Elegant, Nuanced Facial Rejuvenation Results at W Cosmetic Surgery 

Dr. Allan Wulc is a triple board-certified facial expert with over three decades of expertise in his field. His holistic and meticulously detailed approach ensures your results accentuate your natural beauty while correcting the imperfections that lower your confidence. For the past 20 years, Dr. Wulc has been consistently named a Castle Connolly “Best Doctor.” He received his medical degree from the prestigious University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and also pursued his residency at the University of Pennsylvania. Additionally, Dr. Wulc completed two fellowships at the University of Arizona and London at Moorfields Hospital.

What Is a Deep Plane Facelift?

A deep plane facelift significantly reshapes the facial contours to reflect a more youthful, attractive countenance. Like a conventional facelift, it focuses on correcting sagging cheeks and loss of definition in the jawline, jowls, and nasolabial folds. However, there are some major technical differences between a traditional facelift and its deep plane counterpart.

During the procedure, Dr. Wulc first leases the anchoring facial ligaments, which allows him to elevate and reposition the Superficial Musculoaponeurotic System (SMAS), a network of fibrous connective tissue beneath the skin. Through gentle lifting of the muscle, tissue, and fat layers, Dr. Wulc achieves a tension-free result that comes with minimal trauma to the superficial skin layer. This reduces discomfort, bruising, and overall recovery time. A deep plane facelift provides a far more natural-looking transformation than is typically possible with other methods.

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Procedure Overview

  • Concerns Addressed: A deep plane facelift provides profound anti-aging results for the jawline, cheeks, jowls, nasolabial folds, and marionette lines, restoring a more energized, attractive appearance.
  • Techniques Utilized: During a deep plane facelift, Dr. Wulc will release four facial ligaments, including the following: the zygomatic retaining ligament in the cheek, the masseteric retaining ligament in the midface, the mandibular retaining ligament in the jaw, and the cervical retaining ligament in the neck. This allows him to gently elevate the underlying facial structure as a whole, creating a seamless outcome.
  • Length of Results: Changes with a deep plane facelift can last from 12 to 15 years, depending on your lifestyle and how well you care for your skin.
  • Length of Recovery: Patients need to rest for 1-3 weeks while wearing a compression garment. Exercise should be postponed for 4-6 weeks.
  • Possible Complications: A deep plane facelift comes with the same potential risks as other types of facial surgeries, including swelling, bruising, bleeding, infection, asymmetry, anesthesia risks, nerve injury, muscle injury, poor scarring, and others.
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What Are the Benefits of a Deep Plane Facelift?

A deep plane facelift performed with artistry and accuracy by Dr. Wulc in Philadelphia comes with the following compelling advantages:

  • Visits minimal trauma on the outer facial skin
  • Results in less discomfort and recovery time than conventional techniques
  • Enhances the appearance of the jawline, midface, jowls, and nasolabial folds
  • Lowered likelihood of needing a revision procedure
  • Well-hidden scarring
  • Boosts confidence and self-esteem
  • Results can last 12-15 years
  • Creates a more inviting, revitalized countenance
  • Results are highly natural and unforced

Who Is a Good Candidate?

A deep plane facelift in Plymouth Meeting can be performed for both younger and older patients seeking a dramatic, lasting solution for midface sagging, jawline drooping, jowls, and nasolabial folds. To qualify, you should be a healthy non-smoker with positive yet realistic expectations for your results. Dr. Wulc will conduct a detailed consultation process, examining your skin quality, reviewing your medical history, and listening carefully to your goals. He will make sure that no contraindications are present that might interfere with the surgical or recovery process.

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Enhancing Your Outcome With Facial Fat Transfer

In addition to loose, sagging skin, jowls, and jawline wilting, many patients encounter another common sign of aging as they mature: volume loss. By pairing a deep plane facelift with facial fat transfer, Dr. Wulc can deliver revolutionary rejuvenation results. Fat grafting is performed by extracting fat cells from a donor region, such as the abdomen, thighs, hips, or flanks. Once the cells have been purified and sterilized, they are artfully injected into the face to maximize youthful volume and create naturally rounded, youthful contours.

What to Expect from the Procedure

A deep plane facelift is performed under IV sedational or general anesthesia and can take roughly 4 hours to complete. Once you are sleeping peacefully, Dr. Wulc will create small incisions hidden within the folds of the ears and the hairline. This ensures that scarring will later be inconspicuous. After releasing the deeper anchoring ligaments, Dr. Wulc will gently lift and firm the underlying connective tissue layers beneath the skin to create nuanced and natural-looking results. The skin is then artfully re-draped, and your incisions are closed using state-of-the-art suturing techniques. You are then placed in the recovery suite so that we can monitor you carefully until it is time to go home.

Deep Plane Facelift Recovery

Deep plane facelifts often have slightly less downtime than their conventional counterparts because the technique causes less trauma to the skin. You can expect the following healing timeline.

The First Several Days

After your procedure, a responsible adult should escort you home and stay to assist you for the first 24 to 48 hours. You can take prescription pain medications and use ice packs to alleviate swelling, bruising, and soreness in the treated areas. Be sure to sleep with your head elevated, as this will also help reduce swelling. Drains– which we rarely use– are typically removed within the first few days.

The First Several Weeks

You will continue to rest and recuperate, still avoiding strenuous exercise and heavy lifting. You are permitted, however, to take gentle walks, which can boost circulation, prevent clotting, and elevate your overall mood. Continue to sleep with your head slightly elevated. Side effects like swelling and bruising will peak within 4 to 5 days and then gradually decline. You can resume driving and wearing makeup within 7 to 10 days.

The First Month

During this time, most patients can safely return to a moderate exercise level, as swelling will have greatly diminished by this juncture. Dr. Wulc will provide support and insight every step of the way to ensure a seamless recovery process.

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Schedule Your Deep Plane Facelift Consultation With Dr. Wulc in Philadelphia Today!

If you are interested in learning more about the surprising and transformative advantages of a deep plane facelift in Philadelphia and Plymouth Meeting, contact us today to set up your private consultation. Dr. Wulc offers a rewarding treatment journey and a one-of-a-kind surgical plan tailored to your unique goals. Call today to get started.

Deep Plane Facelift

Where Are Deep Plane Facelift Scars Placed?

Dr. Wulc takes your concerns about scarring very seriously and only places incisions in areas where he knows that scarring will later be as inconspicuous as possible. With a deep plane facelift, the incisions are created within the folds of the ears and in the hairline.

What Type of Anesthesia Is Used?

Dr. Wulc uses either general anesthesia or local anesthesia with sedation. He can discuss your options in greater depth during your private consultation.

What’s the Difference Between a SMAS and a Deep Plane Facelift?

The Superficial Musculoaponeurotic System (SMAS) is made up of fibrous connective tissue beneath the skin and tethered to the underlying facial muscles. While a SMAS facelift firms and tightens this scaffolding, a deep plane facelift goes further by releasing the anchoring ligaments and then artfully repositioning the muscle, tissues, and fat layers as a whole, causing minimal trauma to the outermost skin. Because of the way it is performed – using lifting rather than pulling – a deep plane facelift offers among the most natural-looking results available.

Are There Any Non-Surgical Alternatives?

Yes. For patients just beginning to see signs of aging emerge, such as wrinkles or volume loss, our team can provide natural-looking improvements by performing a liquid facelift. This non-surgical alternative involves the use of both dermal fillers and neuromodulators to create a more refreshed, energized appearance. Radiofrequency microneedling (RFMN) using the Morpheus 8 device can also produce skin tightening, creating the illusion of a lift.

Will My Results Be Permanent?

Results with a deep plane facelift typically last longer than those with a traditional facelift. Patients can expect their changes to persist for around 12 to 15 years. However, the aging process will continue, and there may be a need for a revision in the future.

Are There Any Risks Associated With the Procedure?

Results with a deep plane facelift typically last longer than those with a traditional facelift. Patients can expect their changes to persist for around 12 to 15 years. However, the aging process will continue, and there may be a need for a revision in the future.

Are There Any Risks Associated With the Procedure?

Dr. Wulc is a triple board-certified plastic surgeon with decades of expertise who follows stringent safety protocols to ensure your well-being. Despite this, certain inherent risks are involved with every aesthetic surgery. Risks with a deep plane facelift include the following:

  • Swelling
  • Bruising
  • Redness
  • Infection
  • Asymmetry
  • Poor anesthesia reactions
  • Changes in skin sensation
  • Poor scarring
  • Nerve or muscle injury

How Much Does a Deep Plane Facelift Cost?

Pricing can vary for a deep plane facelift in Philadelphia depending on the specific techniques employed, the extent of the transformation required, and whether surgery is combined with other procedures like facial fat grafting, blepharoplasty, or a neck lift. Dr. Wulc understands your need for financial clarity, and he will provide a personalized price quote after completing your private consultation.

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