Modern facial surgery

That is precisely why, in his view, a purely superficial ‘tightening’ is often not enough.
The aim of modern facial surgery is not simply to tighten the skin.
The aim is to address the underlying anatomical changes in a harmonious way.

The face as a functional and aesthetic unit

For Dr Richter, no part of the face can be considered in isolation.
The eyelids, midface, cheeks, mouth area, neck and jawline all influence one another.
A heavy-looking lower eyelid is often closely linked to the midface. A change in the jawline affects the entire neck contour. Loss of volume alters facial contours and the way light reflects.
This is precisely why he always analyses the entire face:

• Forehead and eyebrows
• Upper and lower eyelids
• Midface
• Cheek contour
• Lips and mouth area
• Neckline
• Skin quality
• Volume shares
• as well as the jawline and chin.

In his view, a natural look is almost never achieved by treating a single area in isolation.
It is achieved through balance.

Modern Facelift Surgery

Modern facelift surgery has undergone fundamental changes in recent years.
Whilst earlier approaches were often heavily focused on tension, the emphasis today is on deeper anatomical reduction, tissue preservation and natural mobility.
Dr Richter is skilled in the full range of modern facial surgery – from traditional SMAS techniques and high-SMAS and deep-plane approaches to advanced and tissue-preserving procedures.
However, he does not believe that any single technology is inherently ‘the best’.
The key question is always:
What is the anatomical situation?
Which form of ageing is most prevalent?
And which technique produces a natural-looking result in the long term?
It is precisely in this respect that he sees a key difference between trend-driven facial surgery and truly personalised surgical planning.

Naturalness rather than radical change

Many patients today do not want a visible transformation.
You want to appear more refreshed, calm and balanced – without losing your sense of self.
That is precisely why Dr Richter deliberately adopts a rather cautious approach.
The focus is not on maximum tension, maximum preparation or the greatest possible change.
What is crucial, however, is:

• How will the face move later?
• How natural do facial expressions and gestures remain?
• How seamless do the transitions appear?
• And how stable will the result remain in the long term?

Nowadays, modern deep-plane or high-SMAS techniques in particular often allow for significantly more natural tissue repositioning than earlier techniques that focused purely on tension.
Yet even here, Dr Richter’s philosophy remains:
Not every face requires maximum dissection.
For him, experience also means recognising when causing less trauma is the better solution in the long term.

The importance of volume and tissue quality

A modern facelift is no substitute for good skin quality.
And not every sign of ageing is caused by sagging skin.
Loss of volume, in particular, plays a crucial role.
That is why Dr Richter often combines surgical procedures with:

• Lipofilling
• Microfat
• Nanofat
• autologous fat transfer procedure
• as well as natural skin improvement.

These procedures can:

• Improve skin quality
• Make transitions smoother
• Regenerate tissue
• and make the results look more natural in the long term.

It is precisely in this area that Dr Wiedner complements the joint approach, with a particular focus on regenerative medicine, skin quality and biological tissue stabilisation.

The role of the eye area

The eye area is of particular importance to Dr Richter.
Hardly any other area has such a strong influence on facial expression and perception.
It is precisely here that his unique blend of aesthetic and reconstructive expertise comes to the fore.
His many years of experience in treating functional disorders such as endocrine orbitopathy have deepened his understanding of:

• Lid function
• Eyelid closure
• Tear film
• Corneal protection
• and has a significant impact on the delicate anatomy of the eye area.

That is why he never considers aesthetic eyelid surgery in isolation.
In his view, a beautiful eye should never be achieved at the expense of function or naturalness.

Revision surgery and challenging initial conditions

A particular focus of his work is revision surgery.
Many patients come to us following previous operations, filler treatments, thread lifts or energy-based treatments.
It is precisely situations like these that call for:

• in-depth understanding of anatomy
• Experience at various levels of preparation
• realistic planning
• and great restraint.

Scars, altered tissue structures or previous invasive procedures often significantly alter the natural anatomy.
For this reason, Dr Richter does not regard revision surgery as simply a second operation.
Rather, they require a highly personalised reconstructive and aesthetic strategy.

Skin quality and regeneration

In his view, modern facial surgery increasingly involves biological support as well.
After all, a face that has been lifted surgically does not automatically look young.
Skin quality, tissue elasticity and regeneration remain crucial.
That is why the UNIQ Institute is increasingly incorporating sustainable concepts:

• autologous fat
• Microfat
• Nanofat
• PRP
• RF Microneedling
• as well as natural skin improvement.

These procedures are not a substitute for surgery.
However, they can be a useful complement to surgery and help to ensure that the results look more natural in the long term.

Experience over trends

Modern facial surgery is often defined today in terms of specific surgical procedures.
Deep Plane. High-SMAS. Extended Deep Plane. Preservation.
For Dr Richter, however, it is not the term itself that is the focus.
What matters is:

• Understanding anatomy
• to respect natural vectors
• Assessing risks realistically
• and to find the right solution for every face.

For him, experience does not mean following every new trend.
Experience means having a firm grasp of all aspects of facial surgery – and choosing the most appropriate approach from them.

His personal approach

Dr Richter does not view modern facial surgery as a competition to achieve dramatic changes.
His aim is:

• naturalness
• A calm expression
• smooth contours
• long-term stability
• and a result that doesn’t look artificial.

In his view, the most challenging aspect of modern facial surgery is not to alter the face as drastically as possible.
Rather, it is to restore balance, expression and naturalness.
A successful result should not draw attention to the operation.
It should bring the face back into harmony with the person’s personality.

Conclusion

Modern facial surgery is not a standardised procedure.
It is a highly individual combination of:

• Anatomy
• Function
• Volume
• Skin quality
• Understanding of the fabric
• with surgical precision
• and aesthetic sensitivity.

That is precisely why it requires:

• Experience
• Restraint
• detailed analysis
• and a long-term perspective.

Dr Richter’s aim remains the same:
Not to do as much as possible – but to do exactly the right thing.