Face Lift
If you are bothered by the signs of aging in your face, a facelift may be right for you. In general, a facelift is a surgical procedure that corrects sagging facial skin and muscles, removes excess fat and restores firmness to create a more youthful, rested and vibrant appearance. Dr. Merkel will evaluate your skin, muscle, bone structure and the specific conditions that contribute to your aging appearance. These factors are the most significant considerations in determining the appropriate technique or combination of procedures to best achieve your realistic goals. Many patients now ask for non-surgical options and consequently, we have a full array of lasers and other equipment to help reverse aging. Check out the non-surgical section on our website.
You can be reassured to know that a facelift will not change your basic appearance, but will restore you to a younger version of yourself that will then continue to age naturally over time. Your goals, anatomy and Dr. Merkel’s judgement are all factors in determining the best approach to your individual case. Visit www.instalift.com for more information.
Silhouette Instalift™
Cosmetic medical techniques have advanced greatly in recent years. Many aspects of facial aging can be addressed with safe and effective procedures that offer little downtime and natural-looking results. While wrinkles, brown spots and lost volume can be treated with existing procedures, until now there has been no minimally invasive way to lift the deeper layers of facial skin, one of the major contributors to an aged and tired appearance.
Silhouette InstaLift™ is a simple procedure to re-contour your face, lifting the deeper layers of your skin for a more youthful appearance.
Dr. Merkel will discuss whether this technique is suitable for you and will create a treatment plan to ensure you achieve the results you desire. The in-office procedure typically takes approximately 45 minutes to complete. You will see immediate results and have minimal recovery time after the procedure. Over time the sutures will naturally be absorbed by your body while stimulating production of collagen.
Lipo-Infiltration
With Lipo-Infiltration, Dr. Merkel can now use your own fat to alter the structure of the face and restore lost youthful features. Body fat is gently harvested with a technique much like liposuction, refined with minimal handling and painstakingly layered into miniscule deposits within the tissues of the face. By placing fat at different layers or by using different "weaving" techniques, Dr. Merkel can augment the tissues to change structure and contour. He can fill out your lip to show more of the vermillion, or support your drooping eyelid or add some chin projection. Using this method, he can sculpt the tissues of your face and body.
The Lipo-Infiltration can, and often is, combined with lifting techniques and laser resurfacing if your condition requires any more. The combination of procedures chosen is based on the degree or extent of your aging and your individual lifestyle. Ideally, Lipo-Infiltration can begin in the early aging years of 35 - 45 to keep the face properly augmented and structurally supported to prevent drooping.
Eyelid Surgery &
Eye Rejuvination
Cosmetic Eyelid & Under-Eye Surgery
Your eyes are your most intriguing and revealing facial feature – they draw attention and convey expression. Your interest and how you feel physically and emotionally is reflected in your eyes. Unfortunately, heredity factors and the signs of aging can greatly impact the appearance of eyes, so that what they reflect is not really how you feel.
If you are bothered by upper eyelids with excess, drooping skin that makes you appear sad or angry, or by eyes that look tired due to puffiness or bags – cosmetic eyelid surgery (blepharoplasty) may be right for you. In general, eyelid surgery corrects the excess skin, tissue and fat that contribute to puffiness and bags in both the upper and lower eyelids, revealing a more youthful and energetic appearance.
Like any cosmetic procedure, eyelid surgery requires an individualized approach. Dr. Merkel will evaluate your anatomy, the condition you wish to have corrected, what is causing the condition and your realistic goals for improvement. Eyelid surgery can offer dramatic improvement in the upper and lower eyelids and also lift the midface and eyebrow, working through the same incision used for the blepharoplasty. Skin resurfacing techniques, with the SmartSkin Fractional CO2 Laser, may be recommended to further improve the tone and surface appearance of skin surrounding the eye.