Fast facts

Lifestyle lift


What it is: A lifestyle lift is a facial plastic surgery procedure in which incisions are made near the ear, then facial and neck skin is repositioned using a technique called "plication." The intended result is a general improvement in facial and neck contour.


What it addresses:  Face and neck areas exhibiting:

- Sagging jowls
- Excess skin
- Sagging skin
- Poor contour


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Question

Lifestyle Lift vs. Quick Lift

What's the difference between a Lifestyle Lift and a Quick Lift? I heard the Quick Lift also tightens the muscle.

Lifestyle Lift vs. Quick Lift

Asked by: Alliegirl
Seattle , WA.

Answers (3)

Sort by: Most recent | Most helpful
1
December 2, 2008

Two popular minilift procedures

Brent Moelleken, MD
Brent Moelleken, MD
Board Certified
Plastic Surgeon

Given the overwhelmingly negative blogs and comments on this website alone why patients are still undergoing and contemplating these mini-lifts, including the two procedures described above?

What is the advantage of making all the incisions of a real facelift but just performing small undermining?  You can see by the posts it is not scarring.  Closing incisions under tension causes pressure on the incisions to open up or widen.  Wide hypertrophic scars tend to be unsightly, depigment, and itch, all common complaints on the message boards. 

Judging from the posts, it is not better results either, since the amount of pulling to correct jowling is less with a minilift than with a real facelift.  Many of the posts reflect inadequate or disappointing rejuvenation.

Minilifts are definitely cheaper, because they are often marketed and performed under local anesthesia and entail much less surgery than a real facelift.  Many of the posts reflect a considerably painful experience during the surgery.  Any surgery, inncluding real facelifts, can be performed under local anesthesia with sedation.  It is not always the most comfortable option, but it can certainly be done.

Are there many very happy LSL patients out there?  Perhaps.  But the LSL patients I have seen in my practice have been uniformly unhappy and have had unsatisfactory and sometimes incredible scarring.  In all fairness maybe only unhappy patients seek our office out because our most common procedure is revision facelifts.  However judging from the posts that is not the case either, since most patients posting on this board were unhappy with their LSL lifts.

I have several posts on this website on this topic, so I won't belabor the point.  I would advise patients who think they are going to get a $20,000 facelift for $5000 to research further and read the comments posted by actual patients carefully. 

The good news for unhappy LSL patients is that these procedures can usually be revised and converted to real facelifts by sugeons skilled in the techniques of revision facelifts.

 

2
October 19, 2008

Lifestyle Lift, Quicklift and Others Claim to be the Latest and Greatest

Michael Law, MD
Michael Law, MD
Board Certified
Plastic Surgeon
Answer by Michael Law, MD

Buyer beware: a number of ‘limited incision’ and ‘quick recovery’ facelift procedures are currently marketed to patients with names like “The Quicklift”, “The Lifestyle Lift”, “The Weekend Facelift”, “The S Lift”, “The MACS Lift”, etc.  As with most things in life, if it sounds too good to be true, it usually is.  In my opinion, the results of surgery are in direct proportion to the time and effort that the surgeon has put into the procedure.  Most of the procedures I have listed above cut corners to arrive at a shorter surgical time and quicker recovery (which, by the way, isn’t always the case), and most of them undertreat or do not at all improve the neck.  Additionally, ‘cutting corners’ in the neck almost always leads to distortion of the neck area skin, which often is quite readily apparent in ‘before and after’ images of these procedures with gimmicky names.  Look for abnormal and unnatural-appearing skin tension lines in the lateral neck as well as below and behind the ears. 

3
September 20, 2008

Similar Procdures but not Exactly

Kamran Jafri, MD
Kamran Jafri, MD
Board Certified
Facial Plastic Surgeon

Hello Alliegirl,

The Lifestyle Lift and Quick Lift are similar in some ways and different in others.

Similarities:

  1. Both procedures have an incision that starts at the front of the ear and goes under the earlobe and then behind the ear. 
  2. Both can be undertaken with local anesthesia and mild sedation
  3. Both involve removal of excess skin
  4. Both address aging changes in the the lower third of the face
  5. Both require additional procedures to fully address the neck if muscle bands are present (ie. neck lift, platysmaplasty, liposuction)

Differences:

The main difference between these procedures lies in how the SMAS/Platsyma/muscle layer is addressed:

  1.  In the Quick Lift the SMAS/platysma is elevated using a "purse string" suture which moves the SMAS/platysma upwards.  This suture is anchored to deeper tissues in the area immediately in front of the upper ear.  The suture used absorbs over several weeks to months as the tissues heal in place.
  2. In the Lifestyle Lift the SMAS/platysma is plicated (folded onto itself) in various locations and vectors using a permanent suture.

Physicians will argue back and forth about which one lasts longer, looks more natural, recovery time, etc.  Best to ask the Physician performing the procedure as many questions as you can during your consultation and why they feel that it would be a satisfying procedure for you.

It is always recommended to speak to Patients who have had the procedure done at least one year earlier to get a sense of their satisfaction and experiences with it.

Comments (6)

Do you perform these surgeries? How much are they? I would consider booking with you for your honest answers. Please let me know. Thank-you

Hi Elizabeth,

You can contact the doctor(s) directly by clicking on their name(s). This will take you to a page where you can request more information.

McKen58
McKen58
11/27/08

Dear Doctor....thank you for your very honest answers. How I wish I had read this one year ago this very day because the following day I went for my consult and was convinced by an ENT that he could perform this surgery on me. I truly cannot understand how an ENT who is licensed in that field can perform plastic surgeries but he assured me that he had years of experience.

Big scars behind the ears, continual numbness and jowls that are starting to sag again...and $5k out of pocket are the only results I had with the LSL. Thank you for your contribution. You AND the other Drs who are willing to speak the truth on here. Women..........men.......listen tto them!!

J

Thank you for the comments. I do not think I am alone in these opinions, and have spoken to many board certified plastic surgeons who share them.
To find a surgeon, it is best to locate several qualified board certified plastic surgeons in your area for consultation.
I'm very sorry about your LSL results. As you have seen by the many other postings on this website, you are not alone. If it comes to a revision facelift surgery, please research your surgeon carefully and be very comfortable with the consultation before proceeding.

Bits
Bits
1/8/09

Dear Doctor,
What do you mean by 'folding over'? I really can't stand this tightness,choking sensations,tingling& searing pain anymore. The Dr. who did my LSL cut straight down my face before the ear. I am not a surgeon, but by looking at my scar, It's hard to imagine where it could be fixed without creating another scar. My neurologist is at a loss, other plastic surgeons don't want to touch me.
LSL will do a revision, but I was stupid once& lost my trust in Doctors..

Hi Bits,
Sorry about your terrible experience.
Your revision will most likely involve a complete facelift, hiding of the scars, reformation of the earlobes, etc.
You are wise to want to consult with an experienced facelift surgeon comfortable with performing revisions.
Unfortunately, like an appellate lawyer, it will not be inexpensive.
However a revision using the same technique that was used initially could make further revisions impossible.

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