As we know all too well after the last 11 months, Zoom is now an integral part of our lives. From school to work, most of us have to show up on screen at some point during the week — and with all that camera time, it becomes a little easier to notice things we might have overlooked about our face.
For Rachel, the subject of our latest episode of Macro Beauty, what she saw on the screen didn't quite reflect the way she felt inside. "I spend most of my days on Zoom calls staring at my face," she said. "Over the past year, I've learned that I'm more resilient than I thought I was. I'm more positive, I have a better sense of humour. But when I was looking at myself on those Zoom calls, I didn't see that person anymore."
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In her consultation with New York City-based board-certified plastic surgeon Lara Devgan, MD, Rachel explained that her deep laugh lines were a concern for her. Dr. Devgan specializes in a combination of surgical and non-surgical techniques to, as she describes it, "optimize facial beauty while preserving facial identity" — exactly what Rachel was looking for when she set out on this journey. After consulting with her client, Dr. Devgan decides to use a suture suspension to lift Rachel's face.
First, a numbing medicine is injected near Rachel's temples; the doctor describes the feeling as like a bee sting that lasts for approximately 10 seconds. Then, Dr. Devgan uses a needle to create an access hole and pilot hole hidden near Rachel's sideburn area. Next, sterile cannulae are inserted into the tissue in the deep plane. "The deep plane of the face is the deep, muscular layer that I actually will lift in a surgical facelift," Dr. Devgan explains.
After the cannulae is inserted, they "deliver barbed suture suspensions" made of disposable, complex sugar molecules that stay in the tissue for about a year until it completely dissolves. With the sutures in place, Dr. Devgan pulls on the vectors to make sure they can sit in the direction that fits Rachel's vision. Dr. Devgan tightens and trims the sutures and re-drapes her soft tissue. Finally, to make sure Rachel gets the look she wants, Dr. Devgan uses injectables for minor adjustments.
Rachel's reaction says it all: "I was absolutely blown away. When I first saw myself, it was like looking in a mirror from 10 years ago," she says. "I look like myself again. I love how uplifted my face looks. My eyes are brighter. I just — I feel so great."