It used to be that cosmetic surgery was perceived as something only women would choose, but those days are long past. Many men are now living long and healthy lives and realizing that they want their appearances to reflect how young they still feel. Some choose to have a cosmetic procedure for the face in order to achieve this.
However, the face isn’t the only place that tends to show a man’s age. More than half of all men experience thinning hair by age 35, and by age 50, 85% of men have significantly thinner hair. Many men in their 40s and above are completely bald on the forehead. This can present a challenge for certain cosmetic procedures, such as a facelift.
Facelift scars are usually hidden in the hairline
A traditional facelift involves scars that are usually placed up and behind the hairline. The incision starts behind the ear, curves up and around, then enters the hairline and extends up to the temple or even up towards the forehead. For most women, the incisions will end up hidden within their hair, even if they prefer a short hairstyle.
However, for a man who has lost much of his hair, there’s no hairline available for hiding incisions. Using this traditional approach would leave scars that are relatively visible around the face. Does this mean that bald men simply can’t have facelifts? A group of plastic surgeons set out to demonstrate that getting great results from facelifts for bald men is entirely possible, and recently published a study detailing their findings.
New incision locations
The incision they used is similar to a short-scar facelift incision. Normally, this type of incision ends just in front of the ear. For those who still have enough hair, a little bit of hair in front of the ear takes care of hiding the scar quite easily. However, for those who don’t have hair for hiding this incision, taking certain steps during the surgery can help to make the resulting scar more discreet.
These surgeons describe using an incision that closely follows the contour of the front of the ear. The most important aspect is that the scar in front of the ear must not be a straight line. If it takes at least two turns, following as closely as possible the ear’s border, this helps to make the scar less visible once the incision has healed.
This technique also keeps the incision somewhat shorter than with the traditional facelift. Because there is no hairline to hide it, the incision doesn’t extend very far up along the temple. This puts some limits on the amount of manipulation of the facial tissues that can be achieved. The authors of the study state, “The price to pay for these short scars is a slightly more complex management of cutaneous excess; therefore, when scars are easy to hide in the hair, the authors keep on using “traditional” incisions.” As a benefit, however, the recovery may be somewhat easier with the shorter incisions.
It’s not that great results can’t be achieved using the new technique, but that it’s more difficult and complex, and requires skill on the part of the surgeon.
Bald men can benefit from a facelift
If you’re a man who’s experienced hair loss, you may now realize that a facelift could be an option for you. If you’d like to consider having a facelift Scottsdale, we invite you to schedule a consultation with Dr. Caniglia. With his excellent surgical skills, he’s helped many people, both men and women, “turn back the clock” and achieve a rejuvenated facial appearance. A consultation does not commit you to having any procedure at all, but is simply a chance to spend some time with Dr. Caniglia to learn more about your options.
