Dear Doctor:
Clearing up the hype on skin treatments

Dear Dr. McCollough: I am interested in the "quick lift", lower half of face and neck, done under local anesthesia. Do you do these?

Dear Reader: The QuickLift™ that you refer to is yet another marketing term applied to procedures that are not new. In 1989 I published an article describing the conservative, Suspension Lift or minimally invasive face lift. Some doctors and companies have taken my procedure, eliminated some of the key suspension sutures, trademarked it and given it a trendy name. Clearly, it is less invasive than some of the face-lifting procedures that we do, because it is not designed to address the advanced signs of aging. As is the case with all the procedures we perform, it can be done on an outpatient basis and the recovery time is less than with the facelift that requires work in the forehead, brows, eyelids and muscle work in the neck.

As far as anesthesia, I use twilight anesthesia for the majority of procedures I perform. "Twilight Sleep" is very similar to that state which exists during the night when the patient is in the deepest stages of natural sleep. If someone nudges him and asks him to "roll-over" he follows the instructions and appears to wake up. The following morning however he can barely recall the incident. This is what we attempt to simulate.

The reason why some doctors are offering surgery under "local" anesthesia is that they do not have trained anesthesia specialists on staff, nor is their operating area accredited by the AAAHC. Because these doctors do not have recovery facilities on site, patients have no option but to go home following surgery. Remember, surgery is not a "drive through" proposition.

With minimal face lifts like the one you are interested in, the greatest improvement is in the cheek, jaw-line and upper neck. Loose skin is removed from incisions placed in inconspicuous creases around the ear.

In some cases, a sub-mental or brow tuck, which further addresses the upper face and neck, or liposuction of the neck and jowl area, may be performed in conjunction for optimal aesthetic results.

The foregoing represents the professional opinions of the writer. If you would like information or a free copy of our latest book, visit www.mccolloughinstitute. com.