Face lift and when to do it?

Although a facelift can improve many of the general changes of facial aging such as looking fatigued, the specific problems you describe, such as fine wrinkles above your lip or around your eyes would not be made better by such a procedure. There are however, other treatments or procedures than can be helpful in treating all your areas of concern. I highly recommend that you consult with a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon to discuss what bothers you and be evaluated for the treatments that would be most appropriate and helpful to you.

A facelift can be preformed but most of the improvement from a a facelift are centered about the mid face, jowls and neck. The lines around your lips may be improved by fillers, chemical or laser treatment. The concerns you have with your forehead, crows feet region would be improved by a brow lift with or without a blepharoplasty. Hope this helps!

It is impossible to give you ideal suggestions without any photos. But, the concerns you describe could possibly be addressed without surgery.

Lines above the lip can be addressed with microneedling, laser skin tightening and / Belotero injections.

Crows feet, laugh lines and forehead lines can often be improved with Botox.

Looking tired could be from a result of very low body fat (typical of a tri=athlete) fillers like Juvederm, Juvederm Voluma, or structural fat grafting, depending on the area could provide an improvement.

Be sure to seek out a plastic surgeon with a plastic surgery medical spa that offers non-surgical options can provide a consultation. A doctor that offers only non-surgical treatments will steer you in that direction. A surgeon who doesn't offer the full range of non-surgical aesthetic enhancements will likely suggest surgery or nothing.

Many ASAPS members offer a full range of surgical and non-surgical aesthetic enhancements.

There are numerous options to address your concerns: Fillers which are temporary, micro-fat grafts which are long lasting but don't elevate drooping, Botox or Dysport, skin care, light peels, and limited facelifts plus filling of the depressed areas which produce the most aesthetically harmonious and longest lasting result. Each has benefits and drawbacks.

Keep in mind that following advice from a surgeon on this or any other website who proposes to tell you what to do without seeing photos and without examining you, physically feeling your tissue, assessing your desired outcome, taking a full medical history and discussing the pros and cons of each operative procedure would not be in your best interest. I would suggest that you find a surgeon certified by the American Board of American Plastic Surgery and one who is ideally a member of The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) that you trust and are comfortable with. You should discuss your concerns with that surgeon in person.

That will allow you to make the best decision for your particular needs.

Robert Singer, M.D., FACS
La Jolla, California

When To Do A Facelift –The time to do a facelift is really dependent upon your genetics, loss of facial fat, aging, and if you have aging with cheek jowls. It is optimal to do proper facial rejuvenation using a “Lift and Fill” facelift technique early. This will look better, last longer, and have a more natural look if done in this manner at an early age.