The McCollough Facial Rejuvenation System: a condition-specific classification algorithm.

The search for the holy grail in facial rejuvenation is an ongoing quest. Perhaps the reason the "ideal" face-lift has yet to be discovered is a result of three factors. First, the term FACE-LIFT has never been adequately defined. Second, fads and trends play a role in how the operation is taught and performed. Third, surgeons searching for the prototypic technique have not had a way to index the physical signs of facial aging. After 37 years of practicing facial plastic surgery and performing more than 5000 face-lifts, the author determined that replacing chaos with order is long overdue. To achieve this goal, he developed a classification system that is designed to match each potential patient's problems with the most appropriate facial rejuvenation treatment plan and a "language" by which facial rejuvenation surgeons can communicate. Five progressive stages of aging have been identified and matched with recommended courses of face-lifting, blepharoplasty, volume augmentation, and skin resurfacing techniques. Ancillary procedures have also been included when indicated. It is the author's hope that a new classification system will bring order to mounting confusion within the aesthetic surgery professions as well as within the public sector.