Warning: Facelift Advertisements

We’ve all seen them, quick and easy facelift procedures advertised in print ads and on TV infomercials.  But do they really work?  Dr. Bruce Van Natta, a board certified plastic surgeon from Indianapolis, Indiana warns these procedures may not deliver everything they promise.

By Bruce Van Natta, MD
ThePlasticSurgeryChannel.com

Quick and Easy… but What’s the Trade-Off?

“Not a week goes by in my practice that somebody doesn’t ask me about these quick and easy facelift procedures they’re seeing advertised on TV, often with celebrity endorsements. I tell these patients to stop and think about what they’re promising— a quick procedure, minimal down time, and they’re affordable. Doesn’t that sound too good to be true?  I learned at a young age to be skeptical of things. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

“I think that’s exactly the case with these procedures, in order for them to make it affordable, they have to keep the time in the operating room limited. They can’t really do in-depth procedures that are often required to get a really good result. You’re not paying a whole lot, and you’re probably not getting a whole not.

“As an experienced plastic surgeon that performs facelifts on a regular basis, my opinion is that surgery should be performed at an accredited surgery center (or hospital) utilizing board certified anesthesiologists who administer general anesthesia. A proper facelift should not be performed using local anesthetic. Importantly, the plastic surgeon should be able to show prospective patients several sets of before and after photos that are their actual work – and perform the surgery regularly.”