Having the look you've always wanted:

Common sense answers about facelifts.

Question: "Dear Dr. Cherup: I’ve had 3 consults and am considering a number of different facelift procedures, but I’m still not comfortable with what the best decision is to make." - Denise, Wheeling, WV.

Answer: Dear Denise: Don't be confused. There are few women who could not benefit from a blepharoplasty in their 30’s. By 40, you’ve acquired brow ptosis necessitating a browlift, and by 50, jowling and submental banding can be improved with a facelift. If you haven’t worked on the first two, you must do all three when you have your facelift in order to get a uniformly rejuvenated look. “Skin only” facelifts deliver that tight, pulled look, but “SMAS”, “deep plane”, or “subperiosteal” techniques lift the underlying fat and fascia, giving the most natural results. “Volumetric” facelifts, like I do, try to relocate and replace the soft curves of the face (with fat) as they were when you were 25. Facelifts are absolutely the most technically demanding (and thus expensive) of aesthetic procedures and should be performed only by experienced, American Board of Plastic Surgery-certified surgeons. - Dr. Lori L. Cherup, M.D., F.A.C.S.

Have a question you'd like to ask in confidence? Send an e-mail to Questions@DrCherup.com and we'll send you a confidential reply. Promise. Or call (866) 660-0017.

Click on a video below to launch.