[Upper lip lift]

Advances in Face-Lift Surgical Techniques: 2016-2021

BACKGROUND

Face-lift surgery is the most crucial and constantly evolving technique of facial rejuvenation. Periodic reviews synthesizing the latest face-lift techniques may help surgeons sharpen their surgical procedures.

METHODS

A literature search was conducted of the PubMed databases using the search term "face lift" and "rhytidectomy." Articles reporting rhytidectomy of the forehead/brow, midface, lower face, and neck were included. Sixty-nine articles were selected after independent screening by three of the authors. The Oxford Centre for Evidence-based Medicine scale was used for evaluating evidence level.

RESULTS

Of the 69 candidate articles, 10 studies (15%) reported techniques of neck lifting; 10 studies (15%) introduced techniques of endoscopic brow lifting; 7 studies (10%) pertained to brow lifting without endoscopic techniques. The most frequently reported locations of rhytidectomy were the brow/forehead (20%), neck (19%), and face-neck (17%). Additionally, articles regarding Asian face-lifts (14%) have been increasing. The evidence level of the articles was generally low, with only 10 articles assessed as level 1-3 with 59 articles as level 4-5.

CONCLUSIONS

Face-lift articles with high-level evidence are still lacking. Prominently, forehead lifting and neck lifting have become upward trends of rhytidectomy in recent years, and the techniques of short-scar face-lift have been more valued.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE III

This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .

[Lip lifting and philtral restoration with a mustache flap]

The restoration of the philtrum is an often neglected aspect in the technique of labial lifting with a perinasal scar, or it is secondarily resorted to by simple injections of hyaluronic acid. We are not in favor of the classic continuous bull's horn scar because, on the one hand, we consider that most of the labial shortening is due to the nasal floor resection -the internal excursion of which determines the final result-, and on the other hand that the approximation of 2 skins of very different nature (columella and lip) may cause a visible scar. The base of the columella is particularly well vascularized by the anastomosis of branches derived from the external carotid artery via the superior labial artery and septal branches distributed from the internal carotid system. We therefore consider that this zone on each side of the base of the columella constitutes the vascular pivot of our "mustache flap" drawn according to the classic peri nasal incision: this flap is desepidermized and then totally elevated from the orbicularis muscle except for its internal part where it is simply discarded so as not to compromise its vascularity; it is then rotated at 90° and inserted into a tunnel fitted in the subcutaneous plane down to the red lip corresponding to the restoration of the 2 philtral crests. Thus, all of the superior labial deformations observed over time (elongation and convexity of the white lip, flattening of the philtrum are corrected in a long lasting manner. The intervention is carried out under local anesthesia and, if necessary, the other elements of aging (loss of volume of the red lip, vertical wrinkles, defect of pigmentation etc.) can be corrected without risk at the same time.