What it means for a patient
- In this series, 8 in 10 patients reached the lowest laxity grade after surgery.
- Follow-up was 1 year, so longer-term results are not known from this study.
- The authors recommend the method for ages 30-50, though the study's average age was 52.9.
- Limits: retrospective, one country, no comparison group, and no complication or satisfaction numbers in the abstract.
Why this paper matters
It describes the tunneled deep-plane lift and reports laxity grades before and after surgery in 93 patients. It adds a deep-plane variation aimed at the lower face and neck, with 1-year data.
Overview
The tunneled deep-plane lift (TDL) is a surgery for laxity of the lower third of the face and the neck. The authors reviewed patients treated with it in Colombia, with 1 year of follow-up. They compared facial and neck laxity scale grades before and after surgery, measured excess skin after suspending the SMAS and platysma, and assessed satisfaction with the FACE-Q scale.
Findings
- 93 patients; average age 52.9 years.
- Facial laxity before surgery: grade 4 in 52.68%, grade 3 in 32.25%.
- Neck laxity before surgery: grade 2 in 50.53%, grade 3 in 38.70%.
- After surgery, facial and neck laxity improved to grade 1 in most cases (80%).
- The technique uses deep-plane handling of the facial tissues with plication of the SMAS and platysma.
- The authors report results that are immediate and sustained for up to 1 year.
- The authors state the technique suits patients aged 30-50, and that added subdermal radiofrequency improves laxity and signs of skin aging.
- The abstract does not report FACE-Q scores, excess skin measurements or complications.
Terms
- Deep-plane lift: a face lift that lifts the skin and the deeper SMAS layer together.
- SMAS: the superficial musculoaponeurotic system, a fibrous and muscle layer under the facial fat.
- Platysma: the thin muscle sheet of the neck.
- Plication: folding and stitching tissue to tighten it.
- Laxity: looseness or sagging of skin and tissue.
- FACE-Q: a standard questionnaire that measures patient-reported results of facial procedures.
- Subdermal radiofrequency: heat energy delivered under the skin to tighten tissue.