What is a Preservation Lift™?

Preservation Lift™ which is also known as Preservation Deep Plane Facelift is an innovative facelift technique that is designed to revitalize the face appearance while at the same time sustain its natural essence to be able to cut down recovery time. The method was developed with the intention of avoiding excessive resecting of soft tissues and undermining of skin while at the same time handling the deep facial muscle layer. Deep Plane Facelift surgery has undergone a major transformation over the past decade, and many steps have taken place using innovative methods and technology to generate outcomes that appear more natural and longer lasting.  This is a case of how facelift surgery has advanced over the past half-century, and how the operation has evolved. Pulling the skin tight forty years ago would reduce sagging and get rid of wrinkles, but the outcomes would often appear too stretched or taut, resulting in the face losing its natural expression.

However, with time, the shortcomings of this traditional approach became more visible to surgeons. Surgeons realized that the skin should not be the only facial structure addressed during the procedure. With an advanced understanding of the facial anatomy and the way it is affected by aging processes, reconstructive surgeons came up with methods that could ensure the provision of the most natural results. There has been a shift toward vertical facelift elevation in facelift surgery which has evolved over the years. Midfacial ligaments played an essential role in understanding the relationship between the supporting system of facial soft tissues and aging. It is clear that the theory allowed for the development of facial rejuvenation techniques that have completely transformed the sector. For instance, during a facelift procedure, the surgeon might use sub-SMAS or deep plane dissection. In a Deep Plane Facelift, the retaining ligaments are released and repositioned in a higher place and achieve correction of not just the neck but also midface and lower face tissues as a whole. More aggressive techniques, such as subperiosteal technique, were used by some surgeons 30 years ago. The method involved the elevation of soft tissues from the bone. Others even used composite midface lifting. However, due to increased complications associated with the two methods, more surgeons stopped using them.

Evolution of Facelift Surgery

In conclusion, the evolution of facelift surgery has shown so much difference in terms of technique. I started with composite facelift technique; however, this involved excessive tissue dissection leading to the prolonged swelling and healing, so I then transitioned to a High SMAS facelifting since, with the SMAS lift, I was able to achieve great lower face and neck lift results. The only drawback concerning rejuvenation of the midface region of the face was that SMAS was not able to give a matching rejuvenation as the midface. The reason for this is that it is a SMAS technique, and the facial retaining ligaments were not released leading to a poor midface rejuvenation; hence, I was not comfortable with that. I wanted an all-round facial rejuvenation while maintaining the tissues. I adopted the preservation facelift technique which is a combination of the high SMAS and deep plane facelift altogether, with minimal skin elevation of the face and neck to allow access to the deep retaining ligaments. There is no tension on the skin and the need for drains is minimized. The mid and lower face as well as the neck are uplifted in a vertical fashion creating a youthful face. Preserving the natural contours and features of the face is one of the ways of making patients look young as they feel on the inside.