Facelift
Serving Danville, Oakland, Walnut Creek, Dublin, Livermore, and across the East Bay metro area
Many patients seek facial rejuvenation because they no longer recognize the tired, sagging reflection in the mirror.
While aging is inevitable, looking perpetually exhausted is not.
Stephen J. Ronan, MD, FACS, specializes in advanced facelift techniques that move beyond the "pulled" look of the past, focusing instead on structural restoration and natural-looking elegance. Our mission is to help you look like the best version of yourself—rested, vibrant, and years younger.
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A facelift, or rhytidectomy, is a plastic surgery procedure designed to address the most prominent signs of aging in the lower two-thirds of the face and the neck.
This includes the smoothing of deep facial wrinkles, the correction of sagging cheeks, and the elimination of a "double chin" or jowling. The overall purpose of a facelift is to reposition facial tissue and remove excess skin, creating a tighter and more defined jawline.
Dr. Ronan offers several facelift techniques, ranging from a mini facelift for moderate correction to a comprehensive deep plane facelift approach for those requiring extensive reshaping of the soft tissue and facial muscles.
By addressing the underlying bone structure and tissue layers, we can turn back the clock in a way that looks entirely authentic to your fundamental appearance.
Traditional facelift surgery often utilizes unacceptably long scars and removes too much skin, which makes people look unnatural and too tight. Brow-lifts can unnaturally elevate the entire brow, which makes people look surprised. Fat is too often removed from the lower lids, which makes them look even more sunken. Skin is pulled tight in an attempt to counter deflation rather than filling the lost volume. Lasers are used improperly and change the basic color of the skin and create scarring, leaving a look that is too white and waxy.
Here is how Dr. Ronan approaches each area of the face:
Focuses on a short scar approach and rotating the cheek upwards to restore volume and lift sagging skin.
Tailored fat management and laser treatments to smooth the lid-cheek junction.
Utilizing hidden incisions to elevate the lateral brow for a natural, alert look.
Repurposing 30-45 cc of autologous fat to replenish facial volume permanently.
Utilizing Pearl Fusion to improve sun damage and texture without waxy scarring.
Your facelift procedure is performed on an outpatient basis at our Danville surgical suite. After the anesthesiologist ensures you are safely asleep under general anesthesia, Dr. Ronan begins by making precise incisions along the sideburn and around the ear. These are designed to minimize scarring and avoid visible signs of surgery.
The surgeon then tightens the underlying facial muscles and SMAS layer, removes any excess fat through gentle liposuction if needed, and redrapes the facial skin for a smooth, natural finish. The entire process typically takes about 3.5 hours. Because Dr. Ronan focuses on internal structural repair rather than external tension, there is less risk of a "wind-blown" look and a significantly reduced risk of facial nerve injury.
Facelift surgery is the definitive solution for multiple concerns associated with the aging face:
Dr. Ronan’s techniques ensure that you don’t look "different"—just refreshed. By rotating the cheek upward and restoring facial fat, he preserves your unique facial structure while removing the tired "mask" of age.
Unlike a liquid facelift or fillers, which provide temporary volume, facelift surgery provides a structural reset of the facial muscles. This creates a lasting foundation that will continue to look better than if you had never undergone the procedure. By prioritizing a short-scar approach and avoiding the "hairline" scar, Dr. Ronan ensures that your secret is safe. Most people will simply think you look incredibly rested and healthy.
The best candidates are individuals in good health with some remaining skin elasticity and a strong underlying bone structure. During your facelift consultation, Dr. Ronan will review your medical history and lifestyle factors, such as smoking, which can negatively impact skin sensation and healing. Having realistic expectations is key; while we cannot stop the aging process entirely, we can certainly slow its visible effects dramatically.
Dr. Ronan's approach to facial rejuvenation surgery is designed to provide natural-looking results while making recovery significantly more manageable than many patients anticipate. Most patients are ready to return to work within two weeks, with a surprising number feeling comfortable enough to resume their routines even sooner.
The specialized short-scar facelift employed by Dr. Ronan reduces trauma to facial tissue. During your procedure, we draw a small amount of your own blood to create activated Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP). PRP is combined with a Thrombin “bio-glue” and is sprayed into the surgical sites to seal off capillaries and lymphatics, dramatically minimizing swelling and bruising.
To further support your healing, you will go home with a supportive dressing. You should keep your head elevated at all times during the first week to promote proper drainage. While you may notice temporary changes in skin sensation near the ears, these sensations typically resolve as the nerves heal. Our medical team provides personalized instructions to manage the following weeks, ensuring your journey to a refreshed appearance is as swift and comfortable as possible.
Your facelift results will begin to truly shine after about a month, once the majority of the swelling has subsided. You will see a defined jawline, smooth neck contours, and a mid-face that looks plump and youthful. These results are permanent in the sense that you will always look years younger than your chronological age.
Because Dr. Ronan uses meticulous suturing and strategically placed incisions, visible scarring is kept to an absolute minimum. You can move through your life with the confidence that your reflection matches your internal energy level. With proper sun protection and professional skin care, your surgical investment will continue to pay dividends for a decade or more.
At Blackhawk Plastic Surgery, we believe that a masterfully performed facelift is an art form. Board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Stephen J. Ronan draws on over two decades of experience to tailor every surgical procedure to the unique facial anatomy of the patient. By combining deep-tissue tightening with volume restoration, he ensures your results are long-lasting and harmoniously balanced.
Skin: The sun, aging, and genetics contribute to sun damage, brown spots, wrinkles, and other skin damage on the surface of the skin.
Forehead/Eyelids: Some patients (and many surgeons) erroneously believe that the bulging fat in the lower eyelid is extra fat that should be removed. It’s not. This fat was just uncovered by fat loss in the cheek (like when low tide reveals things hiding in shallow water). Youthful brows start low medially and end high laterally (look at young models in magazines). Over time, the lateral portion of the brow rotates downward. As our brow descends, our eyelids send signals to our forehead and stimulate our forehead to raise our brow, which in turn leads to more wrinkles. This interaction is automatic, and many times a low brow cannot be appreciated until the eyes are closed, which allows the forehead to relax.
Mid-face: Young faces aren’t tight. They have fullness and curves (curves and tension are enemies). As we age, we lose facial fat, especially below the eyes in the mid-face area. The lid-cheek junction, which is about 5-6 mm below the lashes when young, moves downward so that it appears 15-20 mm below the lashes and forms a “bag”. The cheek deflates and falls, creating a jowl and disrupting the smooth contour of a youthful jawline.
Neck: The neck skin loses elasticity, and the thin neck muscles (platysma) develop banding.
When Dr. Ronan thinks of facial rejuvenation, he considers how the whole face works together. A complete facelift at our practice involves doing the face, neck, upper and lower lids, brow, fat grafting, and laser. He evaluates and consults with the patient for each procedure and eliminates what is unnecessary or undesired to create a plan to achieve the desired results. Some patients move forward with the complete face package, and others get portions of it.
Many patients come to us with concerns about facial aging, but when we bring up surgery, they become hesitant towards discussing it. Common worries they express are:
The reality is if you want to address more noticeable signs of aging, like a saggy neck, jowls, fat loss, excess lid skin, droopy brows, and deep wrinkles, a surgical procedure is often the best option.
Because Dr. Ronan’s facial surgery results are so natural-looking, he has found that he can apply the surgery to younger and older faces without the fear of making them look surgical. Age is much less relevant since his patients will look natural. It becomes a question of whether we can achieve enough improvement to make surgery worthwhile. Dr. Ronan is less concerned about the actual age of a patient and more about the health of the patient to undergo surgery.
All of our surgical procedures are performed at our state-of-the-art, on-site surgery center. Blackhawk Surgery Center is an accredited OR (QUAD A and Medicare) with an anesthesiologist present. Patients are not awake during the procedure, feel no pain, and do not remember anything about the surgery. A complete face takes about 3.5 hours, and the patient goes home afterward. Our anesthesiologist, William Kemerer, MD, has been with us since the founding of our practice. We are fortunate to have the best of everything, and this undoubtedly includes Dr. Kemerer. Private nursing is available but not required.
Having surgery is a trade-off. You have to weigh the positive—a youthful and natural-looking face, confidence in your daily interactions, appearing years younger—against the negative—procedure recovery time, scarring, and cost. If Dr. Ronan doesn't think that the trade-off is worth it for you, he won’t recommend the treatment. In other words, if he doesn't think you will get enough improvement to warrant a particular procedure, then he will tell you that and possibly suggest an alternative.
The good news is that your facelift will not fall down at the stroke of midnight in the tenth year! Actually, a facelift (and other procedures) will turn back the clock. You will start aging again from that point forward. You will always look better than if you had not had the procedure in the first place.
We use our facial muscles for smiling, frowning, and other expressions. Over time, prominent lines may be formed in the outer layers of facial skin. Botox can be injected into these overactive muscles to cause temporary paralysis (3-4 months) and smooth these problem areas. Botox or Dysport work best for dynamic wrinkles, or those wrinkles that are caused by expression or muscle contraction.
Skin and facial tissue that sag along with aging can give you an appearance of tiredness or anger, even when you are feeling happy and energetic. A facelift procedure primarily addresses jowling and neck laxity. With facial rejuvenation, you appear rested, healthy, and more youthful. The idea is to look better and/or younger, not different.
If your concern is less about jowling and neck and more about the cheekbone area, then you may be appropriate for a short scar facelift. This is a newer procedure that involves incisions in the hairline and in the mouth, which are not typically visible.
Dr. Ronan chooses the specific techniques he uses to create a natural, non-surgical appearance. Every effort is made to improve your appearance in the most natural view.
Insurance typically does not cover facelift surgery, since it is considered a purely cosmetic procedure.
When it comes to plastic surgery, proper care happens before, during, and after surgery day. That’s why we’ve created blueprints outlining what patients and providers need to consider to ensure success. Our pre-care and post-care guides are here to help our patients and all patients take the necessary steps to maximize their chances of safe surgery and beautiful results.
Located in Danville’s Blackhawk Plaza, Blackhawk Plastic Surgery & MedSpa is Northern California’s largest, most advanced plastic surgery and medspa center.
Patients choose our state-of-the-art facility for leading-edge surgical and non-surgical treatments—all in a luxurious, private setting. We are conveniently located in the San Francisco Bay Area to serve patients from the following locations:
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