botox-vs-faceliftIt’s often been said by those of middle age or into their retirement years, that although they’ve reached a certain age, they still feel 25 “on the inside.”  Sometimes looking in the mirror can be an unkind reminder that the days of our physical youth have passed us by.  Thanks to modern cosmetic procedures we have the ability to restore our exterior selves to younger days, even without going under the knife to do so.

Crow’s feet are caused by years of facial expressions. Whatever you do: smile or cry, every expression will develop a memory effect on your facial skinTwo procedures that cosmetic surgeons use to give their patients a more youthful look are Botox and Facelifts.  In this blog, we will be describing each method and its pros and cons.

Botox:

Botox means a non-surgical facelifting by relaxing the facial muscles. The botox is applied on specific facial muscle groups inhibiting  the neural transmission between the muscles and the nerves. The tiny Botox injections will reduce wrinkles and create a fresher, more youthful appearance.

Benefits and Disadvantages of Botox:

Botox is an immediate and less painful alternative to undergoing a Rhitydectomy.  It can be performed in up to 30 minutes.  Botox, however, has few side effects, such as redness, minor soreness and swelling usually are temporary and within a few days they disappear.  The results usually last for several months, after that Botox injections can and should be repeated. Botox is better than Rhytidectomy because there is no pain and the risks associated with general anesthesia and surgery are absent. The cost of Botox is significantly lower, until performed repeatedly over a long period of time.

There is the risk of muscular tension or poisoning from an inappropriate treatment or when the body is unfit to undergo treatment. When this happens, the risk to a person’s health can be severe.  As with all procedures, in extreme cases, death could result. Another disadvantage of Botox is that it is not permanent. Because of this, a person will need to receive treatments regularly, which can become costly of time and money.

Facelift:

A Rhytidectomy is a type of cosmetic surgery which removes excess skin and this way the lower one-third of the face is reshaped. Some rhytidectomy procedures can include the tightening of underlying tissues. After the incision is made and the excess skin removed, by using staples and sutures the icisions are being closed. More youtful, tighter and smoother appearance is the result of well done rhytidectomy.

Benefits and Disadvantages of a Facelift:

The results of a Rhytidectomy and Botox differ. While both procedures minimize the appearance of signs of aging, a rhytidectomy does more.  When Facelift is done, sagging skin is removed and tightened, it lifts the corners of the mouth and reduces the drop of the cheeks around the jaw line. Also, the results of the rhytidectomy last much longer than Botox, usually 5 to 10 years. However, Facelift procedure takes more time, about several hours and it’s quite costly compared to Botox. Also, patients have to undergo general anesthesia and recovery time is more painful than with Botox, plus it can take weeks.

If you want to achieve a more youthful appearance, we hope that taking this brief look into the pros and cons of each method will help you better determine which is right for you.  If you have any questions for us about Botox or Facelift procedures, or want to share your own experience with either, please leave us a note here.