Ästhetische Eingriffe im Gesicht

The face is very important for the expression and perception of a person. The eyes and facial contours in particular determine whether we perceive a face as young, friendly and fresh or old, unfriendly and tired. Some people have congenital, anatomically unfavourable facial shapes that appear inharmonious. The ageing process can also make someone look unfavourable. Plastic surgery offers various treatments to counteract this.

There is no such thing as absolute beauty. Nevertheless, we make different judgements about the proportions of a person's face or the texture of their skin, regardless of their age. Some people are born with a crooked nose or tend to develop bags under the eyes at an early age. The ageing process also progresses differently for everyone.

Improving the texture of the skin

The signs of ageing begin to appear in the late twenties and early thirties. Expression lines form on the forehead, around the eyes or in the corners of the mouth. In the early and slightly advanced stages, these signs can be corrected or postponed with simple minimally invasive treatments. These are wrinkle injections, for example with Botox or hyaluronic acid. They aim to smooth the texture of the skin by stabilising and/or filling in wrinkles. Nowadays, there are also more complex dermatological procedures such as skin boosting, which is a combination of different techniques.

Changes to the facial contours

Over the years, the skin increasingly loses moisture and elasticity. The muscle and connective tissue also becomes weaker and over the years there is a loss of contouring cheek fat. The slackening of the connective tissue and the sagging of excess skin now change the contours of the face. In advanced stages, sagging cheeks, double chins and wrinkles on the neck are particularly disturbing, as they make the affected person appear unflattering and often older than they actually are. In these cases, it makes sense to consider a facelift.

The principle of a facelift

Basically, it should be said that a facelift does not lead to the disappearance of wrinkles or a general rejuvenation. There is a widespread public opinion that a facelift is primarily a tightening operation. This understanding is wrong, but is cemented time and again by poorly operated cases - often celebrities. A lift "merely" restores the contours of the face by lifting the sagging tissue. The connective tissue muscle layer and the neck muscles are detached to a certain extent and moderately tightened. Excess skin is then removed from sagging cheeks and neck tissue. It is not uncommon for sagging upper or lower eyelids to be corrected as part of holistic facial surgery. Sometimes only a partial lift is sufficient to significantly improve the overall facial appearance.

Lifting without a scalpel?

Even if it were desirable, the various techniques and instruments now on the market that promise a lift without scars are unfortunately neither effective nor reputable. Cosmetic and dermatological treatments are good and sensible if you want to treat the first wrinkles. As soon as the tissue sags and the skin becomes slack, there is a loss of contour that can only be restored surgically. In surgery, the trend is clearly moving towards minimising interventions and gentle surgical techniques that produce a result that is as natural as possible with practically invisible scars. This development can be clearly seen in the example of face lifting: Whereas in the past the main focus was actually on tightening the skin, today the emphasis is on the gentle repositioning of sagging, deeper tissue.

Before and after pictures of patient: Tissue sagging on the neck and lower face. Correction with a lower face and neck lift.

Lifting of the eyelids

Many people already have a tendency to drooping eyelids at a young age. They are also popularly known as drooping eyelids (upper eyelids) or bags under the eyes (lower eyelids). For the most part, this is a typical sign of ageing. In some cases, however, it is a genetic predisposition that can appear at an early age and gives these people in particular a tired and undesirably melancholy look. If the eyelids droop considerably, vision may even be impaired. Drooping eyelids occur because the fat pads under the skin recede and the skin above them sags and tends to droop. Bags under the eyes, on the other hand, are the result of fat deposits protruding from the eye socket and bulging forwards because the supporting membrane of the skin is too weak. Bags under the eyes are therefore not, as is often claimed, water retention or signs of fatigue.

Before and after pictures of a patient: Drooping eyelids are possible even at a young age. Correction by upper blepharoplasty.

Changed facial expression?

The purpose of a facelift is to balance out disturbing disharmonies and give the face a fresher expression overall. Naturalness is the overriding principle. With the gentle surgical techniques used today, very natural results can be achieved. A successful face and neck lift is not noticeable as such and should certainly not change the facial expression. An upper or lower eyelid lift can have an effect on facial expression, but does not change the shape of the eyes. The tightening around the eyes gives this part of the face more "air" again. As with a face lift, patients often report that they are asked about a change after such a procedure: "Have you been on holiday? You look so refreshed and fresh." People around you may talk about your improved appearance, but they are more likely to associate it with a wellness holiday than an operation.

Long-lasting effect

It is only possible to predict to a limited extent how long an aesthetic correction will last, as it depends on individual disposition, environmental influences, facial expressions and skin quality. Smoking or prolonged sunbathing have an unfavourable effect on the skin and therefore also on the long-term results of a lift. Even if the ageing process progresses, the effects of a lift can usually still be seen years after the procedure. If significant, undesirable contour changes occur again over time, a second lift is certainly conceivable. If the upper eyelids sag significantly again over the years due to an unfavourable predisposition, facial expression or skin quality and lead to a new impairment, this operation can also be repeated. The removal of bags under the eyes, on the other hand, is permanent, as all fat deposits are removed.

Growing popularity among men and young people

Aesthetic operations on the face are among the most common procedures in plastic surgery today. At the Centre for Plastic Surgery, they are now the second most important surgical category after breast surgery. There has been a particular increase in the number of male patients who are still active and successful in their careers. Young people with a genetic predisposition to drooping eyelids are also increasingly looking for a permanent solution to their problem.