Facial Cosmetic Surgery : Mini Face Lift

Mini Face Lift

The MACS lift (Minimal Access Cranial Suspension Lift) was described as a modification of the S-lift by a Belgian group in 2001. It was reported in the Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery journal, which is the main scientific journal for plastic surgeons.

The incision is limited to the skin hairline junction above the ear and anterior to the ear. There is no extension behind the ear.
The area of undermining, unlike a conventional facelift, is much smaller and only involves a portion of the cheek. Because there is less undermining, the blood supply to the skin is much more robust and the technique is therefore safer in smokers. There is much less risk of any skin necrosis, unlike other lifts.
Permanent suspension sutures are used to elevate the underlying tissue. These pass down to the neck, jowls and cheek fat pad. Unlike many other facelifts which do not include signiicant mid face elevation the MACS lift elevates the malar fat pad reducing the naso labial folds.
Because there is no undermining under the SMAS (superf icial musculoaponeurotic system) there is very little likelihood of damage to the facial nerve.
Because the undermining and dissection is much more limited the post operative swelling and oedema is much less than in normal facelifts and recovery is therefore uicker.
Because the malar fat pad is elevated it combines very well with lower lid blepharoplasty, as can be seen in the illustrations. The result is a reduction in the height of the lower eyelid giving a more youthful, smooth appearance.
In nearly all cases liposuction is performed to the neck area below the angle of the mandible, both to remove excess fat here and also to free up the skin to allow it to be re-draped by the suspension sutures.
The MACS lift produces results at least equivalent, or in most cases, better than a conventional facelift. It is ideally suited to the younger patient with a sagging mid face. In patients with marked sagging of the neck it may be necessary in some cases to make an incision posterior to the ear to take up this slack, but in most cases this is not necessary.

Read Elisha's Diary of a MACS Facelift
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