A comparison of face lift techniques in eight consecutive sets of identical twins

BACKGROUND: Selecting the "correct" face lift technique has always been a difficult decision for the plastic surgeon. A technique that provides optimal aesthetics for one patient may not provide the same result for another. The complexity of comparing these different results on patients with different facial features further confounds one's ability to decide on a given technique. Even identical twins are often treated more appropriately with a different technique from one twin to the other because the character and severity of facial aging may differ between them. By comparing different superficial musculoaponeurotic system techniques on "less different" people (identical twins), perhaps the ideal technique may be determined. METHODS: Between November of 1997 and April of 1999, eight sets of twins underwent face lift surgery by the senior author (D.E.A.), using one of four techniques. The charts and photographs of the eight consecutive pairs of twins (16 patients) were reviewed retrospectively. RESULTS: No one face lift technique performed in this study produced a superior result as compared with another when performed on the appropriate patient. CONCLUSION: There exists no face lift technique suitable for every patient. As the current literature suggests, there is no one "best" face lift technique of those studied.