Why “everybody” does aesthetic treatments and “nobody” does facelifts anymore
Twenty years ago we opened CSLC… we had fewer patients, but a high percentage of them had facelifts. It was a different crowd doing aesthetic treatments in 2001. Those patients (still some of our most loyal) were the trendsetters, committed to turning back the clock and choosing the only options they had: surgery, laser resurfacing, and collagen injections. It was their demand that has allowed aesthetics to develop into a medical field with literally hundreds of safe, effective options for everyone at every age – talk about “inclusive!”
Facelifts still work, of course, but the limitations and risks are known. Facelifts get rid of excess skin better than anything else, but collagen stimulation, skin tone, volume replacement, and line smoothing? Fuhgettaboutit! Fast forward to 2021, and most of us aren’t looking to be “tight.” We want to be refreshed, and the brilliant thing about newer treatments like thread lifts, 3rd generation fillers, Morpheus, Ultherapy, and FaceTite is that you still look exactly like yourself – just fresher, smoother, “airbrushed” in baby-boomer parlance. And if you’re Gen Z, this might resonate: go filter free!
All this begs the question, can you really lift without a facelift? As aesthetics has evolved, our structural understanding of aging has changed and so have our treatments. In-office Novathreads actually reposition skin to its more youthful position (as we say…”just like you do in the mirror”). And maintaining facial shape with newer, more flexible, longer lasting injectables like Sculptra or new Restylane Contour maintains the beautiful curves and contours of fading cheek bones. Energy based treatments like Morpheus and Facetite tighten aging jawlines while Accutite precisely shrinks jowls. Every day our clients wake up looking those issues in the mirror, and every day we help them.
Nowadays, there isn’t a crowd who does aesthetic treatments and a crowd who doesn’t. Our patients say every day, “I never thought I’d do these treatments.” “These treatments” have advanced and expanded to such a wide range of solutions that there is something for everyone – really, everyone. Not surprisingly, low maintenance athletes and professionals make up a lot of our patient population. They want to be fussing over their looks. Bangs and glasses should be optional, not required to hide tired eyes or forehead lines. And make up and scarves are fashion options, not a necessary aging prop. The list goes on and on. In today’s world, we have the choice to wake up looking refreshed and feeling a little pep in your step (you know it’s a good day when your knees don’t ache and you don’t have to worry about stress incontinence), at the age of 25 or 85, and walking out the door to work, to play, to exercise, or just to be.
As my dear 80-something friend says, time and comfort are our most valuable resources. And in the end, as an all-encompassing aesthetic and regenerative medical practice, we slow down time and give them some comfort, too. And that makes us proud.