Hispanic and Latino Facelifts

Keeping in mind that there is great variance is Hispanic skin types, color and texture – there are nearly 25 countries in the world with Spanish as its official language – Hispanic and Latino skin has a wonderful advantage over Caucasian. It tends to be thicker and therefore ages much better without developing the telltale signs of lines and wrinkles.

Therefore signs of aging for Hispanics and Latinos tend to be sagging rather than the lines and wrinkles associated with people of Northern European descent. This makes Hispanics and Latinos perfect candidates for a straightforward facelift. Traditional facelift surgery does not fix fine lines and wrinkles, which must be dealt with by other procedures such as lasers, fillers and Botox. Discoloration due to age may occur with Hispanic skin and can be reversed with topical treatments or lasers.

Aging is a normal part of life and changes in the face are to be expected regardless of one’s ethnicity. If you look in the mirror and are bothered by sagging of your face, chin and jaw, a facelift might be the procedure for you. My signature face life is the modified deep plane lift, which I have adapted to fit the specific requirement of Latino skin. As with many of my procedures it is performed using a 3D high definition endoscopic system. This allows for greater precision in performing the surgery as well as smaller scars and reduced recovery time. Minimizing scarring is important when working with Latino patients, because with darker skin the risk of forming keloids is greater. Scars are well hidden and placed behind the ears or beyond the hair line.

Ethnic plastic surgery in the face and neck is on the rise, particularly in Hispanics and Latinos. Dr. Rizk customizes his approach to the specific area of aging in the Hispanic patient and does many partial facelifts in addition to the full facelifts, depending on the degree and location of aging. The area that concerns Latinos most in the face is the jawline, which can develop loss of definition due to a sagging jowl and fat accumulation in the neck. Dr. Rizk combines a neck lift with a platysma muscle tuck (the platysma is a muscle that drops in the neck and this procedure is known as "platysmaplasty"). Usually a neck lift is combined with a lower or full facelift. If it is just the lower face that shows signs of loosening then a partial lower facelift is combined with a neck lift.

Dr. Sam Rizk performs many different types of facelifts including SMAS face lifts, deep plane facelifts, S-lifts, neck lifts, neck platysmaplasty, mini-face-lifts, and mid-facelifts. Dr. Rizk does not recommend thread lifts. Nonsurgical facelifts (mainly fillers and Botox) have a role in facial rejuvenation of the upper face only and can be combined with a surgical facelift. Nonsurgical facelift or rejuvenation cannot improve a loose jowl or neck.

Cross- cultural studies were performed to determine qualities of an attractive youthful face and results point to a defined jawline and robust cheeks as the most important elements of facial beauty. Facelift surgery can lift lax skin and muscle, eliminate jowls, define the jawline, remove fat accumulation in the neck and may be combined with a chin implant, laser skin resurfacing, eyelid surgery, or brow surgery in Hispanic patients.

Definitions of beauty differ from culture to culture, but no one wants to look old. If you are a Hispanic or Latino and wish to look more refreshed and rejuvenated, a facelift may be a perfect option for you.