What is Dr. BYUN’s Famous Reverse Facelift?

A Reverse Facelift is Dr. BYUN’s own terminology. Dr. BYUN encounters many surgeries that were done by previous surgeons who did not understand the physiology of the muscle positioning. Most plastic surgeons cut the skin and move it Up and Out, which creates the too tight, “wind tunnel” look. Those same surgeons don’t always touch the muscles, making the changes created quite temporary. Most patients will need another procedure in 5 years to repair the sagging skin and muscles. This means they pulled the muscles and skin up. Dr. BYUN is reversing this technique from the inside/midline to the nose, and up vertically, moving the skin and muscles Up and In. He will go under the skin, and repair your muscles. This keeps you looking like you, while ensuring your results will stay for years to come. These are the key aspects that separate Dr. BYUN from the rest. This is the BYUN difference.

When you see a bad facelift, remember Dr. BYUN is doing it in reverse. Some surgeons go against the natural flow of gravity. He always teaches the plastic surgery residents and medical students that a plastic surgeon’s job is to understand the natural aging direction based on gravity, and reversing it based on that direction and not altering the path. A telescope needs to fold out and back into itself which is how the facial muscles should be repaired. A good surgeon should be repairing those layers based on their own placement to each other. Understanding concepts like this will help you understand this breakthrough surgery. We are so happy that he is teaching this to students. He is currently teaching the biomedical engineer students at Northwestern University in Chicago.

Patient 2010

This patient is a professional singer that was looking to restore a youthful, natural appearance that she once remembered having. With being in the entertainment industry since the age of fourteen, performing in front of hundreds of audience members regularly, Dr. BYUN understood the patient’s desire to visually bring back a young and lively stage presence

She sought out to improve the large, droopy circles underneath her eyes, and her sagging cheeks. She wished to improve the prominent hump on her nose and wanted to minimize the flare-up of the nostrils, mostly due to a deviated septum and hanging columella.

The procedures included repositioning the brow and vertically redistributing the tissues and muscles through a very specific and gentle multiple vector pull approach. This involved tightening the cheek and neck area muscles and tissues. Due to her tired-looking eyes, Dr. BYUN chose to lift the lateral hood of the brow and skin of the upper lid. He also enhanced the depth of the upper lid crease, all through minimal incisions. Dr. BYUN performed a lower lid canthopexy in order to repair the dark circles underneath her eyes, and tightened the lid margin and muscles. In order to improve sagging skin around the corners of the mouth, he then lifted the buccinator muscles to compress the cheeks tight to her teeth without pulling the mouth sideways. Unlike most surgeons who tend to approach the neck left through the back of the neck along the hairline, Dr. BYUN vertically lifted the jaw area and approached the platysma neck muscle through the lateral part of the face. Dr. BYUN believes that aging occurs vertically, therefore approaching his work in a fashion that does not pull the skin horizontally in an unnatural way. Dr. BYUN’s delicate touch and skillful hands allowed the patient to shed years from her appearance, allowing her to feel fresh, energized, and comfortable performing in front of large crowds again. 

“How can I express the gratitude that overwhelms my spirit each time I gaze into the mirror? To see the sparkle in my eyes restored, a smile once forgotten, remembered and a beautiful new nose that only you envisioned as God intended. And with the ghost of old age now banished from my neckline, I see the reflection of my youth— a better, softer version of myself— startling, magical, miraculous. I now possess a face by BYUN, and even my creator is impressed. Thank you from the bottom of my grateful heart, and the best of everything to you and yours.” -Patient Quote

The BYUN Facelift Procedure

A traditional facelift is performed on an outpatient basis with anesthesia. Dr. BYUN makes several short incisions near the hairline at the temples. Excess skin is removed and the underlying muscles and tissues are lifted and tightened to create more youthful contours. Fallen or displaced fat is repositioned. The tissues and skin along the jawline are tightened to add more definition. Excess skin and fat can be removed from the neck to get rid of a “turkey neck.”

Compared to most surgeons, Dr. BYUN takes a different approach by addressing the “midface,” which is the cheek area beneath the eyes. Drooping skin in the midface can cause noticeable folds between the mouth and nose. This area is often ignored during standard facelift procedures, despite the fact that it is a concern for many facelift patients. Dr. BYUN believes that treatment of this area is key to restoring balance and youthfulness to the face.