San Francisco Plastic Surgery & Laser Center | Usha Rajagopal, MD

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New FaceTime Facelift Claims to Improve People’s Video-Chat Look

Would you get a facelift just to look better when you’re video chatting with your friends on your iPhone? Well, apparently some people in Virginia will—a plastic surgeon there, Dr. Robert Sigal, recently started offering a new procedure specifically aimed at keeping your neck from looking flabby on video. He’s dubbed it the “FaceTime Facelift,” and he says there’s a real demand for it.

In a normal facelift, if the neck needs work, a plastic surgeon will usually make a small incision under the chin. Dr. Sigal says that this poses a problem for phone video-chatters, since they’re generally pointing the camera up at themselves from a low angle; it makes the scar too visible. His solution: move the incision location to a spot under the ear, where your FaceTime buddies will be blissfully unable to spot the telltale signs of your procedure.

While the name for this new procedure is admittedly very catchy, it seems more gimmick than anything else. If you find your neck flab unsightly, there are probably other times besides than when you’re video chatting that it bothers you. Plus, let’s be honest—there are already a number of types of facelifts that have been developed to address various patient concerns (the short scar facelift, mini facelift, non-surgical facelift, etc.) that will get the job done just as well. Then again, you could always just hold your phone up a little bit higher and angle your chin a little lower so people can’t see your neck!

If you’re intrigued by the “FaceTime Facelift,” you may have to fly all the way to Virginia to witness it firsthand—like most plastic surgery clinics, we don’t offer it here at the San Francisco Plastic Surgery & Laser Center. If you’re interested in reducing the effects of aging on your face and neck, however, we do offer a number of proven, effective facelift options here that we think will make you just as happy!