Glossary
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z
A
Aging – āj -ing 
The process of becoming older which is a combination of genetics and environmental factors.
Alopecia – al-?-?pē-sh(ē-)?
Loss of hair, can be a result of cautery placed near hair follicles or incision design.
Anterior – an-?tir-ē-?r
Front
Antioxidant – ant-ē-?äk-s?d-?nt
A molecule that inhibits the oxidation of other molecules. Oxidation is a cellular process which can create free radicals which can impart such changes as damage to cells, death to cells.
Arnica – montana är-ni-k?
A herbal medicine derived from the plant Arnica Montana used to help decrease bruising and recovery. There is limited data to support or refute the efficacy of Arnica. It is found over the counter and does not require a prescription.
B
Blepharoplasty – blef-er-uh-plas-tee
To change or recontour the eyes, typically by removing excessive skin or fat. Some patients will require fat to be repositoned or transfered to deficient areas.
Botox (Botulinum toxin) – bō-?täks
Is a neurotoxin which can be injected into the face for a variety of treatments including paresis of muscles, reduction in size of masseter muscle, decrease in oil, decrease in sweat, decrease in pore size, and downturned mouth.
Brow lift – brau? lift
Any procedure or injection which lifts the brow.
Traditional brow lifts are performed with an incision either above the eyebrow or in the scalp. Endoscopic brow lifts involve smaller incisions hidden in the scalp. Fat, fillers, and botox can also be
used to raise the brow.
Bromelain – brō-m?-l?n
A plant extract used to reduce inflammation. Interestingly, bromelain is a popular substance in meat tenderizers. There are limited studies to support or refute the efficacy of bromelain as a surgical supplement.
Buccal fat pad – b?k-?l fat pad
A plant extract used to reduce inflammation. Interestingly, bromelain is a popular substance in meat tenderizers. There are limited studies to support or refute the efficacy of bromelain as a surgical supplement.
C
Cheek – chēk
Refers to the side of the face bordering the mouth.
Chemical peel – kem-i-k?l pēl
A technique used to rejuvenate skin by creating a controlled injury to the superficial structure to the skin. Lighter peels penetrate skin more superficial than deeper peels.
Collagen – käl-?-j?n
The main component in connective tissue, skin, and wound healing which provides connection and support to tissues. Loss of collagen can result in a loss in support to tissues.
Concave – kän-?kāv
Anterior – an-?tir-ē-?r
Hollowed or rounded inward (i.e. inside of a satellite dish)
Convex – kän-‘veks
Curved or rounded out (outside of a ball)
Coronal brow lift – k?r-?n-?l brau? lift
A traditional brow lift with a large incision made in the position of a headband. It has the disadvantage of a large scar which may lead to numbness and a longer recovery time.
Crow’s feet – krohz feet
Small wrinkles which radiate out from the eye. Sun and squinting are causes of crow’s feet.
D
Dermabrasion
A controlled abrasion of the skin with a mechanical burr, which removes the superficial layers of the skin. Dermabrasion is used in facial rejuvenation and to improve the appearance of scars.
Drain – drān
After a surgical procedure, a surgeon may place a tubing. The purpose of the tubing is to remove fluid created by the body and allow flaps raised to heal to each other quicker.
Deep plane facelift – dēp plān fā-?slift
A facelift where dissection is located deep to the SMAS tissue in the face and release of several facial ligaments.
Down turned lip – dau?n t?rn -ed lip
An appearance seen in older patients at rest where the lip appears sad or downturned. Facial fillers, botox, and sometimes surgery are all treatment options.
Dry lip – drī lip
E
Ecchymosis – ek-?-?mō-s?s
Another word for bruise which is larger than 1 cm and located in the skin.
Endoscope – en-d?-?skōp
A specialized scope used to minimize the size of incisions.
Endoscopic browlift – en-d?-‘skäp-ik brau? lift
A specialized lift that incorporates the use of a smaller incision in the scalp to suspend the brows.
Endoscopic lift – en-d?-‘skäp-ik lift
A lift which suspends the face, neck and/or brow through a limited incision.
F
Facial filler – fā-sh?l fil?r
An injectable material used to restore facial volume. Can be made up of a variety of temporary, long lasting, or permanent materials.
Facelift – fā-?slift
A term used to describe a variety of surgical procedures to lift the tissues of the face including a mini lift, deep plane facelift, SMAS lift, imbrication, plication.
Facial nerve – fā-sh?l n?rv
A term used to describe a variety of surgical procedures to lift the tissues of the face including a mini lift, deep plane facelift, SMAS lift, imbrication, plication.
Fascia – fash-(ē-)?
A layer of connective tissue that surrounds muscles, blood vessels or nerves.
Fat transplantation – fat tran(t)s- ?plan-?tā-sh?n
Also known as fat transfer- a procedure which transfers fat from one area of the body to another. Fat transfer is most commonly used to add volume to the face to improve its appearance.
Fishmouth deformity – mau?th di-?f?r-m?t-ē
Stigmata of an overly aggressive facelift, where the mouth appears pulled like a fish’s mouth pulled by a hook.
Forehead shortening procedure – fō(?)r-?hed shawr-tn-ing pr?-?sē-j?r
A procedure designed to shorten the vertical distance between the hairline and brow by removing excess skin and concealing the incision in front of the scalp.
Frontal view – fr?nt-?l vyü
As viewed from the front
G
Glabella – gl?-‘bel-?
(Latin for “hairless”) the area in between the brows right directly above where the root of the nose touches the forehead; the smooth prominence between the eyebrows.
Granuloma – gran-y?-?lō-m?
A small nodule which represents a collection of macrophages.
H
Hematoma – hae·ma-?tō-m?
Collection of blood which can may prevent facial flaps from adhering.
Hyaluronic acid – hīl-yu?-?rän-ik as-?d
A natural substance found in connective tissue and skin which is commonly used in facial fillers, lip injections.
Hyaluronic acid is found in Restylane, Juvederm, and a variety of other commercially available facial fillers.
Hydroxyapatitie – hī-?dräk-sē-?ap-?-?tīt
One of the major components making up bones.
Hydroxyapatite is found in the facial filler Radiesse.
I
Idebenone
An antioxidant used in some topical skin regimens
Inferior – in-?fir-ē-?r
Bottom
J
Jowls – joul
A sign of aging when the cheek descends below the jawline.
Juvederm
A type of facial filler comprised of hyaluronic acid.
K
kenalog – āj -ing
An injectable steroid sometimes used to decrease hypertrophic scars. Can also be used in facial nodules and granulomas.
L
LASER – lā-z?r
A device which stimulates light to a specific wavelength.
LASERs can be used in a variety of applications including facial
resurfacing.
lateral – ‘lat-?-r?l
Of or relating to the side.
Lateral view – ‘lat-?-r?l vyü
As viewed from the side
Lipoatrophy – ?lip-ō-?a-tr?-fē
The loss of fat tissue.
M
Malar fat pad – mā-l?r fat pad
A superficial fat pad which is located directly below the surface of the skin and is not encapsulated.
Mandibular ligament – man-d?-b?l y?-l?r lig-?-m?nt
A ligament located near the prejowl sulcus which can tether a facelift.
McGregor’s patch
A facial ligament which anchors the skin of the cheek to the lower border of the cheek bone.
Medial – mēd-ē-?l
Being or occurring in the middle.
Menton – men-?tän
The chin.
Midface lift – mid-?fās lift
A procedure which serves to help lift the malar fat pad and reposition it with either sutures or an absorbable implant.
Mini lift procedure– mini-lift pr?-?sē-j?r
A facelift which can mean a variety of different lifts but implies a quicker recovery.
N
Nasojugal fold – na’zo jü-g?l ?fōld
A small groove seen between the nose and lower eye.
Nasolabial folds – na’zo-?lā-bē-?l\ ?fōld
The tissue seen above the nasolabial line
.
Nasolabial lines – na’zo-lā-bē-?l la?n
Lines that separate the cheeks from the lips, this line is accentuated with smiling. Aka smile lines.
Necrosis –n?-?krō-s?s
Death of tissue, may be seen in skin areas in facelift surgery with decreased blood supply.
Nodules – noj-ool
A raised structure.
O
Oblique – ō-?blēk
As viewed from an angle, typically 45 degrees.
P
Platysma – pl?-‘tiz-m?
A superficial thought orignially to be a neck muscle. Later discovered to have a significant facial component.
Plastysmal band – pl?-‘tiz-m? band
A band of muscle seen in the neck.
Poly-L-lactic acid – as-?d
A filler which serves to stimulate the body to replace the filler with collagen by creating a foreign body reaction.
Posterior – pō-?stir-ē-?r
Behind.
Preauricular – ?-‘rik-y?-l?r
Postauricular – ?-‘rik-y?-l?r
Prejowl sulcus – s?l-k?s
Premaxilla – prē-mak-?sil-?
The superior (top) portion of the upper lip which borders the nose. A depressed premaxilla can be a result of overaggressive primary surgery, congenital deformation (i.e. Binder’s syndrome), or even dental abnormality.
Prevage
R
Radiance
An older name for a product renamed Radiesse.
Radiesse
A facial filler primarily comprised of calcium hydroxyapatite.
Red lip
The red portion of the lip.
Restylane
A facial filler composed of hyalauronic acid.
Retin-A
Vitamin A derivative used for facial rejuvenation and acne treatment.
S
Comprised of poly-l-lactic acid to add facial volume.
Silicone – sil-?-?kōn
A variety of polymers that come in several different forms.
Can be seen in a solid state or gel form. Is used as an implant (solid state) or can be used in a gel format (breast implants, facial injections).
SMAS
A distinct facial layer which can be pulled posterior superiorly to rejuvenate the aging face.
Step-off deformity – di-?f?r-m?t-ē
Seen in facelifts when poor incision planning is seen within hair bearing and non hair bearing areas.
Subciliary blepharoplasty – blef-er-uh-plas-tee
A lower eyelid procedure where a small incision is made below the lash
Submental incision – sub-‘ment-?l\ in-‘sizh-?n
A small incision used in chin implantation, facial liposuction, and neck contouring.
Subperiosteal facelift – sub-per-ē-?äs-tē-?l fā-?slift
A facelift which attempts to lift the face by releasing the facial muscles.
Superior Anatomic
Term describing a body part located closer to the top of the head (Top).
Superior – su?-?pir-ē-?r Top
Suture – sü-ch?r
A small stitch used to join tissues together.
T
Temporal tuft – tem-p(?-)r?l t?ft
The piece of hair which lies superior to the sideburn in the preauricular area.
Tissue glue – tish-(?)ü ‘glü
Series of glues used to adhere tissues together.
Transconjuctival blepharoplasty – blef-er-uh-plas-tee
A lower lid blepharoplasty where the incision is made in the conjuctiva or the inside of the eye.
Tragus – trā-g?s
A small portion of the ear which is located in front of the external ear canal.
Turkey neck
U
V
Vermillion border – v?r-‘mil-y?n b?rd-?r
Demaraction between the red and white lip.
Vitamin C – ?vīt-?-m?n C
An antioxidant which is important in the formation of collagen.
Vitamin E – ?vīt-?-m?n E
Dietary supplement which helps halt oxidation. It is a blood thinner.
Vitamin A – ?vīt-?-m?n A
A vitamin available in topical and oral formats which can helps create a hormone like function in skin cells.
W
Wet lip – wet lip
White lip
The portion of the skin surrounding the red lip.
Z
Zygoma – zī-?gō-m?
A portion of the skull referred which is responsible for cheekbone highlights.
Zygomatic notch – zī-g?-?mat-ik
A landmark for identifying the zygmaticus major portion.
Zygomaticus major muscle – ?zī-g?-?mat-i-k?s mā-j?r m?s-?l
A muscle used for facial expression that
also serves as a landmark for the facial nerve.
Zygomatic ligament – zī-g?-?mat-ik lig-?-m?nt
A ligament which is released in deep plane facelift.
