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If you are searching for the best facial plastic surgeon in NYC to perform your SMAS facelift, request a consultation using the online form, or call us at (212) 380-3634 to speak to a member of our team.
Konstantin Vasyukevich, MD
59 East 79th Street
New York, NY 10075
Phone: (212) 380-3634
Monday, Friday: 9 a.m.–6 p.m.
Tuesday, Thursday: 10 a.m.–7 p.m.
Wednesday: 10 a.m.–6 p.m.
SMAS facelift is the most common type of facelift performed today. It is a very effective way to achieve long-lasting facial rejuvenation while maintaining a natural and un-operated appearance. Reducing the jowls, tightening up the neck, and lifting the cheeks are just a few of the beneficial effects of this type of facelift. Dr. Konstantin is considered one of the best facelift surgeons in Manhattan due to his expertise with procedures such as the SMAS facelift and deep plane facelift. Having performed more than 2,000 facial rejuvenation procedures, Dr. Konstantin has an extensive expertise and the intricate knowledge of the facelift techniques that could be used to achieve the best result for each individual patient.
What Is a SMAS Facelift?
SMAS (Submuscular Aponeurotic System), is a layer that envelops the muscles of facial expression and is located directly under the skin. Although it often seems that it’s our skin that begins to sag with age, in actuality, it is the SMAS that is responsible for most of the visible aging of the face. Over the years the SMAS begins to stretch and the ligaments connecting it to the deeper structures of the face become loose. These changes result in soft tissue laxity and the appearance of age. In order to reverse these aging changes and rejuvenate the face, the SMAS needs to be tightened and lifted up to a more youthful position with an SMAS facelift.
Featured Facelift Before & After Photos Picture Your Transformation
Keep in mind that each patient is unique and your results may vary.
Before & After
Facelift and Neck Lift with Upper and Lower Blepharoplasty
This patient came to us concerned about early facial aging and wanted to appear more vibrant and refreshed. She was unhappy with sagging cheeks, loss of jawline definition, and skin laxity under the chin, and felt that her eyes made her look fatigued. After evaluating the patient's facial features and rejuvenation goals, a surgical plan was d... Read More
Before & After
Facelift and Neck Lift with Lower Blepharoplasty
This patient came to see us seeking facial rejuvenation to help with advanced signs of facial aging. She had developed extensive skin laxity in the neck, noticeable jowls, sagging cheeks and bags under the eyes. She felt she was finally ready for a long-lasting, surgical solution to correct these aging changes.A custom-tailored surgica... Read More
Before & After
Facelift and Neck Lift
This patient presented to us interested to improve the look of her sagging neck skin and jowls. Her main concern was the facial aging in the lower part of the face that made her appear older than her actual age. She wanted to regain a youthful, refreshed appearance. Her good skin quality and full cheeks made her an excellent candidate fo... Read More
Before & After
Facelift and Neck Lift
This patient sought our help because she was unhappy with her tired appearance. She noticed that her early jowls, sagging cheeks, and skin laxity under her chin all contributed to her fatigued look. She wanted to look overall more youthful and vibrant. A surgical plan was developed after a thorough evaluation of the patient's facial features,... Read More
Before & After
Facelift and Neck Lift with Upper Blepharoplasty
This patient came to us seeking to restore her youthful appearance. She felt she started to develop signs of facial aging that made her look older than her actual age. Her primary concerns were sagging cheeks, significant jowls, and neck skin laxity. She also felt that her eyes looked tired and contributed to an overall aging appearance.<... Read More
Before & After
Facelift and Neck Lift with Upper Blepharoplasty
This patient presented to us looking to address her facial aging concerns. Her main complaints were laxity in the neck area, visible jowling, and drooping eyelids. She also wanted to regain a more defined and lifted facial profile to feel more comfortable and confident with her appearance.An individualized surgical plan for this patien... Read More
Before & After
Facelift and Neck Lift with Upper Blepharoplasty
This patient came to us expressing concerns about certain aging signs she felt were becoming more prominent on her face. She articulated concerns regarding sagging cheeks, jowls, and the laxity of skin on her neck. Furthermore, she communicated that the excess skin surrounding her eyes accentuated an unwanted aging appearance.The indiv... Read More
Before & After
Facelift and Neck Lift
This patient came to see us seeking to help reverse visible signs of aging in her lower face. She was especially unhappy with the sagging, wrinkled skin under her chin and neck area and developing jowls. She wanted to look overall more youthful and refreshed. A personalized surgical plan was developed after a thorough evaluation of the patien... Read More
How Much Does a SMAS Facelift Cost in NYC?
When performed by a facelift expert, the price of a facelift generally ranges from $25,000 to $100,000 and up. Paying top dollar for your facelift does not guarantee you the best result, but more experienced and established surgeons typically charge higher prices for their facelifts. For the best outcome, seek a SMAS facelift performed by a top facial plastic surgeon who specializes in facial rejuvenation and has extensive experience with this procedure. The cost of a face and neck lift in Dr. Konstantin’s practice is $35,000. Additional procedures such as blepharoplasty or brow lift could be recommended in conjunction with a facelift to enhance the results. The cost of a full facial rejuvenation might run over $90,000.
Your SMAS Facelift Procedure
Anesthesia
There are two different types of anesthesia that we offered to our patients: local anesthesia with a mild sedation and deep IV sedation. The choice of anesthesia depends on the patient preferences. Some of Dr. Konstantin’s facelift patients prefer to be completely asleep under IV sedation, while others would rather have a lighter form of anesthesia and not be fully sedated. The choice of anesthesia is a personal preference and does not change the type of a facelift or the final result.
Incisions
The SMAS procedure begins with making incisions. A typical incision will be hidden around the ear. It starts at the temple hair tuft, curves in the creases of the ear and at the edge of the cartilage (called tragus), goes down to the ear lobe, comes up on the back side of the ear, and turns down again at the hairline behind the ear. Another small incision is placed in the natural skin crease under the chin. This incision allows to remove the excess fat in the neck and tighten up the platysma muscle (platysmaplasty). This placement of the facelift incisions allows for the removal of the sagging skin and at the same time makes the resulting incision lines look inconspicuous and well-hidden.
SMAS Elevation
Once the incision is made, the SMAS layer is exposed, pulled upwards and slightly backward, and is held in place with special stitches. The two most commonly employed methods of lifting the SMAS layer are SMAS plication and SMAS imbrication. Plication will fold the SMAS on itself and imbrication will cut into the SMAS and overlap the SMAS layers. Although many surgeons might prefer one of these SMAS lifting techniques over the other, there is very little evidence to suggest that either one is substantially better than the other. In Dr. Konstantin’s experience both achieve very good results.
Closure & Dressing
Once the SMAS is lifted and held in place with the stitches, Dr. Konstantin removes the excess skin and closes the incisions with specially designed sutures. No staples are used in the incision closure. Bacitracin ointment is applied and contour dressing consisting of cotton and soft bandages is then placed. Drains are typically not required for this type of facelift, although they could be used on as needed basis.
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What Is the Difference Between an SMAS Facelift and a Deep-Plane Facelift?
The difference between an SMAS facelift and a deep-plane facelift is in how deep the surgery will go to lift the sagging tissue of the face. Neither SMAS plication nor imbrication involves releasing the deep facial ligaments. These ligaments hold the SMAS in place and unless released, would limit how much the facial tissue could be elevated.
This seemingly small difference explains why many doctors who specialize in facelifts will use the SMAS facelift technique for patients of younger demographic (such as mini facelift) and use deep-plane facelift in patients with more significant aging changes. Releasing the ligaments allows for non-hindered elevation of the soft tissue laxity in patients with moderate to severe aging changes and might be the best choice for a patients of older demographics or those with more significant facial laxity and neck sagging.
Another difference between these procedures is that the SMAS facelift is nearly as good as the deep-plane facelift at tightening the jowls, but has a limited ability to elevate sagging cheeks. A deep facial facial ligament called the zygomatic cutaneous is located right at the notch in the bony part of the cheek. This ligament is attaching the SMAS to the cheek bone and unless released will prevent lifting of the SMAS in the mid-cheek region. As a result, SMAS facelift is most appropriate for patients whose cheeks’ contour still does not display a significant descent, hollowness, and laxity.
Both, incision lines and recovery would be slightly shorter with a SMAS facelift than with a deep-plane facelift. During recovery, deep-plane facelift might result in a little more swelling in the cheeks and have a slightly higher chance of bruising in the face when compared to a SMAS facelift. Otherwise the procedures could be performed in a very similar way and have a compatible recovery process.
