Subperiosteal face lift: a 200-case, 4-year review

The subperiosteal face lift is a procedure designed to rejuvenate the upper and middle thirds of the face. Herein is reviewed a 4-year series of 200 consecutive patients who have undergone a subperiosteal face lift with a special emphasis on handling of the zygomatic arch. The main operative indication was significant ptosis of the midface soft tissue. Dissection of the maxilla, zygoma, periorbital areas, and the anterior arch was carried out through either a gingivo-buccal sulcus incision (39 cases) or a subciliary incision (161 cases). Dissection of the posterior arch was carried out in a plane superficial to the innominate fascia. A back-cut was made in the superficial musculoaponeurotic system and subcutaneous tissue down to midtragus, and a subperiosteal tunnel was entered by piercing through the posterior arch periosteum. By using a Cottle elevator (sweeping superiorly and inferiorly), the arch dissection was completed in a posterior to anterior direction. All patients underwent a concurrent brow lift (190 endoscopically and 10 by means of coronal incision). The forehead incision was used to dissect the lateral orbital rims. Twelve patients (6 percent) had undergone a previous rhytidectomy. All but four patients were women and ranged in age from 34 to 76 years (mean, 54+/-11). Mean follow-up period was 27 months (1 to 41 months). The postoperative complication rate was 5 percent and included transient frontal branch weakness (n = 2), resolved at 41 and 71 days postoperatively; hematoma (n = 2); transient infraorbital nerve paresthesia (n = 1); asymmetrical smile (n = 3); and facial tics (n = 2). Two patients (1 percent) required a secondary surgery on their brows or midface. An upper blepharoplasty was needed in 26 patients (13 percent). The overall aesthetic results were excellent, with good elevation of the eyebrows, lateral canthus, and the midface soft tissues. In conclusion, the subperiosteal face lift is a procedure designed to rejuvenate the upper and middle thirds of the face. Approaching the arch posteriorly and in a systematic fashion simplifies the procedure and reduces the risk of facial nerve injury.