to filler treatments to replace lost volume.
When we consider the aging face and what we are treating there are four tissues that we can influence:
Skin
Bone
Muscle
Fat
The skin is the most obvious and outward facing tissue and there are various things that can be done to improve the appearance of the skin such as facials, peels and micro needling. The muscles can also be treated, you could use facial exercises to improve muscle strength and contraction, or you could use Botox to temporarily reduce muscle contraction to smooth lines and wrinkles.
As we age, not only does the appearance of the skin start to look different, but the structure of the face itself changes. This occurs in various ways, firstly there is a loss in volume of the facial fat pads that give structure and fullness to the soft tissues of the face. Secondly, we start to lose bony structure from the face. Both of these things lead to the signs of aging.
When we treat the face with a full-face rejuvenating non surgical face lift it would be unusual to have filler treatments in the upper face. There are important arteries in this area that we do not want to impact, the upper face is considered a high-risk zone for filler treatments. We would typically treat this area with Botox to soften the appearance of lines and wrinkles.
The middle and lower face respond much better to filler treatments and less so to Botox injections. Botox injections into the muscles of the jaw (the Masseter muscles) can be very useful in trying to feminise and slim the jaw in a younger person or if there is enlargement of the Masseter muscle from jaw pain or teeth grinding. However, as we age, we will see that we lose tissue volume in these areas and typically want to restore that with filler treatments.
Where to start a non surgical face lift?
Some of the common concerns people have when we do a consultation are the tear trough area, the lines from the nose to the corner of the mouth (nasolabial fold), the lines from the corner of the mouth to the chin (Marionette lines) and the lips. These areas contain facial retaining ligaments and when we lose facial volume from these areas the skins hangs from the ligaments changing how the light reflects, leading to shadowing and accentuation of these facial features. Many people want to have their tear trough or nasolabial fold filled with 0.2 to 0.5ml of filler per side and this will provide some results, but they are typically less aesthetically pleasing and if over filled will look quite unnatural.
The aforementioned areas of concern are typically closer to the midline or what we term the medial face. However, when we start treating the lateral aspects of the face to restore volume, we will positively affect the medial aspect of the face. We do this by starting to replace bone and soft tissue lost in the lateral part of the face. This might include adding some volume on to the cheekbones and angle of the jaw. Filling these areas to support tissue loss laterally will add some subtle lift to the lower part of the face. These treatments are performed with a needle injecting down onto the bone to support the bone loss. Next, we would use a cannula to add volume back into the fat pads in the midface as well as filling in the lines between the jowl and the chin.
As we age, we can also lose bony mass from the front of the chin, this leads to the muscle at the front of the chin (the mentalis), rotating upwards, and shortening the structure of the lower jaw. We can add filler back into the lower jaw to support that bony loss and give the mentalis muscle the ability to sit in its correct position. Then we can use some cannula treatment to fill in the line between the lower lip on the chin (labiomental fold). Only after treating these areas might we then add some subtle volume back to the tear trough, nasolabial fold or Marionette lines if it still required.
Treating the nose alongside a non surgical face lift
Many people are unhappy with the shape of their nose and often want this treated with filler. This is an area with more risk as the nose has thin skin and lots of blood vessels, however we can mitigate this risk by performing a pre treatment ultrasound scan and using cannulas rather than needles. it can be very challenging to treat a nose that has been broken or previous treated with a surgical procedure and we cannot guarantee you will be a candidate for a safe and effective non surgical nose job.
Common reasons people opt for a non-surgical rhinoplasty include trying to correct a ridge on the nose bridge, straightening a nose and peaking the tip of the nose slightly upwards as these are more aesthetically pleasing. However, we cannot narrow a wide bridge.
Treating the lips alongside a non surgical face lift
When we think about augmenting the lips with lip filler there is a trend for unnaturally large or upturned lips. These unnatural looks are popular but aesthetically unappealing and such techniques often lead to filler migration into the white border of the lips or the wet border of the lip, affect the smile altering how you look and will often lead to the client seeking dissolving treatment at a later date. The lips are sometimes the last area we treat after we have focused on rejuvenating the shape and structure of the face. This also means less product is required in the lips for a discrete and natural look.
Do I need a pre treatment ultrasound scan?
not always. however, we will usually perform a scan to chart the course of important arteries so that we can be as safe as possible prior to your facial rejuvenation.
How much filler will I need?
This is dependent on your age, facial features and the amount of structure lost from the face. Sometimes a good result can be achieved with only 2-3mls of product. However, if we consider that some of the facial fat pads can contain 10-15mls of fat we can start to appreciate that sometimes more product is required. It is not always necessary to have large volumes of filler delivered in one go, we can start to rejuvenate the face with a number of treatments over several months working on different areas each time.
For example, we may start a treatment by working on the cheeks by using 1-3mls per side using a combination of on the bone injections and cannula treatments into the facial fat pads. on a future occasion we could augment the chin and jawline with another 1-3mls per side with injection and cannulas treatments. for completeness we may complete a treatment with 1-2mls in the nasolabial folds Nose, tear trough and lips as required. The effects of filler can last 12-18 months or longer. We offer pricing plans for larger volumes of filler. For more information check out our Fag's.