What Is A Lunch Hour Facelift?

A lunch hour facelift is a technique that involves an incision in front of your ear preceded by the collection of your money (a bargain compared to real techniques in plastic surgery).

It will give you a result that looks synthetic and will cost thousands to repair once the swelling goes away, but by that time you may have already referred your friends whom will all be comparing their nicely swollen results that seems to have made a nice difference in the first week after surgery. (Ricardo A. Meade, MD, Dallas Plastic Surgeon)

A lunch hour facelift is not really a facelift

A lunch hour facelift is not really a facelift. A true facelift involves elevating or lifting the soft tissues of the neck, jowls, midface and temple regions. It is impossible to adequately lift and suspend all of those areas in an hour or less.

2 Weeks After One Lunch Facelift

A lunch hour lift is a quick procedure that only minimally lifts those areas typically with a limited number of stitches through small incisions. The duration of improvement is significantly less and is better suited to people who only have minimal sagging at best.

If that is what someone is trying to achieve they are better suited to injectable fillers or fat to restore facial volume and camoflauge the sags. (Scott Trimas, MD, Jacksonville Facial Plastic Surgeon)

The results offered by branded, heavily marketed, “lunch hour” procedure “magic lifts” are reminiscent of this old story. When a patient has indications for a facelift (jowls, mid facial descent, obliquity in the neck), lunch hour is simply not enough………you can take it to the bank!

The fact remains that when any facelift type procedure (branded or otherwise) is performed in only lunch hour, there are two plausibe scenarios: a) the patient didn’t need a facelift to begin with, or b) a lot of short cuts were taken in the procedure.

Before After Lunch Hour Facelift

For patients I have seen postoperatively after branded facelifts, the latter option has usually been true. The unfortunate outcome for the patient is very little visible aesthetic benefit from the branded lift procedure combined with very visible scars.

I would advise prospective patients to seek the advice of well trained Facial Plastic Surgeons or Plastic Surgeons in your area, listen to word of mouth, and heed advice that sounds plausible. Don’t let your “New Clothes” be visible scars that any self respecting surgeon would be ashamed of. (Stephen Prendiville, MD, Fort Myers Facial Plastic Surgeon)

Lunch hour facelifts, worth it?

Lots of patients get charmed by the promise of a lunch hour procedure magically providing the same result as a much longer, more thorough procedure. While some patients will do well with the limited operation most patients require a bit more to get the best results.

Lunch Hour Facelift Before And After Photos

The “lunch hour facelift” is almost always some form of a mini-facelift. In another post I talk about the differences in detail. I’ll be brief here. The mini-facelift or “lunch hour facelift” only improves the face from just below the eyes to the jawline.

A full facelift will provide improvement throughout the face and neck. Results will also last longer with the full facelift. You can’t get the same result with a mini-operation done in an hour as compared to a more thorough operation that takes more time.

You should match the operation to your needs. If you have a smaller problem you might do very well with a mini-procedure. If you have a more complex problem you will need a more thorough solution.

Make sure the operation fits your needs. I recommend visiting a few board certified plastic surgeons to get different opinions. You can choose the plan that suits your desires best. (Adam Rubinstein, MD, Miami Plastic Surgeon)

Lunch Hour Facelift Before And After

The “lunch hour” Facelift is closely related to the “LunchTime”, “Quick”, “”Day”, “Thread”, “Lifestyle”, “Liquid”, “Nonsurgical” and Mini” face lifts. I am sure that as more frustrated physicians quit practicing what they were trained to do (Internal Medicine, Family Practice, Gynecology, ER Medicine etc), they will add even more “innovative” techniques.

The “lunch hour”, “LunchTime”, “Quick”, “”Day”, “Thread”, “Lifestyle”, “Liquid”, “Nonsurgical” and Mini” will soon be joined by the “Beverly HillS’, Rodeo Drive”, “90210”, “The All Natural”, “Star Wars”, Lazer”, “Drive in, Drive out”, “have your Starbucks while we work” and “You got a face? We can lift it!” “Facelift” procedures.

To be successful a well planned Facelift needs to separate sagging facial structures, lift and reposition them where they belong and leave the best compromise of hidden scars that allow such a procedure. MINI procedures work only in individuals who have mini deformities and ALWAYS produce mini – results.

Lunch Hour Facelift Image

Save your money. Educate yourself. You CAN do better. (Peter A. Aldea, MD, Memphis Plastic Surgeon)

If the surgery takes lunch hour, ask your surgeon how long the results will last

A lunch hour facelift, a lunch time facelift, a mini-facelift are all terms that are attractive to the consumer. Everyone wants to maximize results while minimizing down time.

However, what can be accomplished in lunch hour is usually very limited and I would urge you to ask what you will look like in 6 months. The answer is likely that the results of a lunch hour “facelift” will not last very long at all. Beware of marketing gimmicks that aim at bringing you into an office. Many “mini lifts” are performed by doctors who are not Board-certified plastic surgeons.

Lunch Hour Facelift May Include Botox Injections, Laser Skin Resurfacing, And Dermal Filler Injections

The reason they perform these “less invasive procedures” is because they are not trained to perform complete facial rejuvenation. Have your surgeon show you a range of results on patients who have had a mini facelift, a regular facelift and a complete facial rejuvenation procedure.

If they cannot show you multiple results, go elsewhere. (Francisco Canales, MD, Santa Rosa Plastic Surgeon)

A lunch hour face lift is essentially a mini lift that…

A lunch hour face lift is essentially a mini lift that simply tightens facial skin. A comprehensive facial rejuvenation cannot be accomplished with a one-hour surgery, but takes approximately 3 hours to perform. A properly performed face/neck lift involves removal of fat above and below the platysma muscle in the neck, a platysma plasty, tightening the neck muscles and facial muscles, and tightening loose facial and neck skin and removing the jowls.

Lunch Hour Liquid Facelift

The facelift procedure is very complicated and is customized according to the patient’s anatomy and presenting problems.

For best results look for an experiment facelift specialist. . (William Portuese, MD, Seattle Facial Plastic Surgeon)

Lunch hour facelift = wasted money and time!

Please read these answers, and also read my answer to the “What is a weekend facelift?” question posted by another patient. No surgeon in existence can properly do any kind of one-hour surgery of the face and neck and close the incisions carefully and precisely.

lunch hour is just not enough time! Thus, some or several sorts of compromise are required–limited dissection takes less time, but gives less improvement, and you still have to suture the incisions, or maybe just staple them.

“Don’t worry, they will take them out quickly so they don’t leave a mark!” Less time requires less work, less improvement, and a waste of your time and money. A reputable board-certified plastic surgeon will tell you why this is baloney, and give you a proper analysis of your anatomy, needs, and how to achieve your goals in the most cost-effective fashion.

Lunchtime Facelifts Involve Not One, But Several Small Nonsurgical Procedures

Why? Because we want to see your friends, relatives, and have all of you know why our reputations rely on our skill AND our honesty. Dr. Tholen. (Richard H. Tholen, MD, FACS, Minneapolis Plastic Surgeon)

What could be better than lunch hour facelift? 45-minute lift. What is better then that? 30 minute lift. The best thing is not to have surgery at all and look young forever. Unfortunately, it is is not available.

Lunch hour facelift is most likely skin only procedure, with very limited undermining of the skin and may be one or 2 stitches placed into deep muscle layer. There is truly not enough time to tighten the neck, do proper release of skin, liposuction of the neck or other associated procedures.

There is barely enough of time to pinch off a little bit of skin and suture it up. I would not expect dramatic results, I would not expect longevity or durability. (Boris Volshteyn, MD, MS, East Brunswick Plastic Surgeon)

New High-tech, Low-risk Procedure Erases Wrinkles With Lasers, Rather Than A Surgeon Knife

I would think that the quality of the result is infinitely more important than the time it takes (within reason and safety), in considering something so important as a Facelift. Short cuts may be just that and produce the kind of results that may fall short or be short lived.

See a good surgeon, well trained and well versed in a variety of techniques who can help you determine the best option for you. (Paul C. Zwiebel, MD, Denver Plastic Surgeon)

A facelift is a procedure that involves making incisions around the ears and sometimes under the chin to improve the appearance of the jawline, jowling, and the neck. It is performed to address skin laxity in the lower face and neck.

In order to achieve a long-lasting and aesthetic result, a facelift needs to be performed meticulously and at least under conscious sedation. There are many marketing tactics that try to convince patients of decreased down time, only local anesthesia, and shorter operative times.

Photo Of Liquid Facelift

The bottom line is that there is no free lunch. If you want to obtain long-lasting and impressive results, you have to be willing to undergo a proper lift under the appropriate anesthesia and with a skilled surgeon who is not willing to cut corners.

Seek multiple opinions no matter how good something sounds. (Etai Funk, MD, Houston Facial Plastic Surgeon)

A lunch hour face lift lasts about 24 hours

In general terms, at the very least, a face lift involves making incisions in front of the ears, elevating the skin from the underlying fat (referred to as undermining), and then closing the incisions. If very limited undermining were done and the incisions were closed quickly without concern for an aesthetic result, a face lift could probably be done in an hour.

The Difference Between A Traditional Facelifts And The Lunch-hour Facelift

The trade-off is that the results would probably last a very short time because of the limited undermining, and the scars in front of the ears might not be acceptable. It is definitely not as good as a face lift which is carefully done and takes more time. (Roger J. Oldham, MD, Bethesda Plastic Surgeon)

One that’s too fast

A lunch hour facelift is rushed and inadequate. If a patient is pleased with it, it’s because they didn’t need any surgery in the first place. (Vincent N. Zubowicz, MD, Atlanta Plastic Surgeon)

Surgery for those who don’t need surgery

We are a country of “do it fast, do it now.” So marketers have come up with this for cosmetic surgery. They make claims that you can look years younger in just lunch hour. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

And this is one of those instances. Minimal incisions are made and minimal dissection is done. Basically it’s surgery if you look great and don”t need it. So see a real Board Certified Plastic Surgeon and get an appropriate diagnosis and treatment. (Christopher L. Hess, MD, Fairfax Plastic Surgeon)

It’s the one you don’t want

Nothing of any significance can be accomplished to rejuvenate your face in a “lunch-hour facelift.” This would be a very small minilift that would have extremely little benefit to offer you and would last for a very short time.

Look carefully at the qualifications of the doctor offering this and you will quite probably find that they are not a real plastic surgeon. (Richard P. Rand, MD, FACS, Seattle Plastic Surgeon)

A lunch-hour facelift refers to a minimal incision, minimal dissection facelift designed to address early aging changes: slight jowling, early neck sag, etc. It can be performed under local anesthesia in an office setting. Recovery times vary from 5-10 days.

Results will last a variable amount of time. Those with excess sun damage, poor genetics of aging, and a history of smoking, on average, will re-age faster. This facelift can be combined with other procedures to produce a natural appearance that enhances well-being. (Manish H. Shah, MD, FACS, Denver Plastic Surgeon)