Dr. Jeffrey Raval Offers A New Facelift Procedure: The Tragus Facelift

Facial rejuvention techniques have changed dramatically in the last decade. Once a procedure that addressed only soft tissue and wrinkling skin, the 21st-century facelift is longer-lasting and probes deeper – to the facial muscles and skelton.

Another major innovation in facial surgery is the placement of incisions. The determination of the appropriate place for incisions is highly individual, says Denver plastic surgeon Jeffrey Raval, MD, FACS. Only the most skilled plastic surgeons in the United States are offering patients the innovative and highly-intricate Tragus facelift, a procedure Dr. Raval uses on patients who are well suited to this type of surgery. Unlike standard facelift procedures, the plastic surgeon performing a Tragus facelift makes no incisions to the front of the ear. Instead, incisions are made just inside the ear.

Both ear topography and the sex of the patient impact the decision to opt for a Tragus facelift, says Dr. Raval, who is trained and boarded in both plastic surgery and ear/nose/throat, meaning that he is skilled in both external and internal ramifications of a facelift. Men are not generally good candidates for a Tragus facelift because of the male tendency to develop hair growth in the ears.

There are advantages and disadvantages in where any incision is placed, and Dr. Raval is adept at either the Tragus or traditional facelift incisions (in front of and behind the ear).

Although not suitable in every case,  those who most benefit from a Tragus facelift are patients who suffer from kelloids, people with short hair, and those who prefer wearing their hair in an upsweep style. Dr. Raval says the only possible (and rare) downside to incisions in the tragus, is that the small resulting scars could alter the shape of the tragus.

The tragus is the small pointed prominence of the external ear, situated in front of the immediate inside of the ear. Tragus comes from the Greek, tragos, which means goat, and is descriptive of the general covering on its under surface, with a tuft of hair, resembling a goat’s beard.

Q: I’m not vain, but I do take care of myself. I don’t look younger than my friends by accident; instead it’s the ongoing minor treatments I’ve had at my cosmetic surgeon’s office that have contributed to that. Dr. Raval, my facial plastic surgeon, has never been one to urge me to undergo an extensive procedure. In fact, the Doctor has counseled me to try a number of laser treatments and other minor non-invasive alternatives to a facelift—things like Botox to smooth away wrinkles, filler in the jaw line to eliminate the appearance of developing jowls, filler around the lips to make them youthfully full again, collagen and filler in the face to make it full and not drawn and wrinkled. I’ve even had my eyelids lifted—both upper and lower. But I think the time has come to take the big leap and go ahead and have that facelift.

My main concern is not about the surgery. I have every confidence in Dr. Raval’s technique and his surgical skills. My concern now is downtime. What kind of downtime should I expect?

A: Adhering to Dr. Raval’s recommendations as you recover will accelerate the recovery process and will minimize and bruising or tenderness. Following surgery for at least a day, it’s recommended that you rest with your head slightly elevated using ice packs (or bags of frozen corn) to temper the swelling. Prior to your surgery, Dr. Raval’s expert staff will have prepped you, talking you through the surgery and its possible challenges and timeline for recovery. At that time, you will have been given a prescription to fill for mild painkillers should you require them following surgery. Some patients don’t require pain medicine at all. You will be prescribed an antibiotic to take, and sometimes a five-day course of steroids to diffuse swelling. You will be wearing bandages for at least five days, so you’ll want to plan to stay at home, but you’ll be able to get up and around in your home during that time. Strenuous activities are to be avoided for the first month after any major surgery and this is no exception.

When you weigh the options of looking 10 to 15 years younger against one week off of work or other obligations, it’s hard NOT to elect to have a facelift.

Call Raval Facial Aesthetics today at 303-881-FACE (3223) for an appointment. Triple-board certified, Dr. Raval has been named among the finest plastic surgeons in the country in Castle and Connolly’s annual publication. His office is located Cherry Creek North in Denver, CO.