Deep Plane Facelift
A deep plane facelift artfully repositions the mid-face, improves jawline definition, and gives patients a more refreshed, youthful appearance. More elaborate and technically demanding than a conventional facelift, the procedure offers the most natural-looking transformation possible, heightening your self-confidence and quality of life. Dr. Ewa Timek in Grand Rapids, MI, is a Fellowship-trained, board-certified plastic surgeon whose eye for detail, precision, and artistry ensures near-flawless outcomes tailored to your wishes.
What is a Deep Plane Facelift?
The SMAS (Superficial Musculoaponeurotic System) is comprised of fibrous connective tissue that sits below the facial skin and attaches to the underlying muscle layer, creating the scaffolding for the facial structure. With a deep plane facelift, four anchoring ligaments (the zygomatic retaining ligament, the masseteric retaining ligament, the mandibular retaining ligament, and the cervical retaining ligament) are released, allowing Dr. Timek to gently resuspend the underlying tissue and muscle layers for a dramatic reduction in signs of aging.
Traditional facelift techniques tend to stretch the facial skin since the ligaments remain untouched. In many ways, a deep plane facelift is safer than a conventional one, as the skin surface remains thicker, reducing the risk of complications, injuries, and necrosis. Incisions with a deep plane facelift also tend to be smaller, encouraging faster healing times and fewer side effects.
What Are The Benefits Of A Deep Plane Facelift?
A deep plane facelift in Grand Rapids, MI, can be highly beneficial for patients in their 50s to 70s, as it can provide profound changes that rewind the clock on aging. Advantages include:
- Erases wrinkles, lines, and creases
- Improves skin elasticity
- Creates natural-looking improvements
- Results in minimal trauma to the skin
- Sharpens the jawline
- Corrects jowling
- Diminishes nasolabial folds
- Reduces submental fullness
- Adds definition to the mid-face
- Provides patients with a more attractive, inviting countenance
- Enhances self-confidence
- Provides long-lasting results
- Lower incidence of revision surgery
- Minimized scarring
Who Are the Best Candidates For a Deep Plane Facelift?
Patients in and beyond Grand Rapids, MI, can benefit from a deep plane facelift provided they are healthy, non-smokers, at a stable weight, and have realistic expectations for their results. The procedure is ideal for those frustrated by loose, drooping skin in the cheeks and jawline, jowls, wrinkles, and nasolabial folds.
The most common candidates are patients 50 years old and over who seek dramatic, lasting changes. In terms of an upper age limit for the surgery, Dr. Timek is more concerned with the patient’s health, skin quality, and expectations than their birth year. She will conduct a thorough and detailed consultation process to ensure that a deep plane facelift is your best and safest choice.
– Ewa Timek, MD
What’s The First Step?
AT ADVANCED PLASTIC SURGERY
Your surgical journey begins with an in-depth consultation with Dr. Timek in Grand Rapids, MI. During this initial meeting, the doctor will perform a skin analysis, physical evaluation, and review of your medical history. She will listen to your cosmetic goals and begin to curate a customized treatment plan utilizing advanced, state-of-the-art surgical techniques. Once your candidacy is approved and your surgery date is set, Dr. Timek will provide you with pre-op instructions. These typically include undergoing additional medical testing, discontinuing certain medications, and scheduling a helper to take you home after your procedure.
What to Expect on the Day of Deep Plane Facelift Surgery
A deep plane facelift is performed under general anesthesia and typically takes 4-6 hours to complete, when combined with fat grafting. Once you are resting peacefully in a deep slumber, Dr. Timek will create well-hidden incisions within the hairline and the fine folds of the ears, ensuring that scars will later be inconspicuous. After releasing the deep facial ligaments, she will elevate and reposition the connective tissue layers under the skin, providing you with a more refreshed, energized aesthetic. Once all the changes are complete, Dr. Timek will close your incisions using refined suturing techniques.
Deep Plane Facelift Recovery
Because the deep plane technique better preserves the superficial skin layer, it often comes with less downtime than a conventional facelift. Healing will progress as follows:
The first few days – After surgery, you will encounter several days of swelling, bruising, and soreness. To alleviate tenderness and discomfort, you can use prescription pain medications provided by the doctor and an ice pack. Make sure to sleep with your head elevated. Dr. Timek will remove sutures and drains within 24-48 hours.
During the first few weeks of recovery, you should avoid strenuous exercise and heavy lifting. However, you are permitted to take gentle walks, which can boost circulation, reduce the risk of certain complications, and elevate your overall mood. Within 7-10 days, most patients can resume driving and wearing makeup.
The first month – After around four weeks, most patients can safely resume light exercise, as by this point, swelling and bruising will be greatly reduced. Dr. Timek will continue to follow up with you to ensure your recovery process is seamless and stress-free.
AVERAGE COST
How Much Does a Deep Plane Facelift Cost in Grand Rapids, MI?
Deep plane facelift costs can vary depending on the extent of skin laxity present and whether any additional procedures, such as chin and jawline liposuction or fat grafting, are performed in tandem. Pricing is affected by factors such as the surgeon’s fees, facility fees, anesthesia fees, medication fees, and others. After your consultation and skin analysis have been completed, Dr. Timek will offer you a personalized quote for your Grand Rapids, MI, deep plane facelift.
Why Choose
Advanced Plastic Surgery
Dr. Ewa Komorowska-Timek, M.D., in Grand Rapids, MI, is a world-renowned, board-certified plastic surgeon specializing in cosmetic, reconstructive, and microsurgical techniques. She is known for her leadership in the demanding and exacting field of autologous flap (DIEP, SIEA, LICAP, etc.) breast reconstruction. As a facial surgeon, she is dedicated to safely and expertly performing deep-plane facelifts to promote youthfulness and vitality.
Dr. Timek graduated from Stanford University School of Medicine and completed elite plastic surgery training at Loma Linda University, California, where she earned Board Certification in Plastic Surgery. She then returned to Stanford to pursue a prestigious fellowship in microsurgery and eventually joined the academic faculty. She is a member of the American Board of Plastic Surgery (ABPS), the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), the American Association of Plastic Surgeons (AAPS), and the American Society for Reconstructive Microsurgery (ASRM).
Deep Plane Facelift FAQs
BECOME A PATIENT
contact us
If you would like to learn more about the unique benefits of a deep plane facelift and how it can revolutionize your appearance, erasing years off of your perceived age, contact Dr. Timek in Grand Rapids, MI, today to set up a private and informative consultation.
Patient Resources
Advanced Plastic Surgery
We’re here to help, with a number of patient resources designed to make your experience as comfortable as possible. Read through the materials below, and don’t hesitate to reach out.