"THE SUPERFICIAL CHEEKLIFT"    By Brent Moelleken, M.D., F.A.C.S.

What is the Superficial Cheeklift?
The Superficial Cheeklift is a cosmetic operation which smoothes and rejuvenates the lower eye area, cheeks and smile line. People like to call it the "minicheeklift" because of the dramatic difference in appearance it makes and the quick recovery time. It is a technique that makes the midface and cheek area look younger and more rested. It does not involve any implants, but elevates the patient's own cheek fat to create the illusion of cheekbones.

Who is a candidate for the Superficial Cheeklift?
I was unhappy with the way people looked after they had their eyes done (with or without the laser), and after conventional facelift surgery. When people have their eyes done, surgeons often just remove fat from below the eyes, and take away a small amount of skin in an attempt to tighten the lower eyelid skin. This leaves the eyes hollow and too wide open, resembling a deer in the headlights. Patients who are considering having their lower eyes done are candidates for this procedure. Often, men and ladies in their late 30's start to notice areas that bother them.

Why don't conventional eyelid surgery and facelift surgery suffice?
Likewise when a facelift is done and the pull is just to the side, while the midface has been aging at the same rate, a "hanging curtain" or "windswept" look can result. My procedure involves a small incision under each eye, the cheek pad is lifted and the eye muscle is tightened and anchored in a totally new technique and placement. It is a drastically less invasive procedure than a typical eye and mid facelift surgery, which usually involve stripping off the membrane of the bone (subperiosteal dissection). This innovation greatly reduces cost, anesthesia time, recovery time, and pain. The cheeklift operation involves also tightening the droopy lower eye muscle as well, giving support and structure to the lower eyelid and midface area. The cheeklift prevents this by rejuvenating the lower eye and midface area rather than just the side of the face. It gives a more natural, youthful appearance to the lower eyes than with conventional eye and face surgery.

Since this article was published, Dr. Moelleken has performed hundreds of these operations (he does all his own work and does not have assistants do any surgery). The results of Dr. Moelleken's surgery have been published in the most prestigious peer-reviewed plastic surgery journal Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery in November 1999, in which he reports a large series of patients who have successfully had this surgery. He has performed more cheeklifts as surgeon than any other published surgeon in the world and has lectured at UCLA. Details of Dr. Moelleken's technique can be seen on his website located at http://www.drbrent.com  Dr. Moelleken has offices in both Beverly Hills and Santa Barbara.