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Knowledge of surgical anatomy critical for use of facelift techniques in Asian patients

Due to the unique characteristics of the aging Asian face, a surgeon’s understanding of surgical anatomy, including facial layers, spaces and retaining ligaments, is critical for the stable application of facelift techniques, according to researchers.

The researchers evaluated the outcomes of 53 Asian patients who underwent a high superficial muscuoloaponeurotic system (high-SMAS) facelift with finger-assisted facial spaces dissection to address sagging of the face associated with aging. Patients’ mean age was 50.7 years, and mean follow-up was 19 months.

According to the researchers, all of the patients had improvement in soft-tissue sagging in the midface and lower face. One of the patients had unilateral temporal nerve injury, whereas three experienced hematoma and two experienced wound dehiscence. No patient in this sample suffered any scarring issues, despite the high tendency for scarring in the Asian population.

The researchers concluded that although Asian patients have thick, fibrous, collagen-rich skin and flat, wide facial geometry that complicate the achievement of satisfactory results from facial rejuvenation, with the use of techniques such as extended-SMAS facelift, high-SMAS facelift and finger-assisted malar elevation, improvements in the lower- and midface are possible. – by Abigail Sutton

Disclosure: The authors have no relevant financial disclosures.