Lifestyle Lift

Lifestyle Lift is a cosmetic surgery practice based in Troy, Michigan, United States. The company's name in all caps is also a trademarked brand name used to market a particular type of facial surgery.

The LIFESTYLE LIFT is advertised as a minimally invasive, short flap face lift performed under local anesthesia. There is no published description of a "Lifestyle Lift", but it is believed that the procedure involves the excess skin and SMAS layer, which is consistent with contemporary techniques.

Company history

Lifestyle Lift was founded by David Kent, DO. Prior to founding Lifestyle Lift, Dr. Kent's medical practice focused on otolaryngology head and neck surgery, facial plastic surgery and hair replacement. Dr. Kent completed an osteopathic residency in otolaryngology-head and neck surgery and facial plastic surgery. He is certified by the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and by the American Osteopathic College of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery. R. James Koch MD joined Lifestyle Lift in 2006 as Medical Director and oversaw medical training for the company. Prior to joining Lifestyle Lift, Koch was a full-time faculty member at the Stanford University School of Medicine where he served as Associate Professor, Co-Director of the Division of Facial Plastic Surgery, and Co-Director of the Fellowship for Advanced Facial Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery. Koch resigned from the organization in 2010 and was replaced by three regional medical directors: David Santos MD, Pacific and Mountain Regions; Jason Swerdloff MD, Southeast and Northeast Regions; Carlos Farias MD, Midwest and Northeast Regions.

Staffing

Within the company model, most Lifestyle Lift surgeons work full-time for the company (46 of the current roster of 82).^{[citation needed]} However, some are local surgeons hired to work on a part-time basis, performing cases at Lifestyle Lift facilities or their own private practices nearby. All medical evaluations are performed by the doctor prior to surgery and almost all of the doctors are Board Certified. More than half of the doctors are double Board Certified.

Claims

Company literature claims over 150,000 completed surgeries. There are almost 200 reviews of the company out of over 150,000 customers—some of them negative—on RealSelf.com which Lifestyle Lift sued for trademark infringement (the case was settled). Lifestyle Lift has attempted to sue other companies based on trademark infringement, including informercialscams.com (now defunct). In 2008, Lifestyle Lift was the subject of an eight-part mini series by the CBS affiliate in Atlanta featuring three dissatisfied Lifestyle Lift patients, and former employees and their complaints against the company.

According to the Lifestyle Lift spokesman Hanson, it’s inevitable that some patients will be unhappy with any surgery. Hanson said that about 25 percent of Lifestyle Lift patients come back to have surgery problems taken care of by the same doctor or a different one: Lifestyle Lift Under Fire from AG, 09/09/2011, Health News Florida, http://www.healthnewsflorida.org/hnf_stories

Legal issues

"Astroturfing"

Lifestyle Lift has faced numerous complaints about the accuracy of their advertising. The company and its procedures have been featured on ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox News, and in newspapers and magazines across America, some of which were critical of their practices. In 2006 Lifestyle Lift voluntarily participated in a review of its advertising materials with the Better Business Bureaus's National Advertising Division. This review produced a 10-page document which made several suggestions for improvement, all of which were adopted by Lifestyle Lift. One was that pictures taken of patients tended to amplify problem spots, and benefits post-surgery, by using different photographic techniques. The BBB summarized by stating that "disclaimers must not contradict the main message conveyed by an advertisement", and "'before' and 'after' photographs should be taken in a uniform manner".

In 2008, the company brought suit in United States federal court against the website RealSelf.com, which solicits anonymous consumer reviews of cosmetic procedures. Lifestyle Lift claimed that RealSelf's practice of allowing competing cosmetic surgeons to advertise as offering a "Lifestyle Lift" was a trademark violation. The courts deemed the website's activities to be protected First Amendment speech, and the lawsuit was later settled.

In July 2009, the New York State Attorney General's office charged Lifestyle Lift with "astroturfing," or posting fake consumer reviews on the Internet, and reached a settlement in which the company paid $300,000 in penalties and costs. According to the AG's office, Lifestyle Lift employees were instructed to create accounts on Internet message boards and pose as satisfied customers, and created web sites such as "MyFaceliftStory.com", designed to disseminate positive reviews appearing as if they were created by independent and satisfied customers. They also attacked genuine customers who posted critical messages about Lifestyle Lift on other sites, and took steps to get those posts removed. The AG's investigation discovered emails specifically instructing employees to engage to post on the web; one such message directed an employee to "devote the day to doing more postings on the Web as a satisfied client".

Lawsuits

Investigations and lawsuits have focused on Lifestyle Lift in three other states, alleging various wrongdoing:

• In August 2011, a lawsuit was filed in the Broward County Civil Court in Florida by a patient against Lifestyle Lift. According to the lawsuit, the patient's face erupted into a bed of keloid scars less than a week after her surgery, now covering her face and neck. Had she known about the keloid concerns, the plaintiff said that she would not have had the surgery, which has left her significantly disfigured and embarrassed to be in public. http://blogs.browardpalmbeach.com/pulp/2011/08/lifestyle_life_surgery_keloid.php

• In January 2010, a class-action lawsuit — brought by Mary Faktor against Lifestyle Lift, et al., claiming fraud and breach of contract — was dismissed by the United States District Court, Northern District of Ohio. While Judge James S. Gwin found that "the Plaintiff would satisfy the numerosity and adequate representation" requirements, she did not meet those for "commonality and typicality".

• In March 2010, a lawsuit was brought against Lifestyle Lift charging culpability in the death of a 49-year-old woman in their Waltham, Massachusetts facility (later relocated to Burlington, MA), allegedly due to reaction to local anesthesia. Lawyers for Donna Ames' relatives stated that, minutes after an injection, "her body jerked violently", the result of a seizure. Her oxygen levels also plummeted, but staff remained unaware, since no equipment was used to continuously monitor it. After 48 minutes, an ambulance took Ames to a nearby hospital, where she was declared brain dead; the family later withdrew life support. Lifestyle Lift asserted Ames failed to disclose pertinent medical history (including bipolar disorder and past seizures). The Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine thoroughly reviewed this incident, determined that no action was warranted against Lifestyle Lift doctors and closed the case. However, the lawsuit again Lifestyle Lift itself is still ongoing. (MBRM dockets 10-076 and 10-080 dated 18 March 2011)

• Amidst claims of unfair and deceptive trade practices, the Florida Attorney General's Office in Jacksonville began an investigation in 2010 regarding Lifestyle Lift's advertisin­g. Allegations include violations of state laws regarding the company's marketing of cosmetic surgery, specifically facelifts, and assertions that fictitious testimonials were created by paid customers and employees. Per a report from USA Today, as of September 2011, Florida's attorney general has more than 60 complaints about the company, including several contesting its claims about fast recoveries, minimal pain and results that take years off one's appearance. http://www.usatoday.com/money/perfi/basics/story/2011-09-14/risks-low-cost-cosmetic-surgery/50409740/1

• Jennifer Davis, a spokeswoman for Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, says its 16-month probe is looking at Lifestyle Lift's advertising of a "facial rejuvenation procedure that is purported by them to be safer and less expensive than other traditional procedures, totally individualized for the client, and offers a quicker recovery time." Investigators, she says, are looking into possible violations of the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act, which bans commercial practices that deceive consumers. http://www.usatoday.com/money/perfi/basics/story/2011-09-14/risks-low-cost-cosmetic-surgery/50409740/1

Procedure

The procedure involves an incision made along the temple hairline and continuing down around the front of the ear or following the natural curves of the ear. The typical incision makes an S shape although the incision length and type can differ between surgeons and is individualized for each patient. The incision is made in front of and behind each ear. Once these cuts are made, the deeper muscle or SMAS tissue is pulled up and back (and possibly trimmed) and sutured into place. The excess skin is then trimmed off and the incision is closed. Liposuction may be used to reduce fat from under the chin. In addition, the muscle bands in the neck may be sutured together to lessen their appearance. Then two circular sutures gather up and tighten the stretched muscles. To enhance the neck area, the neck skin is pulled up and liposuction is done if needed.

The basic Lifestyle Lift is an in-office procedure that company literature claims takes about an hour to complete. However, in many circumstances, it is reported to last several hours when additional procedures are performed. Because its procedures are performed under local, not general, anesthesia Lifestyle Lift centers do not need to be ACHA, JCAHO, AAAASF, or AAAHC approved ambulatory centers. The majority of non-Lifestyle Lift elective plastic surgical cases involve IV or general anesthesia in the United States and are therefore performed in ACHA, JCAHO, AAAASF, and AAAHC accredited facilities; the benefits of accreditation for IV or General Anesthesia surgeries have been promoted and mandated by the American Society of Plastic Surgery and the American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. The procedure is a modification of the SMAS-procedure (sub or superficial muscular and aponeurtoic system). This means that the layer above the muscle and connective tissue are involved, helping to minimize frown and smile lines. Procedures with greater elevation of the SMAS have not correlated with a more extensive result [references needed].

Branded face lifts

Several branded face lifts are available in the USA, which mostly target consumers through infomercials. Lifestyle Lift and Quick Lift have nationwide marketing campaigns.

The Lifestyle Lift and Quick Lift have a few similarities:

• Both procedures have an incision that starts at the front of the ear and goes under the earlobe and then behind the ear.
• Both can be undertaken with local anesthesia and mild sedation.
• Both involve removal of excess skin.
• Both address aging changes in the lower third of the face.
• Both require additional procedures to fully address the neck if muscle bands are present (i.e. neck lift, platysmaplasty, liposuction)

The main difference between these procedures is in how the SMAS/Platsyma/muscle layer is addressed:

• In the Quick Lift the SMAS/platysma is elevated using a "purse string" suture which moves the SMAS/platysma upwards. This suture is anchored to deeper tissues in the area immediately in front of the upper ear. The suture used absorbs over several weeks to months as the tissues heal in place.
• In the Lifestyle Lift, the SMAS/platysma is either imbricated (trimmed) or plicated (folded onto itself) in various locations and vectors using a suture.

External links

• Lifestyle Lift official website