7 Things to Consider When Contemplating Facial Rejuvenation

Top 7 Things You Should Know When Considering Facial Rejuvenation

By: Mallory Buxton, BSN, RN
Founder & Owner Solos - Concierge Nursing Inc.
Contributors: Todd C. Hobgood, MD, Andrea Sinon, BSN, RN

“I just want to look on the outside, how I feel on the inside,” states a 56 year old business woman in Phoenix, AZ who has been contemplating having a laser procedure on her face to address fine lines and wrinkles for 2 years now. Women and men everywhere are in search of the fountain of youth and in most cases, the more natural looking, the better. Fortunately for patients, the plastic & cosmetic surgery industry has come a long way from the "pulled" or “wind tunnel” look of facelifts in the 1990s. There are numerous surgical and nonsurgical options available at almost every price point today.  
In an attempt to wade through the current options for facial rejuvenation (filler, botox, laser, facelift, oh my!...) we turned to double board certified Dr. Todd Hobgood of Hobgood Facial Plastic Surgery in Scottsdale, AZ for some insight on all things face related. Dr. Hobgood is known for his warm and witty bedside manner that compliments his extensive surgical background and expertise. You can find beautiful before and afters of his work on Instagram @hobgoodfps

1.)  Solos Nurse: In what case do you advocate for a facelift as opposed to dermal fillers and neurotoxins?

Dr. Todd Hobgood: It really depends on the cause of the aging issue.  Neurotoxins are used to prevent the movements that contribute to permanent wrinkling of the skin. Fillers are great to restore volume. Both are so helpful because they can be done literally in minutes in the office with no downtime.

In contrast, facelifting is recommended when the volume of excess skin and the descent of facial structures are key to the aging process.   In these cases, the patients are taken to the operating room for a vertical lift to elevate skin and deeper tissues in a permanent way.


2.) Solos Nurse: Fat transfer to the face is becoming more common and often accompanies a facelift. Can you explain the reasoning behind this and best type of candidate?

Dr. Hobgood: Fat transfer is not a new procedure but is becoming more popular.  I have been performing fat transfers for over 16 years. The best candidates are those who have significant age related loss of adipose (fat) tissues particularly in the upper midface and lower eyelids.  We can use fat throughout the facial regions but it tends to excel in these areas.

3.) Solos Nurse: How important is it to consider a laser treatment with a facelift?  

Dr. Hobgood: Facelifts do an exceptional job to remove excess skin, lifts vertically, and repositions deeper soft tissues.  However, they will do very little to improve skin “textures.” If patients have fine lines especially in the cheeks, around the mouth and at the corners of the eyes, lasers will be employed to improve this problem.

4.) Solos Nurse: Can you explore the options of blepharoplasty and/or necklift done in conjunction with a facelift?

Dr. Hobgood: The main keys are to limit down-time and maintain harmony of the face.  We don’t want one zone to look rejuvenated while others are showing more time and aging.  Because of this we often will do an eyelid surgery (blepharoplasty) with a facelift.

5.) Solos Nurse: How and when is PRP best utilized? What can PRP all be used for?

Dr. Hobgood: PRP is essentially fertilizer for the skin that is most successful if it is in the areas of minor injury.  The PRP will increase the amount of collagen and elastic fibers in the skin. We tend to love this in combination with microneedling.

Also, PRP is very helpful for increasing hair growth in thinning areas of scalp hair.  I have personally used this as have many of my patients and friends. It requires 3 treatments 6 weeks apart initially and then every 6 months to maintain the results.

6.) Solos Nurse: What can patients expect post facelift and/or bleph in regards to discomfort, swelling, and bruising?

Dr. Hobgood: Surprisingly these patients have virtually no pain after these surgeries. We always have medicine for them but most never use them. Swelling however is expected and can be significant.   Patients usually swell for about 72 hours. Bruising and swelling are usually at their peak by one week. Most are amazed by the improvement by 2 weeks and are able to use makeup to resume normal out of house activities.

7.) Solos Nurse: When can they return to work post surgery or laser treatment?

Dr. Hobgood: I love it if eyelid and facelift patients have 3 weeks before they are under pressure to look their best.  However many need to get back to work a bit sooner and are good to go with some makeup at 2 weeks.


So there you have it! Brilliant insight by Dr. Todd Hobgood of Hobgood Facial Plastic Surgery on all facial rejuvenation. In my professional opinion it is most important thing to keep in mind is that no matter what you change on the outside, you must truly the love the person you are on the inside. In a world where we are inundated with pictures of models and celebrities on every social media platform, it’s easy to get caught up comparing ourselves to others. Keeping this simple idea in mind from Tony Bennett can help when we feel pressure from society to look a certain way:  “It sounds so simple, but if you just be yourself, you're different than anyone else.”

*demographics changed to protect patient identity