Hooding and creasing around the outer eye leads to a look of tiredness even on an otherwise youthful face The arrows show the direction of the surgical lift, which is performed under the skin.	When the hooding and creasing is removed the eyes naturally look more alert and the upper cheek and outer eye area appear fresh and smooth.

The Temporal Lift is one of the new generation of plastic surgery procedures which have been designed especially for people in their thirties and forties who are noticing the first signs of facial ageing.

The temporal lift is one of the most important of these new procedures as it works on the outer eye area - usually the first place ageing appears. This 'outer eye area' extends down the side of the face to the upper cheek. Ageing in this area has a dramatic effect on the overall appearance of the face.

Deterioration often occurs quite rapidly and it can seem that almost overnight the eyes lose their look of alertness. This contributes to a tired looking face which appears older than its years, which is especially distressing to someone who is still young.

Patients often describe ageing of the outer eye by saying, 'I used to have such lovely eyes but now they are hidden.' Sometimes they describe raising their eyebrows all day, even to the point of getting creases above them, just to keep their eyes looking as open and bright as they used to.

After a temporal lift the eyes again look bright and alert, which gives the whole face a fresh and well rested appearance. The procedure lightens hooding of the outer eyelid, reduces deep lines and the look of heaviness around the eyes and restores a firm outer-eye area. The result is entirely natural and patients have found that if people do comment afterwards, they are most likely to say how well and relaxed they look, or ask if they have been away on a holiday.

An additional advantage of the temporal lift is that, by correcting such an important part of the face, the overall appearance of ageing is delayed well into the future.

The temporal lift is a flexible procedure, and its area of influence can be varied according to the needs of the patient. It can be extended further down the sides of the face to provide correction for patients who also have sagging and looseness under the lower eyelids. Extending the temporal lift this way means that tightening of the lower eyelid area can be achieved without the need for any incisions in the eye area. This creates less swelling and allows makeup to be worn soon after the procedure, as there is no 'surgical area' to avoid.

It is important to understand that the temporal lift is performed under the skin. The aim of the surgery is to restore the underlying facial structure to its more youthful shape and this is achieved by restoring the support layers of the face to their more youthful position.

This is surprising to some patients as, superficially, it feels as though the laxity around the outer eye is caused by loose skin. In fact it is caused by the movement of the support layers under the skin, as they are drawn down by gravity and ageing. It is this movement which creates the appearance of laxity and sagging in the skin above. Technically, this procedure is known as a SMAS procedure (as it operates on the superficial musculoaponeurotic system). For more information about the SMAS procedure, click here.

If you would like to know more about the Temporal Lift, click here to email the surgery and request a copy of our Temporal Lift information booklet.