Surgical intervention for the aging face. Combination of mini-face-lifting and superficial carbon dioxide laser resurfacing.

[BACKGROUND] Patients seeking facial rejuvenation often would benefit from a combination of face-lifting and laser resurfacing. Fear of skin slough has prevented the study of this issue.

[OBJECTIVE] We report our experience utilizing a combination of simultaneous cervicofacial rhytidectomy and carbon dioxide (CO2) laser resurfacing, and summarize the results of a survey completed by each patient.

[METHODS] Forty patients underwent the combination treatment. Patients were followed and asked to respond to a questionnaire 12 months postprocedure regarding their surgical experience.

[RESULTS] Our survey revealed an overall degree of satisfaction. Reported complications included transient swelling, redness, pigmentary alteration, and numbness. One patient experienced minimal slough in a nonresurfaced site.

[CONCLUSIONS] The control of depth of thermal damage with the CO2 UltraPulse laser allows for precision in its combined application along with face-lifting. In the area of the flap, one pass at low power settings is safe in our experience and results in an improved cosmetic result.