New York City Facelift Safe and Effective Second Time Around

A new report in the recent issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery suggests that patients undergoing secondary facelift procedures in NYC achieve positive results with a low complication rate. The report indicates that patients seeking a secondary New York City facelift to maintain the results of their first procedure can rest assured the new procedure will be as safe and effective as the first.

Plastic surgeon studies two decades of facelift procedures

The report was authored by Dr. Rod J. Rohrich and his colleagues at the University of Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. Dr. Rohrich is a member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, who has performed more than 800 facelift procedures, also referred to as rhytidectomies, between 1990 and 2010. During those two decades, Dr. Rohrich and his colleagues noted that patients in this group that came in for secondary facelifts had the same level of satisfaction, success and safety with the procedure as those coming in for their first facelift.

The surgeons looked specifically at patients who were seeking surgery to treat recurrent signs of aging, which included 60 of the 800 patients Dr. Rohrich originally treated. The average age of patients seeking an initial facelift was 51 and the average age for a secondary rhytidectomy was 60, indicating results of the initial procedure lasted around 10 years. Doctors did not look at patients who came in for some type of revision surgery on their initial facelift procedure.

Risks for secondary New York City facelift comparable to first procedure

Physicians found that the risk for complication during a secondary facelift was around five percent, which was comparable to the risks associated with a first procedure. In addition, the results of a secondary facelift appeared to last nearly as long as the first, despite the advancing age of the patient. The doctors also discovered that 10 of the patients in the study underwent a third procedure approximately 7.5 years after the second.

Researchers listed five factors (five R’s) that surgeons need to pay particular attention to during a secondary facelift to ensure a successful procedure. Those five R’s include resection of skin for positive scarring, release of SMAS vectors (underlying muscle layer), reshaping of the SMAS, refilling with fat grafts and redraping of skin. The techniques recommended in this report take into consideration the unique features of the aging skin that must be addressed in subsequent surgical procedures. Thinner skin and reduced elasticity that are natural results of the aging process must be taken into account to ensure similar results to the initial surgery.

New York City facelift consultation

Dr. Thomas Loeb is a Manhattan plastic surgeon who is experienced in performing both primary and secondary rhytidectomies in his private surgical suite on Fifth Avenue. While some of Dr. Loeb’s patients never seek another procedure after their initial facelift, others look for ways to maintain positive results 10 to 15 years after the original surgery. Dr. Loeb works with each of his patients to ensure their results are natural and beautiful. For more information on secondary facelift NYC procedures, or any cosmetic treatment, contact Dr. Loeb’s office today at 212-327-3700 to schedule your private facial surgery consultation.