Why do facelifts look so unnatural? What prevents plastic surgeons from making seniors look like they did when they were 30?

Question

When a 70 year old gets a facelift and plastic surgery, it looks like a 70 year old who had a facelift. Why is it impossible to convincingly reverse the effects of aging by tightening skin and re-sculpting?

In: 4690

Answer 1

I just talked to a plastic surgeon.

Older methods of facelifts pulled the actual skin and restitched it in hidden locations like along the hair line. The problem with this method is it pulls on the skin too much and looks unnatural Also, over time, the skin stretches again.

Modern facelifts actually take the underlying muscle and pull it tight. She showed me how — they fold it over itself in in the middle and stitch it together. Then, they lay the skin back like a flap and cut it to fit. This allows the muscle to support the load so the skin is not pulled so tight. It increases the longevity and reduces the windswept look.