A face lift won’t always remove the fine wrinkles and indentations. Here’s what does

Q. I want to have a face lift, but I have many fine lines and wrinkles on my face. A friend of mine had this done and none of these went away. Isn’t a face lift supposed to correct these?

A. The answer is complicated. A face lift elevates and removes a significant amount of skin, but it does not completely address the skin’s texture.

In many patients, who have been subject to sun exposure and genetic predisposition, the wrinkles will not go away.

Many of these wrinkles can be taken care of with micro needling, laser treatments and newer treatments that use high-energy ultrasound or heating sources to improve the skin texture.

Some of the finer wrinkling and or indentations may be addressed through fat grafting and or fillers. While fat grafting is commonly used, there may be some asymmetry due to the loss of fat that may occur afterwards. And fat grafting is not always reliable, so patients must be ready for multiple sessions. To avoid this, some physicians feel fillers are more reliable.

One thing to keep in mind is that you will continue to age after your face lift and the results will fade over time. I tell patients that they should count on anywhere from 8 to 10 years for a face lift to last, although many patients will have longer results.

Many things can influence the length of your results, including sun exposure, aging, weight changes and genetic factors.

Dr. Carlos Wolf is a partner in Miami Plastic Surgery and is board certified. Email questions to him at Cwolf@miamiplasticsurgery.com