Sub Muscular Aponeurotic System, SMAS, facelift is getting a lot of attention lately as a small-scale, high-impact facelift, for good reason. This procedure is designed to reduce the effects of aging by improving the lower facial area, counteracing many of the most obvious signs of facial wrinkles and sagging. Like a traditional full-scale facelift, the SMAS lift is performed under general anesthesia, and helps refresh and lift both facial muscles and surface tissues, improving bottom part of the face and giving it a lift.
But unlike a traditional procedure, the SMAS lift provides smaller-scale results, uses fewer incisions, focuses less on the upper face, and tends to involve faster recovery than most traditional lifts.
A SMAS mini lift might be the best facelift procedure if you:
- Have a “tired” facial appearance
- Have facial wrinkles mainly around the lower face and the neck
- Notice that your chin and neck contours look puffier, saggier, and much less youthful than in the past, and your skin in this area seems to have lost a lot of its elasticity and firmness
- Notice jowls caused by folds of loose, sagging skin around the corners of the nose and mouth
SMAS is particularly good for people who have severe facial sagging and laxity. The procedure involves tightening the skin and removing any extra skin using a cut made around the ear. At the same time, unlike many much smaller-scale mini lifts, SMAS also helps correct lax face muscles to ensure deeper-level tightening at the same time.
SMAS on its own is not necessarily the best procedure for every patient, and in some cases you might be better served with a more traditional procedure or a combination of different procedures that will help correct wrinkles of the upper face as well. But in many cases the SMAS is the best option to get dramatic results with minimal incisions. Depending on your physiology and your surgeon, SMAS typically last around 5 years; some larger-scale facelifts can achieve longer-lasting results, but in many cases SMAS is a good choice to create impressive results and delay the need for a more invasive approach.
Dr. Alexander received his Medical Degree from the University of Maryland School of Medicine, one of the country’s first medical schools, and then had five years of intensive general surgery training at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, serving as chief resident in 1993-1994. There he was one of two residents honored “Outstanding Teacher” by the Whitehead Society.
After becoming Board Certified in General Surgery, Dr. Alexander attended the University of California San Francisco, one of the premiere Plastic Surgery programs in the United States. There he completed two additional years of residency training in Plastic Surgery. Dr. Alexander is double board certified in Surgery and Plastic Surgery and is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons.
Dr. Alexander specializes in facial rejuvenation, and was the first surgeon in California to perform the QuickLift,™ a revolutionary surgical procedure that takes years off the face with less downtime than traditional facelifts. He is a specialist in chemical peels and laser surgery and was selected to author the chapter “Facial Resurfacing” in Plastic Surgery, the premiere textbook of the specialty. He also specializes in facial cancer reconstruction and endoscopic, minimally-invasive procedures, publishing his own original research about endoscopic plastic surgery. He lectures in medical forums and has presented his results at both national and international surgical meetings.
