Surgical Intervention for the Aging Face

Abstract

Patients seeking facial rejuvenation often would benefit from a combination of face-lifting and laser resurfacing. Fear of skin slough has prevented the study of this issue. We report our experience utilizing a combination of simultaneous cervicofacial rhytidectomy and carbon dioxide (CO2) laser resurfacing, and summarize the results of a survey completed by each patient. Forty patients underwent the combination treatment. Patients were followed and asked to respond to a questionnaire 12 months postprocedure regarding their surgical experience. Our survey revealed an overall degree of satisfaction. Reported complications included transient swelling, redness, pigmentary alteration, and numbness. One patient experienced minimal slough in a nonresurfaced site. The control of depth of thermal damage with the CO2 UltraPulse laser allows for precision in its combined application along with face-lifting. In the area of the flap, one pass at low power settings is safe in our experience and results in an improved cosmetic result.