9.7 - Facelift: The extended SMAS technique in facial rejuvenation

Abstract

In an overview of the architectural arrangement of the facial soft tissue, the essential point is that there is a superficial component of the facial soft tissue that is defined by the superficial facial fascia and includes the superficial musculo-aponeurotic system (SMAS) and those anatomic components that move facial skin (including superficially situated mimetic muscle invested by SMAS, the subcutaneous fat, and skin). This is in contrast to the deeper component of the facial soft tissue, which is defined by the deep facial fascia and those structures related to the deep fascia (including the relatively fixed structures of the face, such as the parotid gland, masseter muscle, periosteum of the facial bones, and facial nerve branches). As the human face ages, many of the stigmata that are typically seen in aging relate to a change in the anatomic relationship that occurs between the superficial and deep facial fascia.