The round-lifting technique.

Aging of the face is a frequent complaint in today's youth-oriented society. Competition and successfulness, in social and professional circles, are intimately related to how a person reflects, in his or her physical appearance, an inner well-being. Regardless of chronologic age, it is imperative that the surgeon perform a problem-oriented, detailed analysis of the face and each subunit so that specific conditions can be individually assessed as they apply to the harmonic balance of the whole. It is generally assumed that the most common source of unfavorable results following a rhytidectomy is patient dissatisfaction. This fact stresses the importance of correctly identifying the patient's expectations. Therefore, perhaps as important as the technical procedure is a correct diagnosis of the deformity and a thorough interpretation of the psychological motivations of each patient. The real goal of treatment is to reestablish the patient's inner well-being and to balance how he or she interprets this self-image in relation to the external world, without denoting that a facial rejuvenation procedure has been done.