Adrian Richards explains what a MACS Facelift is

Thinking about Facelift surgery? Below is a guest post on a particular type, the MACS Facelift, written by Aurora Plastic Surgeon Adrian Richards.

Hello, my name’’s Adrian Richards. I’’m a Plastic Surgeon and the Surgical Director of Aurora Clinics.

Today I’’m going to be talking about a new type of facelift called a MACS Facelift.  I’’m going to be discussing what it is and who it’s suitable for.

A traditional facelift has got a lot of different names but might be known as a SMAS facelift, or a deep plane facelift. But what is a MACS Facelift?

Well basically a MACS Facelift was first devised as a modification of the S Lift which was very popular in Europe probably about 15 years ago. The MACS Facelift was really devised and modified in Belgium in 2001.

Why is it different from the normal facelift?  The real difference is that traditional facelift goes behind the ear, so also lifts the neck.  The MACS facelift tends to lift the soft tissue of the cheek more vertically, so upwards. A traditional facelift is more back, very good for tightening the neck, a MACS facelift lifts more upwards.

A MACS Facelift lifts the cheek, nasolabial fold and jowls. The prominence of the cheek, with gravity it comes down, the jawline with time goes down and you tend to get a jowling effect.

So what a MACS lift does, by an incision in the hairline in front of the top part of the ear, normally behind the nobble of the ear, the tragus and down, is lift the mid-face area.

Who’s it suitable for? Well basically it’’s suitable for relatively younger patients, around 45 to 55, people who are generally fit and healthy, who don’’t want a lot of down time because it’’s a very quick recovery.

It doesn’’t work as well for people with really loose skin in the neck, particularly in the middle. So if you’’ve got really loose skin on your neck, a MACS isn’’t for you. You really need a specialised neck lift.

The initials of MACS stand for Minimal Access (which means short scar, unlike a normal facelift), Cranial Suspension. Cranial suspension basically means the soft tissues are firmly anchored to the deep tissues of the scalp.

So, in summary, a MAS Facelift is good for younger patients who want a quick recovery, who haven’’t got a really saggy neck who basically want rejuvenation, putting the skin and the soft tissues back where they were ten years ago.

It’s a very good technique in selected patients, and if you’’d like to know whether you’’re suitable, please send us a photograph of yourself or better still, arrange a consultation so we can discuss the best way forward for you.

To arrange a consultation, either do so by email to the Aurora website or phone us on 01324 578290. 

Categories:  Facelift Surgery