Face-lift stigmas.

In this analysis of postoperative results in rhytidoplasties, the author points out some characteristics that announce the operated face. These characteristics include: retraction and elevation of the temporal hairline; straightening of the eyebrows; serious preauricular scars; deformation of the tragus; frequent hypertrophic scars in the mastoid region; and unevenness of the retroauricular hairline. These stigmas are sometimes unavoidable, depending on the patient's anatomy and the extent of the surgical procedure required to achieve the aimed-for young look. They can be improved, however, if one utilizes some alternative technical procedures and carefully observes each individual patient, avoiding the undiscriminating use of the same technique in different cases.