You wake up, catch your reflection, and something has shifted. Your jawline's a little softer. The volume in your cheeks has thinned out. There’s a bit of extra skin gathering near your neck, like gravity finally decided to cash in. You didn’t "let yourself go"—this isn’t about that. It’s structural. And it happens to everyone, no matter how many serums are sitting on your bathroom counter.
So what’s really going on beneath the surface? And why haven’t older facelift techniques done a great job of fixing it?
Facial aging doesn’t start with wrinkles. It starts with the scaffolding.
Your face is built on a framework of ligaments, deep fat pads, connective tissue (like the SMAS), and bone. Over time, the ligaments that once held your facial fat pads in place begin to loosen. Those fat pads, which give your face that full, youthful look, start to descend. Meanwhile, your SMAS (Superficial Musculoaponeurotic System), the deep tissue layer under the skin, stretches out. Add thinning skin and a slowdown in collagen production, and the effect becomes visible: jowls, neck laxity, drooping cheeks, deepening folds around the nose and mouth.
The takeaway? Sagging isn’t just about the skin—it’s about what’s happening under it.
In the earlier days of facial rejuvenation, facelifts were about pulling. Skin was tightened. Sometimes the SMAS was adjusted. But the deeper support structures—the ligaments and facial architecture—were often ignored.
These "skin-pulling" facelifts could create a sharper silhouette, but they came at a cost. When the skin is stretched without addressing what’s sagging underneath, you get short-term results that don’t age well. Worse, the look can become unnatural. That overly tight, windblown appearance? That’s what happens when a surgeon pulls on what’s visible, but not what’s responsible.
Even SMAS facelifts, which go deeper than skin, have limitations. If the retaining ligaments remain tethered, lifting the SMAS layer can only do so much. The midface remains flat, the jawline softens again within a few years, and patients are left wondering if they’ll need another round of surgery sooner than expected.
The Preservation Deep Plane Facelift was developed as a direct response to the shortcomings of traditional techniques. It doesn’t just rearrange tissue—it respects the anatomy.
This method releases the facial retaining ligaments and lifts beneath the SMAS, repositioning the face vertically instead of pulling it sideways. By accessing and freeing the true points of facial descent, this technique allows for a more comprehensive lift, one that restores youthful contour without looking artificial.
Dr. Kevin Sadati pioneered this technique after performing thousands of facelifts and recognizing what conventional approaches couldn’t deliver: consistency, longevity, and natural movement. His published techniques, such as the Double-C and Triple-C SMAS plication methods, laid the groundwork for what would become the Preservation Facelift—an evolution grounded in real surgical outcomes and anatomical precision.
In today’s aesthetic world, we’re not trying to erase age. We’re trying to wear it well. Patients don’t want to look stretched, sculpted, or redone—they want to look like themselves, just better rested and more vibrant.
That’s why the Preservation Facelift matters. It isn’t about transformation; it’s about restoration. The goal is to lift what’s fallen, support what’s weakened, and preserve the natural topography of your face.
If you’ve noticed signs of sagging in your midface, jawline, or neck, and you’re looking for results that actually last, you may be a strong candidate. Ideal patients are typically in their 40s to 70s, in good overall health, and seeking natural rejuvenation rather than drastic change. If you’ve had a previous facelift and are unhappy with the results, this technique can also be used in revision cases to restore harmony and structure.
When the deeper layers are repositioned properly, the skin can rest naturally over them—without tension. That’s what allows results to hold up over time. Most Preservation Facelift patients enjoy results for 10–15 years, sometimes longer. And because the technique avoids skin trauma, patients tend to heal faster, with less bruising and less risk of complications like skin necrosis or thick scarring.
You don’t need to explain to friends why your face looks different. The best facelifts don’t invite those questions in the first place. They just make people wonder if you’ve been sleeping better, traveling more, or doing something really effective for your skin. That’s what the Preservation Facelift delivers.
If you’ve been noticing the sag and wondering what happened to your reflection, this approach might be exactly what you’re looking for. It doesn’t fight your face—it works with it.
Schedule a consultation with Dr. Kevin Sadati to see if a Preservation Facelift is right for you. Every face ages differently, but every patient deserves a technique that respects their features, not erases them.
359 San Miguel Dr, Suite 200, Newport Beach, CA 92660
Clients from around the globe travel to see Dr. Sadati for his surgical expertise. He and his surgical team provide the highest standard of patient care, from the initial consultation, to complete recovery and conclusion of your care. Our friendly staff is available to accommodate you in any way that we can.
What procedure are you interested in?
359 San Miguel Dr, Suite 200, Newport Beach, CA 92660
What procedure are you interested in?