Facelift Terminology: Medical Terms Every Patient Should Know

Thinking about a facelift is an exciting step toward feeling and looking your best. However, there are a number of anxiety-prone hurdles that most people need to overcome while embarking on their facelift journey. One such hurdle is understanding your doctor. Most plastic surgeons, like many other doctors, tend to speak with jargon that any reasonable layman would struggle to decipher. Here, we would like to lend you a helping hand in understanding facelift medical jargon. After all, knowledge isn’t just power—it’s the foundation of a smooth and positive experience.

Anesthesia Terms

• Anesthesia: Insensitivity to pain. When doctors talk about anesthesia, they typically mean putting the patient out during surgery to prevent them from feeling pain.
• General Anesthesia: A type of anesthesia that makes one completely unconscious and pain-free during procedure.
• Endotracheal anesthesia: A type of general anesthesia where a tube is inserted into your throat. This tube is designed to help you breathe as well as deliver anesthetic gases and oxygen during surgery.
• Intravenous Sedation: Medications are injected into the vein to either induce light sleep or maintain a relaxed state during the procedure.
• Local Anesthesia: Anesthetic is injected directly into the treatment area, reducing or completely eliminating pain sensation.
• LMA (Laryngeal Mask Airway) Anesthesia: A type of anesthesia where a special mask is inside the throat instead of over the mouth. Generally considered to be a much lighter form of anesthesia endotracheal intubation (see above).
• Propofol: A commonly used anesthetic medication that is injected into the vein and designed to induce and maintain sedation or general anesthesia during the procedure. Propofol recently gained notoriety for its role in Michael Jackson’s death. However, when administered properly, it is widely considered very safe.
• Topical Anesthesia: A type of anesthesia (usually cream or gel) applied directly to the skin to numb a specific area, often used for minor procedures.
• Twilight Anesthesia: A light form of sedation where the patient remains half-asleep during the procedure.

Skin-Related Terminology

• Collagen: A protein that helps keep the skin firm and youthful. It diminishes with age, contributing to sagging skin.
• Dermis: The middle layer of skin, just beneath the epidermis. This layer contains collagen and elastin and is involved in the formation of wrinkles.
• Elastin: A protein that gives skin its elasticity. Like collagen, elastin production decreases with age.
• Epidermis: The outermost protective top layer of skin.
• Ecchymosis: A fancy word for bruising.
• Subcutaneous: Anything located underneath the skin is considered as subcutaneous. However, most times when doctors refer to subcutaneous, they are referring to the fat located under the skin.
• Hyperpigmentation: The darkening of certain areas of the skin, could be related to aging, sun exposure or surgery.
• Hypopigmentation: The loss of pigment in the skin. Could be a result of surgery, trauma, or skin conditions.
• Hyperemia: Excessive redness of the skin.
• Photoaging: Skin aging caused by excessive sun exposure, leading to wrinkles, age spots, and skin texture changes.
• Ptosis: The term for sagging or drooping, often referring to the eyelids or cheeks.
• Rhytids: The medical term for wrinkles.

Facial Anatomy Terminology

• Buccal Fat Pad: A localized collection of fat inside the lower part of the cheeks.
• Cheek Bones (AKA Zygomatic bones): Located in the upper area of the cheek, helping to maintain the contour of the face.
• Facial Nerve: The nerve responsible for facial movement.
• Facial Ligaments: Strong bands of connective tissue that support and stabilize the skin and underlying structures of the face.
• Masseter Muscles (AKA Chewing Muscles): Located at the side of the face and when overdeveloped, make the lower face appear wider.
• Mimetic Muscles: The muscles responsible for facial expressions, enabling movements such as smiling, frowning, and squinting.
• SMAS (Superficial Musculo-Aponeurotic System): A layer of tissue beneath the skin that envelopes the facial muscles. This layer is typically modified or repositioned during the facelift surgery.
• Submandibular Glands: Salivary glands located beneath the jaw, often contributing to fullness or irregular contour of the neck.
• Orbicularis Muscle: A circular muscle around the eyes and mouth responsible for closing the eyelids and lips. When overly strong, will contribute to the development of wrinkles in those areas.
• Platysma Muscle: A thin sheet of muscle that covers most of the front and side of the neck.
• Subcutaneous Fat: The layer of located fat directly under the skin. Can be removed with liposuction.
• Subplatysmal Fat Pad: A pouch of fat located beneath the platysma muscle. This fat can be resistant to removal with liposuction.

Facial Aging Terms

• Brow Ptosis: Sagging of the brows.
• Crow’s feet (AKA Smile Lines): Wrinkles in the corners of the eyes.
• Dermatochalasis: Hooding of the eyelids.
• Double Chin: The appearance of excess fat or loose skin beneath the chin, often caused by aging, weight gain, or genetics.
• Frown Lines (AKA “11s”): Vertical wrinkled between the brows.
• Fat Pseudoherniation : Visible pouches of fat (typically under eyes).
• Jowls: The sagging skin that forms along the jawline as we age, commonly treated with a facelift.
• Marionette Lines: Vertical lines or wrinkles that run from the corners of the mouth down toward the chin, often associated with aging.
• Nasolabial Fold: The deep wrinkle that extends from the nose to the corners of the mouth.
• Nasojugal groves: Deep groves under the eye. Could make the eyes appear tired.
• Platysma Bands: Vertical neck bands caused by the aging of the platysma muscle, which can create a “turkey neck” appearance.
• Smoker’s Lines: Vertical lip wrinkles.
• Turkey Neck: Sagging skin of the neck, often caused by aging.

Procedures and Techniques

• Browlift: A surgical procedure that lifts the eyebrows.
• Buccal Fat Pad Removal: A surgical procedure that removes fat from the cheeks to create a more sculpted facial appearance.
• Cutaneous Facelift: An older method that lifts only the skin and not the underlying muscle or tissue. This technique is rarely used today due to its limited results.
• Deep Plane FaceLift: A comprehensive technique that lifts both the skin and the deeper facial tissues, resulting in significant and long-lasting rejuvenation.
• Endoscopic Facelift: A minimally invasive facelift technique that involves the use of an endoscope (tiny camera).
• Fat Grafting: Involves transferring fat from one area of the body to another to restore lost volume and improve contour.
• Full Facelift: Somewhat outdated term that refers to maximal facial rejuvenation involving some form of a facelift. Got a poor reputation in the 80s and 90s due to frequent overtightening of the face.
• Lipofilling (AKA Fat Grafting): A procedure where fat is removed from one part of the body, purified, and then injected into areas that need volume, such as the cheeks or under-eye hollows.
• Liposculpting: A bit of a vague term that could refer to either liposuction or fat transfer. Could refer to removal or addition of fat.
• Liposuction: A surgical procedure that removes excess fat under the skin to improve contour.
• Liquid Lift: A non-surgical facelift using injectable fillers and/or Botox to restore volume, reduce wrinkles, and rejuvenate the face.
• Lower Facelift: Targets the lower third of the face, including the jawline and the area under the chin, to address sagging.
• Mid Facelift: Focuses on the middle third of the face, mainly concerned with lifting the sagging cheeks. Rarely performed alone today; most of the time used in combination with other procedures for improved results.
• Mini Facelift: A less invasive version of a traditional facelift, offering a quicker recovery and smaller incisions. Mostly offered to patients in their 30s and 40s.
• Rhytidectomy: The medical term for a facelift.
• SMAS Facelift (Superficial Musculo-Aponeurotic System): Most commonly referred to as a type of facelift where SMAS (see above) is tightened rather than repositioned (as in deep-plane facelift).
• Subperiosteal Facelift: A technique that involves a deeper dissection to lift the cheek tissue and improve facial contours.
• Thread Lift: A minimally invasive procedure using tiny, barbed wires to lift the sagging skin. Works mostly for patients with early aging changes and results tend to fade quickly.

Ready to learn more about facelifts or schedule a consultation? Reach out to Dr. Konstantin’s team today for expert advice and personalized care. Schedule a consultation by calling (212) 380-3634.