Face Reshaping Surgery

What Is Facial Reshaping?

Facial reshaping restores facial volume, leading to a more youthful facial appearance. It is customized to a patient’s goals and administered as part of a holistic treatment program.

Dr. Babak Azizzadeh of the CENTER for Advanced Facial Plastic Surgery is an expert facial plastic and reconstructive surgeon. His ultimate goal is to improve the appearance of patients in a natural, youthful, attractive and appropriate manner. During a facial reshaping procedure, Dr. Azizzadeh uses a modified SMAS technique, undermining and suspension vectors to address the jowls, cervicofacial laxity and platysmal banding. He improves patients’ skin, subcutaneous and deep fat compartments and craniofacial skeleton and revitalizes their facial appearance.

Dr. Azizzadeh’s Approach to Facial Reshaping

The ideal facial shape varies based on gender and ethnicity, but there are some general characteristics that convey youth and beauty. The central oval of the face comprising the nose, eyelids and lips is the primary focus of an individual’s facial appearance. It play an important role in a person’s facial shape, attractiveness and youthfulness.

Dr. Azizzadeh does not separate the upper, mid and lower face. Instead, he views the entire face as a continuum. Dr. Azizzadeh uses facial reshaping to create soft transitions between different facial features to address a variety of issues, including:

• Disproportionate lateral cheek and buccal space
• Double-cheek convexity
• Infraorbital rim hollowness
• Retrusion of pyriform aperture
• Tear trough deformity

Dr. Azizzadeh customizes each facial reshaping procedure to the aging process of the patient in terms of vector of suspension and extent of sub-SMAS dissection. Facial reshaping may incorporate significant sub-SMAS dissection similar to deep plane rhytidectomy. This benefits older patients with significant cervicofacial laxity.

Dr. Azizzadeh’s unique approach to facial reshaping results in a more natural facial aesthetic. He creates an appropriate lateral projection of the zygomatic arch, enabling patients to restore an attractive facial shape and improve the youthful arcs and highlights of the face.

How Is Facial Reshaping Performed?

Dr. Azizzadeh uses a customized SMAS facelift with autologous fat grafting, fillers, conservative transconjunctival lower blepharoplasty (with or without fat repositioning), buccal space modification (augmentation or reduction) and preauricular volume adjustment. Alloplastic midface and angle of the mandible implants also may be used for patients with significant volume deficits.

Dr. Azizzadeh generally recommends chin augmentation first to maintain the most sterile environment. He next recommends periorbital procedures, autologous fat grafting, rhytidectomy, buccal fat pad excision, fat grafting touch-up and laser resurfacing as needed for a patient to achieve the desired facial rejuvenation outcome.

Am I a Candidate for Facial Reshaping?

Facial reshaping is intended for individuals who display moderate-to-severe signs of facial aging, including a change in facial shape, jowl formation, volume loss and neck banding. Most facial reshaping patients fall between the ages of 45 and 65 years old. Younger individuals with significant congenital jowls and a round or rectangular facial shape also may benefit from facial reshaping that utilizes SMAS rhytidectomy, buccal fat pad removal and autologous fat grafting to the zygomatic arch.

How Is Facial Reshaping Different from a Facelift?

A facelift, also known as rhytidectomy, is a surgical procedure that tightens loose skin and reduces fine lines and wrinkles in the face. However, a facelift does not address volume loss in the face or the “midface,” and it does not flatten nasolabial folds.

Facial reshaping addresses all aspects of the aging process beyond cervicofacial laxity. The key components of facial reshaping include:

• Limited skin undermining in the facial region
• Tunneling the undissected facial and cervical tissue with a cannula to create pockets of mechanical adhesions in the healing process
• Customizing the extent of sub-SMAS dissection depending on a patient’s desired outcome
• Performing SMAS suspension in a facial vector that provides appropriate facial lifting and reshaping
• Implementing horizontal platysma myotomy at the level of cervicomental junction with corset platysmaplasty for individuals with prominent banding
• Using judicious cervical suction-assisted lipectomy

Dr. Azizzadeh limits facial skin flap dissection during facial reshaping procedures, which allows aggressive suspension of the face without significant tension on the skin. He safely performs simultaneous cutaneous skin resurfacing of the undissected areas and uses autologous fat grafting to address photodamage, fine or deep rhytids and volume restoration. The vector of SMAS suspension typically is more posteriolateral in gaunt patients with major rhytids and vertical in patients with a round, square or rectangular facial shape.

What to Expect During a Facial Reshaping Consultation

Dr. Azizzadeh requires a consultation prior to performing facial reshaping. At this time, Dr. Azizzadeh learns about a patient’s aesthetic and functional goals, requests a patient’s medical history and performs a physical examination. He also uses mirror and photographic facial analysis based on aesthetic subunits, skin, cervicofacial laxity, lipoatrophy and skeletal remodeling, as well as facial shape and topography.

After a facial analysis, Dr. Azizzadeh develops a personalized treatment plan that emphasizes ways to slow the aging process. Each treatment plan is customized to a patient, and the initial phase of this plan focuses on the following areas:

• Anti-aging regimen
• Skin care consultation
• Sun protection
• Tobacco cessation

Next, Dr. Azizzadeh discusses non-surgical procedures that could improve the facial appearance. These treatments include:

• Neuromodulators
• Skin resurfacing
• Soft tissue fillers

In the final stage of a consultation, Dr. Azizzadeh focuses on areas of the face that will benefit from facial plastic surgery. He evaluates all regions and aesthetic units of the face. Then, Dr. Azizzadeh offers recommendations to help patients achieve a balanced and aesthetically pleasing outcome.

Dr. Azizzadeh wants patients to make informed treatment decisions. He is happy to educate patients about facial reshaping and address patient concerns and questions during the consultation process.

Dr. Azizzadeh discusses available surgical and non-surgical options with every patient. He invites patients back for a second consultation to further discuss the risks, alternatives, incisions, aesthetics and perioperative course of short-flap rhytidectomy and adjunctive procedures. Patient photographs are reviewed in detail at that time.

What Are the Differences Between Facial Reshaping Surgery and Facial Reshaping with Fillers?

Facial reshaping surgery offers a long-term facial rejuvenation treatment, while facial reshaping with fillers is a temporary solution.

Dr. Azizzadeh performs facial reshaping surgery to enhance the shape of a patient’s face. He modifies tissue in a patient’s face, enabling this individual to achieve a balanced, natural-looking facial appearance.

Botox and other facial fillers can be used for temporary facial reshaping. Dr. Azizzadeh performs facial reshaping with fillers to add volume and create a more youthful facial contour.

Botox can also be used to weaken the masseter muscle. It causes the masseter muscle to relax, and as a result, helps reduce the size of a person’s jawline. In this scenario, as a person’s masseter muscle is used less frequently, his or her jawline will decrease in size over time.

Choosing between facial reshaping surgery and facial reshaping with fillers can be difficult. Fortunately, Dr. Azizzadeh is available to provide facial reshaping treatment guidance. Dr. Azizzadeh is a Harvard-trained and internationally recognized facial plastic and reconstructive surgeon who teaches patients about facial reshaping surgery and facial reshaping with fillers. He offers insights into all of a patient’s facial reshaping treatment options. That way, Dr. Azizzadeh helps each patient determine which facial reshaping treatment can help him or her achieve long-lasting results.

Facial Reshaping FAQ

What areas of the face are treated during a reshaping procedure?

A facial reshaping procedure may be used to treat one or more areas of the face:

• Chin
• Jawline
• Cheeks
• Forehead
• Ears

Additionally, a facial reshaping procedure may sometimes be performed in combination with a rhinoplasty procedure to ensure a patient’s nose complements his or her facial features.

Can anyone undergo a facial reshaping procedure?

Dr. Azizzadeh requests a consultation to determine if a patient is a good candidate for a facial reshaping procedure. At this time, Dr. Azizzadeh reviews a patient’s medical history and evaluates his or her facial appearance. Dr. Azizzadeh also learns about a patient’s facial reshaping treatment goals.

If Dr. Azizzadeh believes a patient is a good candidate for facial reshaping, he then crafts a custom treatment plan for him or her. Or, if Dr. Azizzadeh believes facial reshaping is too risky for a patient, he offers treatment alternatives.

What are the risks associated with facial reshaping?

Facial reshaping surgery risks include:

• Swelling
• Bruising
• Numbness
• Pain
• Infection

Dr. Azizzadeh is globally recognized for his facial plastic and reconstructive surgery expertise, and he does everything possible to minimize facial reshaping risks. He also discusses potential facial reshaping surgery complications with his patient prior to treatment.

How long does it take to perform a facial reshaping procedure?

A facial reshaping surgery may require up to five hours to complete. The time it takes to perform facial reshaping surgery varies based on the treatment area and other factors.

Dr. Azizzadeh crafts a custom treatment plan for facial reshaping surgery. He outlines how long he expects a patient’s facial reshaping surgery to take prior to treatment. That way, Dr. Azizzadeh helps his patient establish realistic facial reshaping surgery expectations.

How long does it take to recover from facial reshaping surgery?

On average, it takes approximately six to 12 months for a patient to fully recover after facial reshaping surgery. Once the results of facial reshaping become visible, a patient can enjoy them for an extended period of time.

Dr. Azizzadeh offers instructions to help a patient streamline the facial reshaping recovery process. He is also available to respond to a patient’s post-facial reshaping surgery concerns or questions.

Schedule a Facial Reshaping Consultation with Dr. Azizzadeh

Facial reshaping is an important facial rejuvenation treatment to address signs of aging in the face and eyes. To find out more about this procedure, please call us today at 310-657-2203 to schedule a consultation with Dr. Azizzadeh.