The Liquid Facelift

Cost from $ 1,400

Cost with Financing $ 43 per month

Non-surgical Facelift Options: Liquid Facelift

People who want to receive a facelift but who are concerned about the surgical facelift may consider a liquid facelift.  While the full or mini facelift are surgical procedures that involve making incisions and repositioning tissues, the liquid procedure requires no invasive surgery.  Rather, the doctor injects a liquid filler into the face to enhance or correct parts of the face that need improvement.  Many people might prefer this option to surgery because they have a history of difficulties with anesthesia, they are concerned about the risks, they cannot afford a full facelift, or other reasons.  Whatever the motivation, this form of facelift treatment can produce the desired effect with minimal effort and recovery time.  This article will explain the procedure and details of the liquid facelift, recovery, its benefits and limitations as compared to surgical facelift treatments. 

How It Works

In this non-surgical treatment, a facial injectable is inserted into the face to correct wrinkles or other imperfections according to the patient’s desire.  For example, it can be used to treat fine lines and wrinkles, including smile lines, crow’s feet, forehead lines, and marionette lines, among others.  The liquid can also be used to enhance cheeks and eyebrows, hide bags under the eyes, and make the lips fuller.   Rather than a true facelift that actually lifts the skin up so that it is not sagging, the liquid facelift softens wrinkles and does not lift the face up.  Some of the procedures used for facial injectables involve the injection of Botox cosmetic, Juvederm, Radiesse, Restylane, Perlane, chemodenervation agents, or other fillers.  Unlike the surgical procedures such as the full facelift or rhytidectomy, the liquid facelift may require several treatments to achieve the desired results: an initial treatment and enhancement treatments afterward.

Recovery

Bruising can happen from the liquid facelift, but avoiding the use of aspirin, ibuprofen or Advil, vitamin E, and similar medications or supplements for one to two weeks before treatment can reduce the risk of bruising.  The use of Arnica Montana on the day of treatment and afterward can also reduce bruising and swelling from the procedure.  Results are immediate, which is pleasing to many patients, and they can show a face that looks much more alert, awake, and youthful than it previously appeared due to the enhancements and fillers inserted.  Unfortunately, the results are not nearly as drastic and do not last quite as long as the results from a full facelift; they typically last approximately twelve to eighteen months.  Minor touchups can lengthen this amount of time.  Often, clinics will recommend the use of skin rejuvenation treatments such as skin chemical peels and facials to enhance results and keep the face looking fresh and young after the liquid facelift.  While it is a more affordable procedure than the full rhytidectomy, the procedure can end up costing you more due to the need to re-inject the facial fillers on an almost yearly basis (depending on how long results have lasted).  However, the procedure is much safer and does not have the same potential risk of nerve damage, bleeding, and other concerns as does the full facelift.  The recovery time is also much quicker than that after the traditional surgical facelift.

Choosing the Liquid Facelift

While this option is not for everyone, it is a valuable choice to consider as an alternative to the surgical facelift procedures.  The use of liquid fillers can perform unique facial contouring techniques that may be more difficult using other methods.  In addition, the patient can expect to see satisfactory results immediately after the treatment.  If major surgical treatment is necessary to produce the effects desired by the individual seeking cosmetic surgery, a full facelift should be considered as a better option than the liquid procedure.  In spite of the limits of the procedure, it has many benefits such as the affordable cost and quicker and more manageable recovery.  Patients seeking non-surgical methods of facelift treatments should look into the option of a liquid facelift.