Question: I am a 55-year-old woman, and I went in for a consultation on facial rejuvenation techniques. The surgeon I spoke to suggested Juvederm injections. I am not worried about an invasive procedure, and I want to get the best value for my results. Is it cheaper in the long run to get a facelift rather than dermal fillers every few months?
Answer: In the long run, it is definitely less expensive to get a facelift than to continue to pay for filler injections. However, it really depends on where these filler injections are going to be performed as to whether this is an area that a facelift will actually rejuvenate and correct. If the filler injections are between the lip and the chin, in an area that we call the marionette line, then more than likely your facelift will correct this in a relatively long-term fashion, and you will, overall, have a better value from the facelift than filler injections. If you are having the lines between the nose and the corner of the mouth filled, then the facelift may not be your best option if your surgeon performs standard facelift techniques, as these typically do not significantly correct this fold. If your surgeon performs a form of deep plane facelift, such as an extended SMAS deep plane facelift, which is my personal preferred technique, then you should get improvement in the nasolabial fold, and, once again, the facelift is most likely your better value. There are, however, many areas of the face that fillers can fill that a surgical procedure would be less effective or less desirable, and ultimately I would recommend a consultation with a board-certified facial plastic surgeon so that all of your options can be discussed before you make a decision regarding any sort of facial rejuvenation.