Facelift in Santa Barbara, CA

Expert Facelift Surgery in Santa Barbara: Revitalize Your Youthful Appearance
When it comes to looking ten years younger, nothing works quite like having a facelift. While it’s not the go-to service for all age concerns, it’s still the gold-standard option for those ready to turn back the clock.

While we all tend to feel young at heart for much of our lives, sometimes the mirror reflects a different story. And the face is often the first – and most noticeable area – to show those unwanted changes. If you’ve been seeing loose skin and deeper wrinkles, you may be thinking it’s time to consider undergoing facial procedures.
A facelift can reduce the appearance of folds around the nose and mouth, lift sagging jowls to restore an angular jawline and reinstate youthful contours to the cheeks. In all, a facelift recreates the appearance of youthfulness that looks natural and lasts for years. For patients with moderate to severe signs of aging, Dr. Lowenstein offers options for surgical facelifts.
LEARN ABOUT DR. LOWENSTEIN’S NEXT GENERATION DEEPFRAME FACELIFT.
Understanding Facelift Surgery: What You Need to Know
A facelift offers a comprehensive solution for various cosmetic concerns, targeting multiple areas in a single procedure. This includes improvements from the jawline to the under-eye area. The personalized approach in each case ensures optimal results tailored to individual needs.
Many of our patients seek to address aging signs in the jowls and cheeks. The midface region often loses its youthful volume with age, leading to hollowing and less definition around the cheekbones. Additionally, concerns along the jawline, such as skin laxity that leads to jowl formation and submental fat beneath the chin, are common.
Issues like lines near the eyelids or mouth or a downward shift in the brow position are also noticeable signs of aging that can be addressed with a facelift. However, it’s essential to understand that a one-size-fits-all approach is ineffective. Each facelift procedure is customized to meet patients’ goals and needs, ensuring the best possible results.


Types of Facelift Procedures: Learn your Facelift Terms
When considering a facelift, it’s important to understand the several types available, each tailored to address specific concerns and areas of the face. We aim to help you choose the one that best aligns with your aesthetic goals and needs.
Each of these procedures has its own set of benefits and considerations. Differences in techniques across each of these facelift types can involve variations in incisions, directions of lifting, planes of dissection, and tissues lifted. Understanding terms such as deep plane and SMAS are critical in making an educated decision about your facelift procedure.
Mid-Face Lift
Specifically targets the cheek and under-eye area. This procedure is excellent for restoring youthful volume and reducing sagging in the midface. It can also improve the nasolabial folds, offering a refreshed, rejuvenated look.
Mini Facelift
While less skin will be lifted in this procedure, significant changes can still be noticed. A mini facelift focuses on your lower face, particularly the jowls and jawline. It involves smaller incisions and a shorter recovery time, making it the ideal choice if you’re looking for a more subtle enhancement. This option is most suitable for individuals with less pronounced signs of aging.
Traditional Facelift
This procedure is exactly what you think of when you first consider facelift surgery. Looking in the mirror and using your fingers to push your cheek skin up in front of your ears? That is the traditional facelift you are thinking of. But interestingly, this procedure truly addresses the lower face, without rejuvenating the eyes or anything above the cheekbone. That is why this is sometimes also called a lower facelift. In addition to revitalizing the lower, face, the traditional or lower facelift also provides a comprehensive neck lift. In many cases, a significant neck lift can’t really be done without a lower facelift when there is true skin excess below the jawline.
The lower or traditional facelift involves incisions along the hairline and around the ears to allow for skin tightening and tissue repositioning, which are easily hidden. A traditional facelift is particularly effective for significant skin laxity in the neck and cheek, jowls, and deeper wrinkles.
Each of these procedures has its own set of benefits and considerations. Differences in techniques across each of these facelift types can involve variations in incisions, directions of lifting, planes of dissection, and tissues lifted. Understanding terms such as deep plane and SMAS are critical in making an educated decision about your facelift procedure.
FACELIFT INCISIONS
Many people are concerned about scars from incisions being a sign that they have had “work done,” though evidence from incisions are very rarely seen. Most often, the incisions from the lower facelift are hidden along the hairline and track back behind portions of the ear and underneath the earlobe in areas that have a natural transition, so the fine lines that remain after the procedure are hardly evident.
In managing necks with significant platysma bands (see below), an incision may be necessary below the chin, but even this incision scars remarkably well and is rarely problematic.
Depending on whether or not midface or upper facial surgery is being performed, incisions can be hidden in the creases of the upper eyelid, along the lower eyelid margin, or along the hairline of the temple. All incisions involved in facelifts tend to become nearly invisible when performed by a skilled, experienced facelift surgeon such as Dr. Lowenstein.
VECTORS
The direction in which tissue is lifted is called the vector of tension. Most facelift procedures are performed using an oblique vector that can be visualized along a line from the center of the chin to the top of the ear. Usually, if you are looking in the mirror and using your fingers to reposition the tissue of your lower face, this is the vector that you are pushing your face in. The single oblique vector is the classic direction of pull taught to young plastic surgeons throughout the world.
Dr. Lowenstein’s DeepFrame facelift uses a combination of three vectors, rejuvenating the facial tissue in three different directions to maximize the natural appearance of the facial framework.
SMAS
The SMAS is the connective tissue of the deep plane of the face, and this acronym stands for the Superficial Musculoaponeurotic System. The SMAS lies over the muscles and nerves of the face, protecting these structures with a layer of connective tissue and a thin layer of fat.
The SMAS, along with the skin, are often the victim of gravity, and the sagging of the lower face and jowls represents gravity winning the fight between the two. With age, the fat and connective tissue of the SMAS droop over the bone of the jawline creating telltale signs of aging. By using angular multivector tension on the SMAS layer in his DeepFrame facelift, Dr. Lowenstein rotates the tissue of the lower face back into the natural positions of youth.
PLATYSMA
The platysma is a broad, flat muscle in the neck that functions to depress the lip. The platysma muscle is a very active muscle every day, and with time, can become both redundant and overactive. The platysma is often comprised of two muscles, one on each side of the neck, with a potential space in between. As we age, the muscles can pull in their respective directions, and separate in the middle of the neck. As this happens, along with overactivity, the platysma can show bands of tissue under the neck that are often associated with aging.
The platysma is continuous with the SMAS in the lower face, which allows it to be manipulated when tightening the SMAS. Depending on the vector of tension, manipulation of the platysma/SMAS junction can provide either a beautiful neck and jawline or the telltale pulled look of a poorly done facelift. The multi-vector approach of Dr. Lowenstein’s DeepFrame facelift maximizes the immediate and long term postoperative outcomes for the lower face and neck by creating tension on the platysma in two different directions.
DEEP PLANE
The techniques of deep plane facelifting were originally coined by Dr. Sam Hamra, a surgeon from UT Southwestern who has long retired. The term deep plane facelift refers to manipulating the deeper tissues of the face, but unto itself, this term can be vague.
The term is often used in reference to a composite lift, where the skin and SMAS layers are lifted as one composite structure. The composite lift suffers from the limitation of tension on the SMAS in the same direction of the skin, often in the oblique direction, which is not optimal for either the skin nor the SMAS layers. Other surgeons use the term deep plane to describe dissection underneath the SMAS without using a composite flap.
Dissection beneath the SMAS in the lower face must be done with care, as this often exposes the underlying muscles and nerves of the face which can be damaged. An experienced facelift surgeon, such as Dr. Lowenstein, should be considered for dissection in these deep layers.
The truest sense of the deep plane is utilized in the next generation of Dr. Hamra’s techniques. Dr. Lowenstein's training by one of Dr. Hamra’s prodigies has been pivotal in the development of the DeepFrame facelift, and utilizes sub-periosteal planes of dissection below the muscle layers and just above the bone of the midface. This release, in a very safe plane away from the facial nerves, allows for an ideal elevation of the facial tissue to recreate the aesthetic facial framework. Performed through the same incision used in lower eyelid surgery, this deep plane facelift technique utilizes minimal incisions to recreate the natural beauty of the youthful midface in a safe and long-lasting manner.
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Facelift Procedures Tailored to Your Unique Needs

The Consultation
A careful assessment involves evaluating your facial balance and proportions when considering a facelift procedure. Your skin quality, the appearance and position of facial lines and bony facial structure must all be considered. Of course, your general health must also be carefully assessed before a facelift.
Any surgery is accompanied by a degree of risk, and a comprehensive evaluation of your health status will go far in minimizing some of those risks. Dr. Lowenstein’s goal is that every patient leaves the pre-operative consultation with a thorough understanding of the facial issues to be addressed and the surgical correction procedure.

Combining Facelift with Other Cosmetic Procedures
Alongside the facelift procedure, we often incorporate additional treatments to enhance the overall results. These complementary procedures can include eyelid surgery (blepharoplasty), which rejuvenates the area around the eyes, brow lifts to elevate and reshape the eyebrows, and lip lifting or augmentation for a fuller, more defined lip appearance. Furthermore, we can address deeper lines and shadows around the nasolabial folds and marionette lines to create a more youthful and refreshed facial expression. The comprehensive nature of Dr. Lowenstein’s DeepFrame facelift may be the correct choice for those wishing to rejuvenate the entire face, though individualized procedures may be optimal for those with specific concerns.
Thorough discussions about these options are a crucial part of our process. We believe in open and detailed communication, ensuring that you, as the patient, are well-informed and comfortable with every aspect of the planned treatments. Our commitment is to work closely with you, understanding your desires and concerns so that together, we can decide on the most effective approach for your facelift and any ancillary procedures. This collaborative approach is critical to achieving outcomes that meet and exceed your expectations, ensuring a harmonious and natural-looking rejuvenation.
Advanced Techniques in Facelift Surgery: Ensuring Natural Results
As techniques in facelift procedures have evolved, many different operations have been touted as the best way to achieve a more youthful appearance. Dr. Lowenstein believes that a safe approach to the facelift procedure is a top priority. He also knows that select patients may benefit from combining surgical techniques.
Ensuring Patient Safety and Comfort
Like all surgical procedures, facelifts come with inherent risks, though it’s important to note that complications are relatively rare. Potential issues that can arise from facelift surgery include a poor reaction to anesthesia, infection at the surgical site, temporary or permanent nerve damage, blood accumulation beneath the skin (hematoma), fluid accumulation beneath the skin (seroma), an imperfect healing process, particularly among smokers, and noticeable scarring.
To minimize these risks, it’s crucial to entrust your procedure to a highly qualified and board-certified surgeon like Dr. Lowenstein. His expertise and experience significantly reduce the likelihood of complications. Moreover, as a patient, following the surgeon’s advice and instructions both before and after the surgery is essential.
Adhering to these guidelines helps maintain the lowest possible risk associated with the surgery. Our commitment is to your safety and well-being, ensuring that you are fully prepared for every aspect of your procedure, from initial consultation to post-operative care.
Facelift Recovery: Timeline and Tips for a Smooth Healing Process
Post-Surgery Care: Dos and Don’ts
Following a facelift procedure, proper post-surgery care is crucial for a smooth recovery and optimal results. Here are some essential dos and don’ts to guide you through this critical phase:
Do:
Follow Doctor’s Instructions: Adhere strictly to the guidelines provided by Dr. Lowenstein. These instructions are tailored to your specific surgery and are designed to ensure the best possible healing process.
Rest and Recuperate: Give your body the time it needs to heal. Ensure you sleep well and avoid strenuous activities for the recommended period.
Stay Hydrated and Eat Healthily: Good nutrition and hydration are vital for healing. Focus on a balanced diet rich in vitamins and minerals to support your body’s recovery process.
Attend Follow-Up Appointments: These appointments are critical for monitoring your recovery and addressing concerns. Keep all scheduled visits with Dr. Lowenstein.
Care for Your Incisions: Clean and care for your incisions as instructed. This may include gentle cleaning and applying ointments or dressings.
Don't:
Excessively Move or Strain: Avoid bending over, lifting heavy objects, or any activities that could strain your incisions or facial muscles.
Smoke: Smoking can significantly hinder the healing process and should be avoided both before and after surgery.
Sit in Direct Sunlight: Protect your skin from the sun. UV rays can worsen scarring and affect the healing of your incisions.
Forget to Mention All Your Medications: Some medications and supplements can increase the risk of bleeding. Make sure to discuss all your medications with Dr. Lowenstein before and after the procedure.
Rush the Process: Recovery takes time, and it’s important not to rush it. Avoid returning to your exercise routine or work too soon, and allow your body the time to heal fully.
Remember, the post-surgery period is as crucial as the surgery for achieving the best results. Following these dos and don’ts will help ensure a smooth recovery and the longevity of your facelift results. If you have any questions or concerns during your recovery, do not hesitate to contact our office for assistance.
When to Expect Visible Results from Your Facelift
While your bandages will be removed and replaced with a special chin strap the day after surgery, and some improvement may be noticed, we do not expect patients to be comfortable showing off their results immediately. Bruising and swelling tend to persist for 7 to 10 days.
After the first week of recovery, bruising and swelling subside, but patients may have visible puckering around incisions. These side effects typically improve dramatically over a few weeks. After two to three weeks, most patients are pleased with the results of their procedure and are ready to return to their daily lives and social activities. In general, the results of facelift surgery look good after a month and even better after three.
Real Stories: Facelift Before and After Transformations in Santa Barbara
Patient Journeys: Comprehensive Before and After GalleryWhy Choose Montecito Plastic Surgery for Your Facelift
Our approach to facelifts is always patient-centered. We understand that each individual has unique concerns and aesthetic goals. During the consultation, we take the time to listen to your desires and discuss how we can achieve them. We believe in a collaborative approach where your vision and our expertise come together to create results that not only meet but exceed your expectations.
It’s also important to understand that recovery from a facelift is a critical part of the process. We provide comprehensive aftercare instructions and support to ensure your recovery is as smooth and comfortable as possible. Our team is always available to answer questions and guide you through the healing journey.
Ultimately, our goal is to help you feel proud and confident in your skin. A facelift can be a transformative experience, not just in how you look but how you feel about yourself. We’re committed to providing you with a safe, comfortable and rewarding experience every step of the way.
Meet Our Board-Certified Facelift Surgeon
Dr. Lowenstein often fields questions about avoiding an overdone look in facial surgery. He feels it is vital that patients understand the over-pulled, excessively tightening facial plastic surgery so often seen in Los Angeles and Hollywood is NOT the type of result that our Santa Barbara patients should expect. This has been critical in Dr. Lowenstein's development of the DeepFrame facelift, providing innovative surgical techniques to create a naturally beautiful appearance – you will look like you, only refreshed and more youthful.
Dr. Lowenstein’s options in facial rejuvenation include procedures to address the neck, lower face, mid-face and cheek to provide a natural and refreshed appearance. Eyelid and brow surgery can also be combined with these procedures to provide a comprehensive approach to facial rejuvenation.
Testimonials: Hear from Our Satisfied Facelift PatientsSchedule Your Personalized Facelift Consultation Today
Book Your Consultation: Start Your Journey to a Younger You
While a facelift is a surgical procedure that involves some downtime afterward, the results of this surgery can be both dramatic and long-lasting. Facelifts can shave up to 10-15 years off your face, with an outcome lasting approximately ten years before the signs of aging reappear. To learn more about this procedure or find out if a surgical facelift is the right choice for you, contact Montecito Plastic Surgery at 805-969-9004.
FAQs
The DeepFrameTM facelift reflects a modern three-dimensional understanding of detailed facial anatomy. Repositioning and sculpting of fallen facial tissue provide an individualized rejuvenating procedure, utilizing three different directional vectors of tension in multiple planes of the facial tissues. The DeepFrameTM facelift is designed to make patients appear as more youthful, rested versions of themselves.
Studies of facial anatomy have mapped out specific regions of volume that give the face its younger appearance. Specialized layers of connective tissue envelop these areas and maintain their position in our early years.
The primary connective tissue is called the SMAS and is in continuity with the broad, flat neck muscle called the platysma. As we age, we lose volume in our face, while the connective tissue of both the skin and the SMAS weakens.
Facial tissues tend to droop over the jawline, producing unwanted wrinkles and jowls. Similarly, these mechanisms cause excess skin and banding in the neck as the underlying platysma muscle cannot retain its youthful contour.
In an operation to restore the facial appearance to its youthful version, attention must be paid not only to the overlying skin but particularly to the volume below it. Pulling the skin alone results in an awkward and temporary result.
These telltale signs of facial plastic surgery are avoided with Dr. Lowenstein’s DeepFrameTM facelift in Santa Barbara. It is a sculpting of the tissue underneath the skin, made up of the SMAS and the platysma, that provides the appearance of an optimal facelift. The multiple vectors of tension of Dr. Lowenstein’s DeepFrameTM facelift allows for three-dimensional sculpting of the facial tissues.
The platysma, as it ages, can form bands in the neck as its supportive structure weakens. As part of the DeepFrameTM facelift, the platysma muscle is tightened under the jaw and laterally in the neck, effectively supplying a corset or sling to reshape this area. In some patients, resection or sculpting of fat either with liposuction or with direct fat removal is performed to further contour this area.
As we get older, the youthful fatty tissue that lies over the cheekbone area falls. This tissue is called malar fat. The bright, youthful appearance of our cheeks lessens as there is less volume over the apex of the cheekbones, and falling malar fat can produce unwanted shadows in the cheek below the eyes.
Volume loss also affects the fat in the lower part of the mid-face, called the buccal region. This produces a more hollow appearance, which is also a sign of aging. As the volume loss in the mid-face progresses, the overlying skin, which used to drape smoothly over the youthful face, sags and worsens the shadow of the nasolabial fold below it.
The nasolabial fold, sometimes called the nasolabial crease, is a highly misunderstood region of the face. It represents a tight connection between the skin and the underlying facial structure. While injection of soft tissue filler into the nasolabial folds can help soften their depth, significant injections are not recommended. The worsening of the shadow of this crease occurs because of the loss of volume and elasticity in the cheek and the sagging and falling of this tissue. The subperiosteal midface elevation of Dr. Lowenstein’s advanced techniques repositions the tissue falling over the nasolabial folds, restoring the natural anatomy here. The nasolabial folds are one of the key areas of improvement from Dr. Lowenstein’s deep plane dissection in his DeepFrameTM facelift.
A puffed-out, over-filled nasolabial fold treated with excessive injectable does not produce a youthful or even natural appearance. The nasolabial folds appear worse as we age because the cheek above falls downward as we get older, causing a worsening shadow in the crease. The fix for this problem is not to fill the area below the collapsed tissue but instead to lift the cheek back to its youthful position.
Dr. Lowenstein’s deep plane cheek lift reverses signs of aging by re-suspending each specialized area of volume to its proper position through well hidden and limited incisions. The malar fat is replaced over the cheek to provide the beautiful contour that we see in every magazine cover-girl. The buccal tissue is additionally lifted, reducing the skin excess and laxity over the nasolabial crease and thereby reducing the shadow of the nasolabial fold.
Dr. Lowenstein’s deep plane Cheek Lift is performed through a lower eyelid incision and most often incorporates lower eyelid rejuvenation. The natural fat of the cheek is accessed through this small incision. Elevation of the soft tissue of the cheek, called the malar fat, produces two excellent results: rejuvenation of the soft tissue of the cheek and improvement of the shadows of the nasolabial folds.
Either with a facelift or in the months following a facelift, newly re-draped skin over the sculpted face can be further tightened without the over-pulled look, using the revolutionary cool helium plasma skin tightening treatment. By utilizing the cool helium plasma beam on the underside of the skin, the skin itself is allowed to tighten without excess mechanical pulling, avoiding the “operated look” but creating a skin conditioning improvement seen nowhere else on the Central California Coast.
In general, a facelift can take two to five hours. However, the duration of any surgery is dependent on multiple factors. These include the extent of the lift, the technique used, and the inclusion of ancillary procedures such as blepharoplasty.
Dr. Lowenstein performs every facelift in response to the unique changes as a patient has aged. The customization of each technique also influences the time a patient may be under general or local anesthesia.
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