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Facelift in Jupiter & Palm Beach FL with Dr. Jason Cooper

There are few things more rewarding than looking in the mirror and seeing a younger version of yourself. What could be better for your self-esteem than reversing the signs of aging? Restoring facial volume and smoothing skin texture can remove a decade or more from your appearance. And as you meet each day with a boost in self-confidence, your friends, family, and co-workers will notice your more youthful appearance.

Like many women and men in Jupiter and West Palm Beach, you may be wondering if cosmetic surgery is right for you. A meeting with one of South Florida’s best plastic surgeons, Dr. Jason Cooper, can answer any questions you may have before deciding if a facelift is the best option for your aesthetic concerns.

To learn about what a facelift could do for you, contact Dr. Cooper to request a consultation or call our office at 561-406-6574Dr. Cooper is a leading facelift specialist and board-certified plastic surgeon with expertise in numerous cosmetic procedures.

Deep-Plane Facelift

Two innovative facelift approaches are Deep Plane and SMAS. Each can reduce the effects of aging for patients who notice their facial contours changing with age. In addition, these techniques produce attractive, natural-looking benefits that avoid the stereotypical windblown look. Dr. Cooper believes it can be beneficial to fully understand what’s available for facelift surgery in Palm Beach. 

A Deep-Plane facelift tightens and lifts the middle and lower facial regions by targeting the superficial musculoaponeurotic system, or SMAS, to soften deep wrinkles and folds without giving you a “worked-on” appearance.

During a Deep-Plane facelift, Dr. Cooper elevates the neck and jowls while releasing cheek ligaments and elevating underlying muscles and the cheek fat pads. The overall benefits include a smoother skin texture and youthful contour.

This facelift technique has one significant advantage – lifting the skin and the SMAS simultaneously rather than separately creates a more natural outcome.

The Facelift Consultation

Communication between patient and surgeon is the key to attaining outstanding results. Dr. Cooper’s goal is to exceed your expectations, and that starts with your first visit. He will help you understand where he can make significant improvements to reverse the aging process. His goal is for you to experience a return to your youthful beauty once the surgery is complete, with stunning, natural-looking results.

You will experience a stress-free environment at either of our offices in Jupiter or Palm Beach. Our professional staff will treat you with the utmost care and discretion, and you will witness our no-nonsense approach to achieving the most rewarding benefits. See our facelift FAQs

Facelift Candidature

Rhytidectomy, or facelift surgery, reverses the effects of aging by restructuring deep tissues and muscles and tightening facial skin. The procedure helps men and women who want to address signs of aging in their faces.

The best candidates for facelift surgery are non-smokers who are in excellent health. They wish to eliminate or soften facial changes, including:

  • Skin laxity
  • Loss of facial volume
  • Sagging facial skin
  • Loss of tone and definition
  • The emergence of jowls
  • Hollow cheeks
  • Wrinkles and fine lines

Dr. Cooper will take the time to determine if surgery is recommended or if one of our non-surgical treatments will be better suited to help you meet your aesthetic goals.

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"Dr. Cooper takes a real personal connection with his patients."

dr. jason cooper, md jupiter fl

Your Customized Facelift Procedure

Because cosmetic concerns vary from patient to patient, and no facial anatomy is alike, Dr. Cooper will customize your facelift surgical plan to address your aesthetic issues. He restores descending tissue and fat through modern facelift techniques that address the superficial musculoaponeurotic system (SMAS) to create youthful cheek contours and a smoother, more natural mid-face area. Because of precise incision placement, he can redrape the excess skin naturally, avoiding that wind-blown effect common with other, more dated techniques.

He performs all surgery in our state-of-the-art surgical facility in Jupiter, Florida. It is AAAASF certified, the gold standard in accreditation by legislators, health agencies, and physicians. Here, you will enjoy our one-on-one nursing care. All of our instruments and monitoring equipment are developed specifically for plastic surgery. Our practice focuses on cosmetic improvement with excellent health care.

Our meticulous and detail-oriented team will have everything prepared before the surgery begins, and will bring all plans and photography into the surgical room. It is here Dr. Cooper achieves outstanding results in a safe operative environment, with the same, full-time team he uses for every operation.

What to Expect During Facelift Recovery

Just as the surgical procedure will vary, the recovery process will be different with each patient, as well. You will receive detailed postoperative instruction from Dr. Cooper to ensure your healing will be a success. We each heal at our own pace, but there are some general post-surgical guidelines to keep in mind:

Immediately After

You will need to keep your bandage in place per our instructions and keep your head elevated during relaxation and sleep. Dr. Cooper will prescribe pain medication for your comfort, and you will need to have a responsible adult with you at the surgery center to bring you home. Expect some bruising and swelling, which will gradually fade after several days.

First Week After

We will schedule a follow-up appointment the day after your surgery to remove bandages and drains. We recommend cold compresses to the eyes (not cheeks) to help with discomfort for some patients, and we ask you to move around your house some to promote blood circulation and decrease swelling. Many patients return to work after about ten days to two weeks.

The Next Few Weeks

Expect your incision wounds to appear red, then pink, then fade to where they are mostly indistinguishable. We ask you to avoid direct sunlight to keep the scarring to a minimum, wearing wide-brimmed hats. You should keep any exercise to light activity until instructed otherwise.

Facelift Benefits

One of the most rewarding aspects of cosmetic medicine is to hear how the surgical procedure changes a patient’s quality of life. Not only does the procedure reduce the effects of aging, helping you look younger and feel more confident, but it can also help increase self-esteem.

A facelift addresses the mid-face by filling cheek voids and hollows and producing a more defined jawline. You may choose to add complementarily procedures to perform concurrently, like eyelid surgery, laser resurfacing, fat transfer, or a neck lift to enhance your facelift benefits.

dr. jason cooper, md facelift specialst palm beach

Why Dr. Jason Cooper?

Dr. Jason Cooper is a well established, highly experienced, American Board of Plastic Surgery Board Certified Plastic Surgeon with extensive experience and expertise in the areas of Plastic Surgery to the Face & Breast. Dr. Cooper’s Facelift and Necklift surgery volume is consistently in the top 1% of all Plastic Surgeons in the United States. His detail and results oriented philosophy and natural aesthetic leads to surgical outcomes that are natural, predictable and safe. In addition to his extensive training in the Harvard Plastic Surgery program, Dr. Cooper is consistently on the cutting edge and incorporates best practices and the newest techniques being developed in Plastic Surgery around the world.

Dr. Cooper has a practice philosophy developed from his nearly 20 years of experience which centers around highly selective patient qualification and an individualized and detail oriented surgical plan and process with the goal of the best outcomes and patient experience possible. Dr. Cooper limits the number of patients he will operate on in one day and is highly regimented in his lifestyle in order to ensure that he is always at his best for his patients.

Dr. Cooper is a Stuart, Florida native and attended the University of Miami School and Medicine and then went onto the Combined Harvard Plastic Surgery Residency Program, one of the most prestigious programs in the country. Dr. Cooper then grew a successful practice at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. Dr. Cooper has spoken nationally and internationally on such topics as anesthesia during face lifting, and laser techniques.

After 10 years in Boston, Dr. Cooper returned to South Florida in 2014 and established his practice with a private AAAASF Certified Surgical Center in Jupiter, FL and a second office location in Palm Beach, FL. Since the inception of Jason Cooper MD Plastic Surgery he has become known nationally for several cosmetic surgery procedures including facelifteyelid surgery, and cosmetic breast surgery.

Dr. Cooper reside in North Palm Beach, Florida with his wife and two daughters and also spends time in his home in Park City, Utah.  Dr. Cooper enjoys spending time with his family while alpine skiing, skinning, mountain biking, and hiking.

Learn more about why South Florida women and men looking for plastic surgeons in the Palm Beach Gardens area choose Dr. Cooper’s Jupiter, FL practice. Request a consultation online to meet with Dr. Cooper, or call our office at (561) 406-6574 to schedule an appointment.

Facelift FAQs with Dr. Jason Cooper

Although all surgery involves some form of discomfort and each individual’s pain threshold is different, a facelift typically entails a very tolerable amount of pain. You will easily manage this discomfort with pain medication that should make your recovery as relaxing as possible.

Because facelift incisions heal subtly, the meticulous closing techniques we employ will be hard to detect after healing is complete. Discreet incision placement also helps camouflage scars, mostly placed along the border of the front and behind the ears.

All surgery has risks. Dr. Cooper takes the necessary precautions by providing pre-surgical instructions like foods and medications to avoid. Bleeding is the most common complication of surgery. The risk of bleeding is significantly reduced through the avoidance of certain anti-inflammatory or blood-thinning drugs. Also, Dr. Cooper’s incision techniques and procedural precautions prevent this issue, as well.

Nerve injury is rare, less than one-per-cent. Scarring risk varies from patient to patient, determined by many factors like pigmentation, the patient’s ability to heal, and genetic factors.

There is no such thing as a mini lift. Usually when a prospective patient refers to a mini lift this could mean all sorts of different things. It is very important to clarify the length and specific location of the incisions needed to accomplish a patient’s goals. I spend a significant amount of time with each prospective patient discussing and reviewing where and why I recommend their face lift incisions to be made during surgery. Compromising the incision length in certain patients will compromise their final results. The majority of my recommended face lift incision will be very well concealed. A patient’s hair style, hair density, prior incision (if present), skin pigmentation, ear height, ear width and ear lobule are taken into careful consideration when advising the face lift incision design. If a modified incision to shorten the length of the incisions is appropriate I will make that recommendation to certain patients. I avoid confusing terminology like, “mini” or “traditional” because I find it unhelp in conveying what a patient will need to achieve their goals.

Yes. However, you will need to stop smoking 2 weeks prior to surgery and not smoke for a minimum of 4-6 weeks following surgery. If you smoke, I will adjust your surgical plan and technique. I will limit skin undermining in order to avoid healing issues. If a patient refuses to stop smoking then surgery should be delayed until they can meet the cessation criteria.

The cost of your face lift will depend upon your surgical plan, extent of the operation, surgery and anesthesia fees, and more. For this reason, it’s hard to determine the price of face lift surgery without first meeting with Dr. Cooper for a one-on-one evaluation. Dr. Cooper’s coordinator can provide a price range over the phone when you call to schedule your consultation and will provide a final price quote following your consultation with Dr. Cooper.

It depends on what kind of work you do. Generally speaking you can be in front of people at 1 week. You can fly on an airplane after 1 week. If your work involves strenuous activity I recommend you return after 2 weeks.

You can walk at 6 days post operation. Keep your heart rate below 100 bpm. At two weeks after surgery you can sweat and begin to increase your activity. I recommend avoiding the pool or ocean for 4 weeks after surgery.

There is no typical age. I have operated on patients in their early 40’s to their mid 80’s

A facelift is a surgical procedure. When I perform a facelift, I am lifting the undermining facial volume to a more youthful position. I am also lifting and tightening the facial and neck skin (neck lift). Non-surgical options exist to improve facial appearance. In my practice, I offer many different non-surgical options: Radiofrequency, micro-needling, laser resurfacing, IPL (intense pulse light), neuromodulators, Hyaluronic Acid Fillers, Fat transfer, Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) with microneedling, or fat transfer.

A liquid face lift is used to describe adding volume to the face. Volume is added to the cheeks, the skin folds separating the cheek from the upper lip and the cheek from the lower lip and chin as well the temples. Different types of volume can be added to achieve volume restoration. Hyaluronic acid fillers have been made with different chemical properties such as;elasticity, viscosity, particle size and water solubility. These reologic properties are used to differentiate fillers and provide guidance to the provider for where it should be placed. There are many benefits to hyaluronic acid fillers . They can be dissolved is placement and appearance are not ideal. Unfortunately they typically last 6-12 months.  Fat transfer can provide the most natural and least allergenic volume restoration. The patient must have enough fat to donate to their fat. Typically, the medial thigh, lower abdomen and flanks are used as donor site locations for transfer. The fat transfer procedure requires a slightly longer recovery and is used for more extensive volume restoration. Most patients tolerate fat transfer awake or under oral sedation. It will take a 6-12 weeks to determine the take of the fat grafts. Fat transfer is permanent once the fat takes.

A traditional face lift involves incisions placed in-front and behind the ears needed to tighten excess skin and lift the underlying soft tissue (facial fat and muscle known as the SMAS).

The benefits of a facelift will last year’s not weeks or months. Prospective patients should avoid direct comparison with their contemporaries regarding the longevity of results. Individual results vary as do the pre-operative appearance and techniques utilized to achieve facial improvement. Genetics, history of sun damage, smoking history, volume depletion, skin elasticity, current sun exposure and activities will have an effect on the longevity of your results. Additionally, maintenance in terms of sun avoidance, sun-screen, Retin-A usage, IPL, and laser treatments should be understood and considering as part facial appearance management.

You can expect smoother skin, improvement of fine lines and wrinkles, improvement of neck wrinkles, improvement of neck muscle bands, improvement of jaw line contour, improvement in jaw line depth and differentiation between the neck and cheek, improvement of neck/chin contour, improvement of differentiation between the chin and neck, elevation of soft tissue volume of the cheeks, improvement of cheek folds, improvement of lines of the chin and lower lip area.

A facelift surgeon should be selected based on many factors. Most important is operative experience and results. Other factors to incorporate are; how many face lifts per year does the surgeon perform? I perform 150 face lift operations per year. Where does the surgeon perform the surgery? I operated in a AAAAsf surgical facility in my office with the latest instruments and state of the art equipment dedicated to plastic surgery.  Does the surgeon have a dedicated and consistent team to work with? I operate the same exact team including anesthesia provider. I have the same surgical assist every time which facilitates communication allows me to focus on your results not on communicating my expectations to a traveling assist who a barely know.   

There are numerous boards of surgery. There is a board of cosmetic surgery and a board of facial plastic surgery (these are ENT surgeons) Understandably it is difficult for a consumer to differentiate and identify the most qualified face lift surgery. The only board of plastic surgery recognized by the graduate medical education is the American Board of Plastic Surgery. Since its inception in 1937 the American Board of Plastic Surgery has awarded certification to roughly 10,000 surgeons of which 6,900 are currently practicing. To be board certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery a plastic surgeon must complete a residency in plastic surgery as well as a written and oral examination. Board certified plastic surgeons must submit his or her operative log during their first few years of plastic surgery practice and the board will examine the candidate on cases selected at random. 20% of plastic surgeon fail their oral boards the first time they take them. The consumer should be familiar with the American Board of Plastic Surgery.

Your face will not look pulled or unnatural. The goal of face lift surgery is to achieve a more youthful facial appearance that looks like a better version of your current appearance. My patients often hear comments like, “did you lose weight” or “your skin looks great”.

The SMAS is the layer of fat and muscle under the facial skin that is lifted during face lift surgery. The SMAS face lift is the most common technique used in the United States. The SMAS is elevated independent from the skin. The movement of the SMAS separate from the skin leads to a natural result and prevents over tightening the skin. There are various modification of the SMAS face lift but the concepts of the SMAS lift are similar.

Many other procedures can be performed during face lift surgery. Its best to consult with me directly. Generally speaking the most common additional procedure is eye lid surgery, and laser resurfacing. 

A deep plane facelift usually means the surgeon is using the plane just above the skeleton and under the facial muscles to lift the face. 

Yes absolutely. At times the incisions need to be modified to avoid hairline and side burn distortion. However, this is one of the most common procedures I perform.

Age has almost no bearing on timing for a face lift. People age differently and feel differently about their facial appearance. The timing to undergo a face lift is a personal decision that should be made when you feel well informed and realistic about the operation and the recovery.

Yes, I offer consults with patients over the phone. I prefer static photos that are similar to the standard photos we take during in-person consultations.

When I perform a face lift it includes improvement of the neck. I often combine upper and lower eyelid surgery with a face lift but eye lid surgery is not referred to as a face lift and is not included in the cost of a facelift.

I generally use TIVA type of general anesthesia, in which patients are not intubated during the operation. However, if a breathing is needed I will not hesitate to use it during your surgery.

The standard of care in modern face/neck lifting procedures is to separate the skin from its underlying tissues and to tighten the deep layer of tissue beneath the skin. The degree of separation of these layers (skin, SMAS, and platysma relative to one another) and the manner and orientation of tightening differs among surgeons. I always tighten the muscle, fat, and fibrous layer underneath the face and neck skin.

In the cheeks, the layer beneath the skin is the SMAS. Below the jawline, the layer contiguous with the SMAS is the platysma muscle. SMAS tightening improves the jowls, jawline, and perioral area by elevating the soft cheek tissues in a vertical and lateral orientation. Most prospective patients perform this maneuver in the mirror to describe the surgical result they desire. 

To improve the neck, I tighten the platysma muscle laterally and centrally. A skin incision within and under the chin crease provides centralized access to tighten the platysma muscle. Patients with central neck banding may also require transecting the platysma. The way I tighten the SMAS differs slightly in each patient. 

Examples of different SMAS manipulation techniques include removing and tightening a portion of the SMAS, elevating the SMAS in a layer before trimming and tightening, and suturing the SMAS to itself. I select the most appropriate method for each patient based on their specific anatomy, skeletal structure, and history of facial procedures. 

For patients who have undergone a previous face or neck lift procedure, the documentation in the operative note and anesthesia record provides information on the technique used to manipulate the SMAS and platysma. These allow for better planning of the secondary face/neck lift surgery. 

When performing secondary face and neck surgery, intra-operative assessment is critical. Typically, the SMAS is tightening to itself in secondary surgery. This SMAS technique tightens the deeper tissues (improving the jowl, jawline, perioral area, and upper neck contour) while avoiding nerve injury and scar tissue from the primary surgery. I can tighten the platysma as in primary surgery, as there are fewer motor nerves to avoid when tightening laterally and centrally, provided the primary surgeon has not performed a complete transection of the neck muscle.

The short answer is a lifetime. A person who undergoes a face or neck lift procedure should always look better than they would have otherwise. When asking this question, most people want to know how long they are going to “look great.” The answer varies based on environmental factors, hormones, genetics, skin elasticity, and sun exposure. Many plastic surgeons quote patients seven to 10 years of significant facial improvement. However, you can expect your facelift benefits to last even longer if you maintain healthy habits like following a skin care routine, avoiding stress, and wearing sunscreen.

The standard of care among board-certified plastic surgeons is to perform procedures in an accredited surgical facility. I maintain AAAASF (Quad A) surgical facility accreditation. This accreditation involves quarterly case peer review, risk management (evaluated by an external risk manager), and re-accreditation every few years. 

My team and I use CO2 monitoring to ensure all patients are breathing while under IV sedation or general anesthesia. CO2 monitoring traces ventilation in real time, allowing us to see and act on immediate changes in gas exchange.   

Dr. Arlene Wilson, our CRNA, Ph.D., carefully evaluates all anesthesia-related services/monitoring in our surgical facility. Dr. Wilson has assisted our team for years. We do not work with an anesthesia group that rotates different providers. 

Dr. Wilson and I have worked together on hundreds of face/neck lift procedures. This teamwork has led to a lot of experience with each other and our patients. Communication and team continuity (nurses, anesthesia provider, surgical assistant, surgeon) are essential to achieving outstanding safety and great outcomes. A dedicated anesthesia provider and state-of-the-art equipment and monitoring add to the total procedural costs; however, the value to safety, physician comfort, and the overall patient experience is immeasurable.

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