27 Oct 2025
Facial aging is always multi-factorial. So even though it may seem as if the “jowls” on either side of your mouth sprung up overnight, they are actually the result of many years of incremental aging as well as different factors such as a breakdown in the quality of your skin and tissues and a loss of volume in the mid-face. A facelift is the gold standard for lifting loose skin and tissue in order to restore a more youthful looking countenance. But at Boston Center for Plastic Surgery (BCPS), we have always and will always take a comprehensive approach to rejuvenation. For this reason, it is not uncommon for me to combine your facelift with another skin treatment in order to create a truly exemplary result. Sometimes I will perform both procedures at once while at other times, the skin treatment may be a couple of months post-op. I pride myself on never up-selling a patient so if a procedure is part of your treatment plan, it’s because I know, through my decades of experience as a Board-Certified Facial Plastic Surgeon, that this combination is the ideal choice for your anatomy, needs, and lifestyle. Here are some of the best facelift and skin treatment combinations for radiant results.
Laser Skin Resurfacing to Improve Skin Texture & Tone
An often overlooked component of a youthful-looking countenance is skin texture. Lifestyle choices such as:
- Time spent outdoors in the sun
- Living in or near a big city with a lot of pollution
- Diet
- Hydration levels
Along with aging can all wreak havoc on the appearance of your skin. This may manifest as:
- Fine lines & wrinkles
- “Crepey”, uneven skin texture
- Sun spots
- Hyperpigmentation
One of the best treatments for improving your skin’s overall texture is laser skin resurfacing with either a Fractional CO2 or Fraxel® laser. What I like about combining a laser treatment with a facelift is that it allows us to really refine your results by addressing any residual structural sagging and resurfacing your skin in order to create that smooth, healthy glow that we all love. While I may perform a laser intraoperatively at a lighter setting, I typically like to schedule it 2-3 months post-op after your skin and tissues have undergone most of their healing.
Fat Grafting to the Face to Naturally Restore Volume
The goal of a facelift, as the name implies, is to lift and reposition your facial tissues. This is what addresses those dreaded “jowls” and can help to restore a crisp delineation at the chin/neck juncture. But as discussed, facial aging is not only about sagging skin and tissues. It may also be about volume loss, particularly in the mid-face. Fat grafting or fat transfer is one of my favorite procedures to combine with a facelift. Unlike dermal fillers, this is a completely natural way to pump up the volume. It involves removing a small amount of fat from an area where you have excess, typically the abdomen or outer thighs, and injecting it into the deflated areas of your face for a softer, more balanced result. The most common areas for fat grafting to the face include:
- Nasolabial Folds
- Cheeks
- Temples
- Under-eye Hollows
Microneedling or Microneedling RF in Boston
As one of the first plastic surgeons to introduce this country to the beauty of microneedling, I am a huge fan of this procedure. It has the ability to produce truly transformative results by remodeling the collagen in your skin and tissues, refining pores and enhancing your overall skin tone. There are a myriad of different microneedling procedures at BCPS that range from a mild, almost facial-like procedure to ones that are much more intense. The latter often combine microneedling with radiofrequency (RF). The right one for you is going to depend on your needs. I will typically perform a microneedling procedure a few months after a facelift in order to further improve skin elasticity and texture in patients who may have some lingering crepiness or scarring. My goal with all of these combinations is to restore balance, proper proportion, and a healthful looking plumpness and glow to your face.
Contact Us
To find out more about facelift, laser skin resurfacing, fat transfer, microneedling, or any other surgical or non-surgical procedure with Dr. Leonard Miller at the Boston Center for Plastic Surgery, contact us today or call (617) 402-2768 to schedule a consultation at his Boston or Chestnut Hill offices.
