Lower face and neck lift, moon lift

The surgical moon lift of the lower face involves pulling up the dissected skin of the sagging cheeks, relieved of excess weight, which tightens the facial contour, the jawline and the chin area.

Aim of the procedure

The lower face moon lift is a procedure focused on one of the most important elements of facial aesthetics, namely the lower cheeks, the jawline and the chin area. Over time, the tissues in this part of the face gradually descend, the cheeks become heavier, so-called jowls appear and the facial oval loses its definition. The skin loses its firmness, and the weight of the soft tissues causes the nasolabial folds to deepen and creates the impression of a heavy lower face.

The aim of the procedure is to eliminate laxity of the lower face by lifting the tissues of the cheeks and the chin area and removing excess lax skin. The result is natural facial rejuvenation without changing the individual features.

What the procedure involves

The lower face lift involves superficially separating a thin layer of the skin envelope and then lifting the entire cheek and chin area upwards, together with all its unaltered tissue content. Excess lax skin is permanently removed, and the lifted tissues of the cheeks and chin area are firmly anchored to an anatomical structure that is stable and does not change its position throughout life, namely the facial margins of the auricles.

The first stage of the procedure is micro-liposuction of the entire lower face, performed according to the location and the amount of unwanted fat in a given area. In practice, it covers the lower cheeks, the so-called jowls, the entire jawline and the chin area.

Its aim is to relieve the tissues by removing the excess fat surrounding the skin tissues, while at the same time achieving an initial, partial separation of the tissue layers, which significantly facilitates the surgical separation of the thin, superficial layer of skin in the second stage of the procedure.

Removing the excess fatty tissue leaves a thin layer of skin free of heavy fat deposits, such as jowls or accumulations of fatty tissue in the lower cheeks. The skin, together with its soft tissue content, can then be lifted upwards, which restores the natural facial contour and reveals its proper proportions.

Lifting the tissues and removing excess skin

Once micro-liposuction has been performed, the actual lifting stage follows. The skin is superficially dissected, and then the entire cheek and chin area, together with its tissue content, is lifted upwards.

As the tissues are lifted, an excess of the thin layer of skin is created, which is precisely removed. The remaining tissues are stabilised by anchoring them to a stable anatomical structure in the area of the auricle.

The result is a mobile, thin layer of skin free of excess fatty tissue, which can be lifted and stabilised in a new, higher position. This eliminates the heaviness of the lower cheeks, and the jawline regains a well-defined, more youthful contour.

Results of the procedure

The result of the moon lift is a clear lift of the lower cheeks and the restoration of the natural facial oval. The jawline becomes more defined, the impression of heavy cheeks disappears, and the chin area looks lighter and firmer.

Lifting the tissues of the lower face also softens the nasolabial folds, as the weight of the cheeks no longer bears down on the lower face.

In many cases, the visual effect is equivalent to taking up to two decades off the face, while preserving natural facial expressions and the unchanged individual features of the face.

Surgical technique

The procedure is performed under local anaesthesia combined with tumescent anaesthesia using Klein’s solution. As a result, it can be carried out on an outpatient basis and is completely painless and safe.

The incisions are made with an ultra-precise laser scalpel, which allows very precise, contactless cutting, even of lax tissues. All vascular bleeding points encountered are sealed using bipolar diathermy, which minimises the risk of haematomas and bruising.

Recovery

The procedure is performed on an outpatient basis. Immediately after the procedure, following a very short observation period of up to an hour, the patient returns home unaided.

In the first days after the procedure, swelling and slight bruising may occur, which gradually subside. Most people return to their everyday activities within about two weeks, with the recommendation to avoid intense physical exertion and overheating of the face.

Who the procedure is for

Most often these are people aged around 35–65 who have high aesthetic standards regarding their appearance and, above all, expect a clear, natural improvement in the appearance of the lower face that meets their expectations.

In practice, this procedure has no real alternative. Nothing else can correct such a common concern as lax, sagging cheeks in such a minimally invasive, safe and natural way.