Dr. Lawrence Bass started the podcast in 2020 when teaching residents, lecturing at meetings, and even office visits had all stopped. This podcast let him keep teaching plastic surgery, with facts in place of hype.

Our themed series' approach the same topics from different angles. Decades of Face and Lifting Without Cutting came first.

The Beauty Series and the Facelift Series followed, then Aesthetic Titans, Facts and Fallacies, and the Patient Experience Series.

Season 6 completes the Facelift Series and launches a new Rhinoplasty Series.

The past season's favorite got three votes from the team: the Aesthetic Titans episode with the inimitable former Allure plastic surgery editor Joan Kron.

Have a question, a topic request, or a treatment experience to share?

Email podcast@drbass.net or send a DM on Instagram @drbassnyc. You can stay anonymous.

Few surgical terms get more marketing buzz right now, and few cause more confusion. The deep plane isn't a secret, it isn't new, and it isn't automatically better. It has been part of most facelifts since the 1980s.

Facial anatomy expert Dr. Christopher Surek joins Dr. Lawrence Bass, Summer Hardy, and Dr. Edinger to clear it up. The deep plane sits beneath the SMAS, a layer Dr. Surek compares to a bedsheet wrapped around the facial muscles and fat.

Surgeons reach it two main ways: composite and bilamellar. Four choices separate them: skin lift, SMAS entry point, direction of pull, and neck work.

A composite lift moves skin and SMAS together as one unit. A bilamellar lift separates them so each layer can move in its own direction. Dr. Surek prefers bilamellar for most faces because he can enter the SMAS closer to the ear, where it's thicker and farther from facial nerve branches.

Neither approach has strong data proving it's safer, longer-lasting, or faster to heal. Deep neck work fits with either one. Dr. Surek saves it for full necks and treats the fat, the submandibular gland, and the muscle together. Dr. Bass often decides during surgery.

The technique matters far less than the surgeon performing it. Every facelift should be customized to your face, down to the differences between your two sides.

About Dr. Christopher Surek

Dr. Christopher Surek is a board-certified plastic surgeon with Surek Plastic Surgery in Leawood, Kansas. He is an assistant professor of anatomy at Kansas City University and a clinical assistant professor of plastic surgery at the University of Kansas Medical Center. For years he has directed facial anatomy courses at The Aesthetic Society meetings, and he co-authored one of the leading textbooks in aesthetic plastic surgery.

Learn more about Dr. Surek

Questions answered by this episode:

1. What is the deep plane in a facelift?
2. What is the SMAS, and why does it matter in facelift surgery?
3. Is a deep plane facelift new, or better than other facelifts?
4. What is the difference between a composite and a bilamellar facelift?
5. Which deep plane technique is safer for the facial nerve?
6. Does one facelift technique last longer or heal faster?
7. Why do some surgeons pull the skin and the SMAS in different directions?
8. Do you need deep neck work with a facelift?
9. Does deep neck work remove the submandibular gland?
10. Does the surgeon matter more than the facelift technique?

About Dr. Lawrence Bass

Innovator. Industry veteran. In-demand Park Avenue board certified plastic surgeon, Dr. Lawrence Bass is a true master of his craft, not only in the OR but as an industry pioneer in the development and evaluation of new aesthetic technologies. With locations in both Manhattan (on Park Avenue between 62nd and 63rd Streets) and in Great Neck, Long Island, Dr. Bass has earned his reputation as the plastic surgeon for the most discerning patients in NYC and beyond.

To learn more, visit the Bass Plastic Surgery website or follow the team on Instagram @drbassnyc

Subscribe to the Park Avenue Plastic Surgery Class newsletter to be notified of new episodes & receive exclusive invitations, offers, and information from Dr. Bass.

Catherine spent six years researching, saving, and waiting for her facelift. Almost nothing went the way she expected.

She's the first guest in a new series with Dr. Lawrence Bass and co-host Summer Hardy, where patients, not just the surgeon, describe what surgery is really like.

Loose neck skin first caught her eye in photos with her grandson. After her consultation, she waited a full year to book. She picked December so she could stay out of the sun while she healed.

Her bruising and swelling were far milder than she braced for, and Tylenol handled the discomfort. She slept propped up for about a week and was back at her desk in five days.

Some parts of recovery no one warns you about. She coordinated care for her 102-year-old aunt while healing herself. Her boss, her kids, and an old friend each had something to say once they noticed.

Her advice if you're on the fence: research your surgeon until fear turns into confidence, then let the rest go. A good facelift heals quietly. You should look like a rested version of yourself, not someone new.

Learn more about facelift surgery at Bass Plastic Surgery.

Questions answered by this episode:

1. What does facelift recovery actually feel like, day by day?

2. How much bruising and swelling is normal after a facelift?

3. How long before you can go back to work after a facelift?

4. Is a facelift painful, and what do most people actually take for pain?

5. How long do you have to sleep propped up after a facelift?

6. Are there hidden costs with a facelift, like garments or lymphatic massage?

7. How do you know a facelift surgeon is the right fit for you?

8. What should a good facelift consultation actually cover?

9. How noticeable are facelift incisions once they heal?

10. What's the biggest misconception about getting a facelift?

About Dr. Lawrence Bass

Innovator. Industry veteran. In-demand Park Avenue board certified plastic surgeon, Dr. Lawrence Bass is a true master of his craft, not only in the OR but as an industry pioneer in the development and evaluation of new aesthetic technologies. With locations in both Manhattan (on Park Avenue between 62nd and 63rd Streets) and in Great Neck, Long Island, Dr. Bass has earned his reputation as the plastic surgeon for the most discerning patients in NYC and beyond.

To learn more, visit the Bass Plastic Surgery website or follow the team on Instagram @drbassnyc

Subscribe to the Park Avenue Plastic Surgery Class newsletter to be notified of new episodes & receive exclusive invitations, offers, and information from Dr. Bass.