Science/Medicine |
Patients get lipo-lift while awake 
12:01 PM CST on Wednesday, November 26, 2008
DALLAS — As we age, gravity works against us and the skin starts to sag and head south. But, hope has come in a new procedure that gives patients a lift while awake.
For a liposuction-facelift, patients sit three hours under the lights with a local anesthetic.
For Brenda Jones, being able to stay awake brought her peace of mind.
"I feel like I'm getting a good facial," she said.
Dr. Mike Maris gave liposuction to her sagging skin and then lifted it near the ear.
"I think this is a good procedure for chickens because if you're afraid to go under anesthetics because of the risk, or if you're afraid you'll look too surgical when you get through, I think it's an ideal procedure," Dr. Maris said.
Down time is around one week. The cost is about $6,000, which — depending on your doctor — can be five times cheaper than a full-blown facelift in an operating room.
At 61, Judy Smith got the lift.
It's a change she said has raked in the compliments. Smith said staying awake to give feedback was the only reason she opted for the procedure.
"I'm reading jokes to him and we're just laughing and telling jokes during the whole procedure," she said.
"If a person felt like they got eight years of improvement off of this, then they would always have that eight-year advantage," Dr. Maris said.
While he said the face will still age, he said patients will still be ahead of the game. For example, 70-year-old Jones will look 62.
While Smith and Jones felt no pain during the procedure, some critics say not everyone is so lucky.
Cons to the procedure include the possibility of the anesthetic wearing off and moving around could interfere with the surgery. There is also the risk of infection. Some doctors say wearing a face mask helps reduce the infection risk.
But Dr. Maris said in his 28 years of practice, no one has ever reported a surgical infection.
"I think in a nutshell, this procedure is going to be less risky," he said. "We're going to give a much more natural look and they're going to save a lot of money they would have spent on another type."
E-mail sslater@wfaa.com
Blogs: 
