Customary, Standard, or Traditional Facelift

Because every surgeon has a preference for a particular procedure, every surgeon will have a different idea as to what constitutes the traditional face lift. The earliest procedures involved undermining the skin only. Incisions were placed behind the ear, and around to the front of the ear, continuing up, either behind the hairline, or in the hairline. This last determination depended on the patient’s anatomy, and the surgeon’s preference. A brow lift and forehead smoothing would commonly be included with the face lift. Excess skin was trimmed along the incision, the face skin thus tightened, and the edges sutured together. The technique addressed sagging skin well, but not the underlying soft tissues. In addition, because tension was placed on the skin, scars would at times be very wide and conspicuous. Finally, many believed that the results were not as long-lived as techniques that used deeper structures to tighten the face.