Chicago Face Makeovers
Chicago has harsh and extreme weather conditions that can accelerate skin aging. A year-round skin cleansing plan, combined with prescription wrinkle creams that are season specific will reduce wrinkles, dryness and discoloration of the exposed skin. However, if wrinkling, discoloration or facial drooping do occur, the Chicagoland Center for Cosmetic Surgery has a variety of options for you.
Walk-in patients may have specific wrinkles of the face treated immediately with temporary wrinkle treatments such as Botox, Restylane, Radiesse and Juvederm. Combined with prescription wrinkle cream and a skin clensing plan, these patients may return to work within 30 minutes.
Our Botox Chicago program treats the entire face, not just one region. Botox is mainly useful for dynamic wrinkles, not static wrinkles. For static wrinkles, the Juvederm Chicago Program, Restylane Chicago Program or Hyalaform Chicago Program will treat all static wrinkles of the face. The combined Botox and Juvederm Program last about one hour. There is no visible swelling, no discoloration, no work restrictions. The patient may return to work that same day.
The Mini ("Lunch Hour") Face Lift and Lifestyle Lift
The Mini Face Lift, allows the patient to return to work the same or next day. These face lifts require a small 1/2 inch scalp incision which may be performed under local anesthetic or mild sedation. Different manufacturers mainly differ in the suture that they sell for the mini-lift. The folks at Lifestyle lift have a slightly different suture (thread) than KMI Silhouette lift.
The type of suture used is not so important. What is important is the surgical concept of minimally invasive surgery used to perform the mini face lift, which allows for quick recovery. The mini face lift may be performed completely under local anesthesia without narcotics (much like a dental procedure). The advantage of this method is that it is quick (about 1 hour)' the patient can drive themselves to and from the facility and it saves on anesthesia costs. For patients who prefer some sedation, an anesthesiologists administers a mild sedative and the patient will go home in about 2 hours (including the surgery).
The mini facelift may be combined with fat augmentation to the cheeks or lips, laser resurfacing, wrinkle fillers to the face, botox, liposuction and other procedures. Prescription wrinkle cream treatment, face cleansing system and makeup lessons are integrated with all our face lifts. 
Face lift (rhytidectomy) procedures may be performed for the entire face, the upper face or the lower face. The depth and extent of what is being lifted can vary widely. The lift can include the superficial foundation of the face, called the SMAS (superficial musculoaponeurotic system), deep plane face lifts or even subpeiosteal (below bone) face lifts.
Mini Face Lifts Allow for Quick Recovery!
Traditional face lifts require traditional surgical incisions, which may require 2-3 weeks of recovery.
Mini face lifts are performed from a 1 inch scalp incision, and recovery is in 1-3 hours rather than 2-3 weeks. Mini face lifts may be performed during lunchtime! Patients can go to work the same day! Also mini (or silhouette) lifts may be re-tightened years later.
However the technical aspects of face lift surgery are less important than the esthetic. The real issue is whether a face lift is needed. For example, if the main issue is wrinkles (rhytides) but there is minimal drooping of the jowels, then only fat transplantation may be all that is needed.
The ideal candidate for a face lift has: - Good skin tone with minimal photoaging.
- Strong facial bony structures.
- Strong forward chin.
- Prominent cheek bones.
- Fuller mid face.
- Shallow cheek-lip grooves
- Sharp neck angle.
- Nonsmoker,
If a patient has poor skin tone, we usually like to place our patients on a 6 month facial skin care regimen before surgery. Sometimes, proper facial skin care is all that's needed. In other instances upper or lower eye lid lift (blepharoplasty) is all 
that's needed. Even if a face lift is needed, optimizing the skin health and tone may be all that is required. Patients with mild photoaging and minimal facial drooping, may be treated by chemical peels, which may be performed as a 30 minute office procedure. Patients who have severe photoaging but no facial drooping may be treated with laser resurfacing. If a patient has weak bony structures, implants may be required on the chin, cheeks, mid-face, etc. A patient who has poor posture or an obtuse head-neck angle, may not be a good candidate for lower face lift, but may be a better candidate for liposuction of the neck or jowels. Smoking accelerates skin aging, and we encourage all smokers to quit.
In most face lifts, the facial foundation or SMAS is what is being pulled upward and outward, not the skin itself. If the SMAS, is pulled excessively, it will minimize wrinkles, but can create a fake expressionless face. Conversely, if the SMAS is pulled more gently, it may not achieve the wrinkle reducing effect that is desired by the patient. To a surgeon, the biggest challenge is not technical, but esthetic. How much facial lift is just right vs. too tight? In the operating room, the patient can not smile or create facial expressions for the surgeon. Thus a surgeon usually relies on the preoperative consultation with the patient to achieve the degree of facial lift that is desired by the patient.
Proper postoperative care is also important for face lift procedures. In our practice we routinely use drains and facial binders postoperatively. The drains are removed in 1-2 days. The binder stays on for one month. Special skin care procedures are given to postoperative face lift patients.
Face Lifts Allow for More 
Dramatic Skin Restoration of the Face!
A face lift tightens the foundation of the face (SMAS), upon which the facial skin rests. Tightening the SMAS, allows the skin to be tighter, allows for more aggressive facial laser resurfacing, facial skulpting, facial fat transfer. After a face lift, dermabrasion and anti-wrinkle treatments become more effective.
In the picture above, the patient had a mini-face lift combined with laser face resurfacing and fat transfer to the upper cheeks. The face lift makes the resurfacing and fat trnsfer more effective.
Volume Restoration of Face
Volume Restoration of Weak Lower Jaw
Volume restoration of the lower jaw may be via implants, permanent fillers (such as ArteFill), fat transfer and combined with face lift.
Wrinkle treatment may proceed simultaneously with volume restoration
In the case shown here, the patient had a 30 minute ArteFill procedure during her lunchbreak. ArteFill is a permanent filler, which was used to treat her wrinkles and volume loss.