Ponytail Lift™
Schedule Your Transformation
Refresh or Transform Your Face With Minimal Incisions
As you age, your face loses volume while your neck develops excess skin and muscle banding. Most plastic surgeons treat facial and neck aging with a traditional facelift, which can cause noticeable scarring in front of the ears, shortening of the sideburns, and distortion of the ear’s anatomy. Also, the traditional facelift separates the skin from the fat and lifts the fat and tissues off the muscle. This will devascularize the skin and traumatize the fat that could potentially leave you with an unnatural or even more aged appearance. Board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Kao has developed the revolutionary Ponytail Lift™.
What Is the Ponytail Lift™ Technique?
Dr. Kao’s Ponytail Lift™ and Ponytail Facelift™ techniques refresh or transform your face with minimal incisions while preserving the natural blood supply to the skin and facial tissues. His advanced techniques use innovative shaping and sculpting practices on the face and neck to help you look refreshed and youthful.
The Ponytail Difference
- Eliminates Typical Scars: Rather than making extensive and noticeable incisions in front of the ears or behind the tragus and along the hairline, for the appropriate patient, Dr. Kao makes only minor incisions hidden behind the ears and in the hair.
- Long-Lasting Results: Traditional facelifts disrupt normal blood vessels that feed the skin, potentially shortening the lifespan of the results. Dr. Kao keeps the skin and fat layers together, so they remain healthy and vascularized (fed by oxygen) for youthful and vital-looking skin post-surgery. Also, with the addition of fat and its regenerative effects, the results are long-lasting.
- High Fat Survival: Dr. Kao uses strong, highly purified regenerative fat cells to further enhance his youthful sculpting results, preserving fat survival and preventing the gaunt, hollowed-out appearance that sometimes appears after a traditional facelift.
- Avoids a Windblown Look: Dr. Kao’s technique avoids a windswept appearance because he does not pull and stretch the skin horizontally but redrapes it vertically upward against the natural downward pull of gravity.
- Avoids a Surprised Look and Baldness: Dr. Kao avoids using suspension screws, rotating and sculpting the brows for more beautiful results.
- Less Invasive: With minimal incisions, there is no distortion of the hairline or natural anatomy of the ear.
- Doesn’t Alter the Tragus (the prominence in front of the opening of the ear): The traditional neck lift incision is in front of the ear or behind the tragus, which can pull the tragus forward, causing the natural depression in front of the tragus to flatten. With the appropriate patient, the Ponytail Lift™ incision is behind the ears, leaving the tragus unaffected.
- Brow Rotation, Not Lift: A traditional brow lift is much more invasive and can cause hair loss, a loss of sensation to the scalp, and can lead to a “surprised” look. Dr. Kao’s Ponytail Lift™ rotates and shapes the brows to create a more beautiful and natural appearance.
- Sculpting and Shaping, Not Pulling and Sewing: Dr. Kao focuses on enhancing the shape of your face, not tightening and pulling the skin.
Non-excisional Eyelid Lift
As part of the Ponytail Lift™ and the Ponytail Facelift™, the non-excisional eyelid lift rotates, lifts, and sculpts the brows and the upper eyelid skin without removing excess tissue. Dr. Kao uses sutures to shape the brows and injects healthy, regenerative “super fat” and fine “powdered sugar fat” around the eyes for support and youthful fullness. He also weakens the frowning muscles for a permanent “BOTOX® Cosmetic effect” and tightens the skin around the eyes with lasers.
Non-Excisional Eyelid Lift
Facial Detailing / Bio-grooming Regenerative Cells
As part of the Ponytail Lift™ and Ponytail Facelift™, Dr. Kao provides facial rejuvenation using regenerative cells. In this process, he repositions the deeper layers of facial tissue, enhances the middle layer with “super fat,” and improves the texture, tone, and vibrancy of the skin with “powdered sugar fat.” Dr. Kao’s facial detailing/bio-grooming with regenerative cells procedure provides full facial rejuvenation from top to bottom with results that only improve over time.
KaOgee (Endoscopic Jowl Lift)
As part of the Ponytail Lift™ and the Ponytail Facelift™, Dr. Kao enhances jawline definition by stitching the drooping fascia up to the temple to minimize the jowls. Dr. Kao developed the endoscopic jowl lift in 2015 to counter this age-related loss of facial definition.
KaOgee (Endoscopic Jowl Lift)
Limited-incision Neck Lift
As part of the Ponytail Facelift™, the endoscopically-assisted, limited-incision neck lift tightens the skin all the way down the neck and even lifts the décolletage for a continual flow of tight skin. Unlike traditional neck lifts which tighten the jawline but may leave the lower part of the neck skin lax, Dr. Kao tightens the entire neck by plicating the neck muscles in the front and performs a posterior corset that he developed in 2015 to leave the neck longer and leaner. He also planes the neck fat to keep it equal in thickness.
Limited Incision “Massai” Neck Lift
Expert Care for a Smoother Recovery
Following your Ponytail Lift™, patients can expect to experience some swelling, mild bruising, and some discomfort, all of which can be managed with over-the-counter or prescription medication.
All of Dr. Kao’s patients are encouraged to stay at KO’AN Recovery Center, Dr. Kao’s own post-surgical care facility conveniently located in the same building as his state-of-the-art surgical center. This facility is part of a federally and state-licensed healthcare center, ensuring the highest standards of care following your Ponytail Lift™ procedure.
Most patients can resume light activities within a week, although they should avoid bending, lifting, or any activity that might increase blood pressure. Bruising and swelling should start to subside, and patients may feel comfortable going out with makeup to cover any residual discoloration.
By the second week, swelling and bruising will continue to decrease, and most patients can return to work and resume normal social activities. However, patients should continue to avoid heavy lifting or vigorous exercise. Although some residual swelling may persist, it’s generally not noticeable to others.
It can take several months for complete healing. During this time, the facial tissues settle, and the final results become more apparent. Scar visibility reduces significantly with time, and numbness gradually fades as nerve regeneration occurs. Sun protection is essential to protect healing skin and minimize scarring.
Regular follow-up appointments with Dr. Kao are crucial to monitor progress and address any concerns. While the recovery process requires patience, the long-term benefits of the Ponytail Lift™ can provide a more youthful and refreshed appearance.
Refresh or Transform Your
Appearance
Some individuals have always been naturally beautiful and want to refresh their appearance to restore their natural, youthful beauty. Other individuals have never been satisfied with their appearance and want to transform their look to be as beautiful as possible. If you are interested in refreshing your naturally beautiful appearance, the Ponytail Lift™ Technique is a great option. If you would like to transform your appearance, the Ponytail Facelift™ Technique can achieve your goals.
Refresh
Your beauty within…
Ponytail Lift™ Technique
- Addresses the upper two-thirds of the face
- Refreshes the eyes and rotates the brows
- Tiny incisions are hidden in the scalp behind the hairline
- Rejuvenates the face with regenerative cells to add youthful fullness
- Refreshes your natural beauty with a more youthful appearance
Transform
To look as beautiful as you feel…
Ponytail Facelift™ Technique
- Addresses the whole face and neck
- "Massai Neck Corset" is done simultaneously
- Tiny incisions are hidden behind the ears
- Rejuvenates the face with regenerative cells to add youthful fullness
- Transforms your look for a more beautiful, youthful appearance
See the Ponytail
Difference
KPS YouTube Library
Dr. Kao Featured on Oprah Prime
Dr. Kao was featured on Oprah Prime, Episode 103, with Cameron Diaz and Sharon Stone to discuss the topic of Aging Gracefully.
Ponytail Lift™ Technique with Upper Lip Lift
Ponytail Lift™ Technique is my signature operation. It can be done very subtly, refresh, or a transform to create beauty and harmony to the face.
The Ponytail Lift™ Technique with new EndoPSCS
I added my new EndoPSCS to the Ponytail Lift™ Technique to create an incredible lift to the jowls.
Schedule a consultation
Fill out the contact form to schedule a consultation with Dr. Kao or contact Kao Plastic Surgery at (310) 315-9211
If you are not certain about which procedure you need, Dr. Kao can help you decide what will be best for you. Dr. Kao will meet with you to discuss your needs and desired results and how to refresh or transform your appearance with the Ponytail Lift™ Technique or Ponytail Facelift™ Technique .