SMAS facelift
Posted in Uncategorized by: adminThe submuscular aponeurotic system (SMAS) has been steeped in controversy. The goal of our anatomic study was to further clarify the existence of the SMAS. Facelift surgery has undergone a major evolution since Lexer performed the first face lift operation in 1906 and Hollander subsequently reported a case in 1912.1 These pioneering procedures simply involved removal of the excessive skin.
SMAS is the layer of connective tissue between your outer skin layer and the muscles below your skin. By tightening the SMAS layer, drooping facial features are restored to a more youthful face position. This facelift is often the most effective and longest-lasting means of addressing jowling, facial wrinkling and excess skin to the face and neck. This procedure is especially effective in addressing the issue of a turkey-gobbler neck. We all know how time can cause the facial skin to sag and lose its elasticity.
It became apparent to produce a better correction of the face, a deeper lift was required and the pull was therefore on the underlying muscle in the neck and on the fascia in the face. This was the SMAS facelift. More recently as the anatomy has became better understood, this SMAS plane is dissected much further across the face towards the nose allowing a much greater correction of the mid-face and is known as the extended SMAS face lift and is most popular in the US cosmetic surgury.
The SMAS Facelift (Sub Muscular Aponeurotic System)
SMAS is a sheath of tissue investing the facial muscles).
By tightening the SMAS
- the jowls are lifted
- the neck is tightened
- the cheeks are elevated
Extended SMAS Facelift - The composite facelift is a combination of the brow lift and extended SMAS facelift and is advocated the older patient to produce a harmonious elevation of all structures in the neck, face and in particular around the eyes.
- Skin and SMAS lifted all the way to nose
- Fat Pad over Cheek bones lifted
- Nasolabial Grooves improved