DEEP PLANE FACELIFT - TURNING BACK TIME
At what age does a facelift make sense: at 40, 50, 60? "When the perceived age no longer matches the reflection in the mirror and minimally invasive methods are no longer effective, is the right time for a facelift," says Prof. Dr. E. Magnus Noah.
The facelift is the supreme discipline of aesthetic plastic surgery and its results are unrivalled. No other procedure is able to correct the signs of ageing in the face so effectively. "State-of-the art is the SMAS facelift," explains facelift expert Noah. With this procedure, not only the skin is tightened, but also the underlying deeper tissue of muscles, fat and connective tissue.
The so-called SMAS (Superficial Muscular Aponeurotic System) plays the main role in the complex ageing processes of the face: if its elasticity decreases, the face sags downwards and loses its youthful contour. "The fear of a surgical lift is unfounded, because thanks to innovative surgical techniques, a lift today is less invasive than in the past. The combination with autologous fat and, if necessary, blepharoplasty, enables natural and harmonious results," explains Prof. Noah, who performs a further development of the SMAS lift - the so-called Deep Plane Facelift - at the Noahklinik für Plastische Chirurgie in Kassel.
Deep Plane Facelift
In the face, there are "fixed" and "mobile" SMAS parts, but the ageing process mainly takes place in the mobile parts. For this reason, he only prepares and tightens the tissue in these mobile areas while maintaining the classic incision. "Although this technique is more demanding to operate and requires very good anatomical knowledge, it is more comfortable for the patient as the healing process is faster. The results are even more stable than if you were to prepare the entire SMAS," says Prof. Noah, praising the advantages of the Deep Plane technique.
In order to reverse the ageing process in the long term, the face is rejuvenated in its entirety. The plastic surgeon reduces the mobile SMAS areas as well as the fatty tissue with sure instinct and thus restores the youthful contours. The result is a natural and unoperated appearance. The face looks again as it did about ten years ago. "Of course, the ageing process continues after the lift," says Noah, "but the years gained remain for life." So if a patient looks ten years younger after a facelift, she will look that much younger in 15 years.
