Cosmetic Surgery & Beauty #72

face
Tried and tested
ways to improve
sagging skin,
drooping eyelids
and wrinkled,
sun-damaged
complexions.
Dr John Flynn
tells us how.
AimÉe Surtenich
reports.
We all age differently, but everyone’s
face will eventually exhibit three
common elements: changes in
the texture and quality of the skin; loose and
sagging skin; and volume changes around
the cheeks and eyes, with increased volume
around the jowls.
‘With ageing, the overall facial balance
is changed,’ says Dr John Flynn from
Cosmedic & Skin Clinic on the Gold Coast.
‘To rejuvenate the face and achieve the best
result, it’s necessary to address and restore
each of these elements with a different
approach for each.’
Lifting
sagging skin
Dr Flynn favours combinations of options such as a variety
of face lifting techniques, combined with less invasive
treatments such as fillers, lasers and peels.
‘Thread lifts give a nice result and can last between three
and five years,’ he says. ‘There is no surgery, no scars and
the procedure is less expensive than a full facelift as there is
no anaesthetic and no hospital stay.’
A thread lift, also called a filament lift, is a non-surgical
method of facial rejuvenation which allows lifting and
repositioning of facial tissues to help restore youthful
contours. It is particularly indicated for brows, cheeks, jowls
and sometimes the neck. The filaments are absorbable
surgical threads and are designed with directional cogs
or barbs, which allow for lifting and re-positioning. The
filaments anchor themselves within the tissues and offer
effective lifting capabilities.
The procedure is relatively quick and can be performed
under local anaesthetic, with some temporary bruising and
swelling to be expected afterwards.
The results of the thread lift improve over time (three to
six months) as collagen is stimulated and produced and
contracts around each filament, causing even further lifting.
Downtime is usually a few days and results can last from
two to five years.
For more significant lifting results, Dr Flynn recommends
a surgical facelift over a thread lift. ‘Sometimes a proper
surgical lift is the better approach, in terms of offering longer
lasting, more robust results,’ he advises.
The modern facelift is customised to each individual
patient, to provide tailored and natural-looking results so
the patient still retains their unique look but just looks like a
younger version of themselves.
‘The incision usually begins in the hair near the temple
and continues in front of the ear, around the ear lobe, behind
the ear and into the hair,’ says Dr Flynn. ‘This placement
allows the scar to be very inconspicuous. The facial
muscles and sagging tissue are tightened, excess skin is
removed and the remaining skin is repositioned to create a
more youthful look.’
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