Quantifying the Effective Lift of Skin-Only, SMAS Plication, and Extended SMAS Face-Lift Techniques in a Cadaveric Study

SMAS procedures provided a greater lift along both horizontal and vertical vectors than the skin lift alone. The increased dissection in the extended SMAS technique resulted in only a modest increase in lift compared to SMAS plication. The extended SMAS approach appears to offer the most benefit at the lower face and may be the best choice for targeting this region.