Facelift: Info, Prices, Photos, Reviews, Q&A

A Lifestyle Lift is a mini-facelift that is performed in an office setting using minimal sedation and local anesthesia. It was designed to provide men and women who would not have been able to afford facial rejuvenation surgery, or were scared of general anesthesia, a way to help improve their appearance.

A good surgeon will tell you that there is no standardized facelift and the Lifestyle Lift is no different. The important thing to remember is that the technique is not as important as the operator.

That being said, those electing to have minimal procedures need to be aware that you get what you pay for. But, in today’s “on the go” society, few people are willing to sacrifice much in the way of downtime.

That is why most people stick to Botox, injectible fillers, and skin care/laser for as long as possible before succumbing to surgery. Just understand that even those technologies have their pros and cons. Ask you surgeon/dermatologist to explain all of your options to you so that you may make the best decision for your situation. (Manish H. Shah, MD, FACS, Denver Plastic Surgeon)

A Lifestyle Lift is essentially the same type of procedure as a mini lift. There are many terms to describe facial lifting procedures such as a S-Lift, Mini-Lift, Quick Lift, Full Facelift, Laser Facelift, Lunchtime Lift.

Some of these are actual surgical procedures and many are just marketing names with no actual textbook description of the procedures. These names are dreamed up by public relations companies in an effort to market a procedure.

Essentially the Lifestyle lift falls in this category. It is a minimally evasive procedure being done under local anesthesia with questionable results. The lunchtime lift is essentially another marketing tool where just fillers are being used to add volume and give some lift to areas of concern.

It is important to go to a good Facial Plastic Surgeon and look at the before and after photos in his/her office, talk to the patients in various stages of recovery and establish a good patient physician relationship. I also recommend digital imaging so that you may look at your purposed results prior to the procedure. (Michael Elam, MD, Orange County Facial Plastic Surgeon)

These are fundamentally the same thing. One is a heavily marketed “name” and the other is a generic term for some sort of minimalistic facelift. There is no standard facelift procedure and each doctor does it differently but these are basically the same thing. Remember that a mini lift will give a mini result that lasts a mini length of time and sometimes with very poor scars because of tension put on the skin. Please evaluate your goals and expectations for the changes you would like to see and meet with surgeons who can perform all of the various procedures to help you decide which will meet your expectations.

Please look at the satisfaction column on the right and see that a true facelift ranks the highest at 88% of any cosmetic treatment and the mini lifts are far down the list at 40%. (Richard P. Rand, MD, FACS, Seattle Plastic Surgeon)

Lifestyle Lift is a franchised procedure often done by non surgeons

Lifestyle Lift is a business model franchised to physicians. It is unclear to most Board Certified Plastic Surgeons what the procedure actually entails as the company probably has financial reasons to not make their procedure easily known.

There are few, if any surgeons certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery who do this procedure. The Lifestyle procedure is heavily marketed to the public, but you should know that the attorney general of New York State sued the Lifestyle Lift for fraudulent advertising and won.

A mini facelift usually involves shorter incisions around the ear, a more moderate lift and shorter recovery than a full face lift. Whatever you do, make sure the surgeon operating on your face is Board Certified to do this surgery.

Ask the physician if he or she has privileges to do the same surgery in a hospital operating room, this is the easiest way to determine that he or she has the proper training. Don’t be tempted by slick advertising.

Remember if it seems to good to be true, it probably is. (Elizabeth Slass Lee, MD, Bay Area Plastic Surgeon)

The lifestyle lift is a trademark that refers to a lower third facelift. It is not really a mini facelift. The marketing that is done effectively draws people to the procedure by referring to it or inferring that it is a minimally invasive procedure.

In reality, the lifestyle lift s a lower third facelift that addresses jowling and laxity in the neck (turkey neck) appearance. It usually involves what is referred to as an imbrication or plication technique. These techniques anchor the SMAS (facial muscle layer) in an elevated position.

I cannot speak to the experience or qualifications of their surgeons, however, their marketing underplays the amount of time that is required to perform the procedure and the amount of recovery time that is necessary.

High volume corporations will not take the time to address your individual needs. Instead, they will give you the same procedure that they do for thousands of other patients. I would visit with at least three experienced and qualified private practice surgeons who will take the time to address your unique needs and design a treatment plan for you.

It may take more time and cost a little more but you will not regret it! (Todd C. Miller, MD, Newport Beach Facial Plastic Surgeon)

A lifestyle lift is a brand name given to a limited scar facelift and a small excision of tissue below the skin. A minilift is similar but not necessarily the same operation.

Mini-lift usually refers to a limited scar face lift and isolated treatment of the lower 1/3 of the face( jowls) and/or neck.

Remember, it is the quality of the surgeon and not the quality of the name of the operation which gives the quality result. This operation is usually indicated for younger patients without a lot of skin laxity. (Steven Wallach, MD, New York Plastic Surgeon)

As a former surgeon at the Ontario CA center, I can only speak from my experience. My procedure was carefully modified according to the patient’s particular anatomy. It would often require extensive neck procedures as well as individualized lifting of the face.

A mini lift implies that little was done. The “lifestyle lift” performed by me was definitely more than a “little” being done and was individualized according to the patient’s needs. (Brian K. Machida, MD, FACS, Ontario Facial Plastic Surgeon)

Terminology can be quite confusing. “Mini-lifts” do imply a much lesser surgical approach to facelifting than with a “full” facelift. Unfortunately, not all facelifts are the same (nor are the surgeons performing them). Also, no one techinique is performed the same way every time is appropriate for every patient, so “mini-lifts” or LSL’s may not always be appropriate.

Having stated this, limited facelift procedures have been shown to be effective and reasonable with appropriate patient selection and I disagree with those surgeons who state otherwise. I good facelift surgeon will be able to provide the patient with a complete and honest facial analysis and then can recommend the least invasive set of procedures that they can predict will allow for an optimal result.

While the facelift procedure may be limited or complete (more invasive), very few patients will be completely happy without other surgical procedures (e.g. blepharoplasty, browlift, ect.) and/or other minimally invasive procedures (e.g.laser resurfacing, fillers/fat injections, botox, etc.).

Obtain consultations with experienced facelift surgeons who can look at the big picture and make the best and most honest recommendation for your particular situation. (John Frodel, MD, Atlanta Facial Plastic Surgeon)

There are many ways of doing a “mini” lift and the “lifestyle lift”, as described, is only one of them.

The main difference is that the term “lifestyle lift” are marketed very heavily compared to the term “mini lift”. (Richard Parfitt, MD, Madison Facial Plastic Surgeon)

Lifestyle Lift Cheek Surgery – Mini-Lift Without Anesthesia

Lifestyle Lift is a corporate brand that pays physicians to perform a variety of procedures on the face and neck. There is no single ‘Lifesyle Lift,’ rather it is a continum of procedures based on patient needs and desires.

A minilift usually addresses changes to the cheek and to a minor extent the neck. Lifestyle Lift corporation has a procedure on their menu that addresses the same issues and their surgical procedure is essentially the same as the minilift procedure.

A large portion of the fee goes to the LifeStyle Lift corporate entity. There is no anesthesia fee however, because there is no anesthesia provider nor anesthesia provided, except pills and multiple numbing shots to the area(s) to be operated upon.

For some a surgical procedure from Lifestyle Lift may be the right decision. However, for others the peace of mind having a customized surgical procedure using safe, comfortable anesthesia in an accredited facility at roughly the same cost is a better choice.

You should be able to make the correct decision after your consultations. (Thomas E. Kaniff, MD, FACS, Sacramento Facial Plastic Surgeon)

There are so many different names for various facelifts. Most of them share more similarities than differences. Marketing is used to try to make one facelift sound more appealing than another, whether it is touted to be faster, easier to recover, more natural, you name it.

Then all share the same fundamental steps, namely, incisions around the ears and the muscle and skin tightened. Best advice I can give you? Make your choice based on the specific surgeon and concentrate on their reputation, skill, credentials and experience. (Ronald J. Edelson, MD, San Diego Plastic Surgeon)

Lifestyle lift and mini lift do not refer to specific procedures, so unfortunately there is not much information in the name. Typically, both a lifestyle lift and a mini lift refer to a facelift that has been modified to have less scars, less surgery and quicker healing time.

Naturally, this is sometimes done at the expense of a better and longer lasting surgical result. (Marcelo Ghersi, MD, Miami Plastic Surgeon)

Mini-lift” is a surgical procedure that addresses mild aging changes usually seen in the lower third of the face.

The term “mini” refers to the use of smaller incisions. A Lifestyle Lift is essentially the same type of procedure as a mini lift but has been termed “Lifestyle Lift” and marketed as such.

Neither procedure goes beyond the muscle layer of the face and both procedures are considered temporary, in that the results usually last about 18 months to 3 years. (Edward E. Dickerson, IV, MD, Fayetteville Facial Plastic Surgeon)

Don’t be fooled by marketing. Facelift results are directly related to the effort that goes into attaining them. A “Lifestyle Lift” is a 100 year old procedure – a skin-only facelift – that has been rebranded and sold as something new.

Plastic surgeons have abandoned the skin-only facelift because of the well-documented problems with scarring, postoperative deformities, and the lack of longevity (try finding lifestyle lift photos further out than 1-2 years). For the best facelift results, find a board-certified plastic surgeon in your area with expertise in facial surgery and discuss your options with them. (Jason J. Hall, MD, FACS, Knoxville Plastic Surgeon)

A minilift is a facelift procedure custom tailored to a younger woman with minimal to moderate changes of aging usually performed by a trained plastic surgeon under anaesthesia.. A lifestyle lift is a proprietary standard operation performed the same way on younger and older women by doctors who work for the lifestyle company who are generally not plastic surgeons.

And it takes much longer than an hour as promised in most cases. (Richard Ellenbogen, MD, Los Angeles Plastic Surgeon)

A lifestyle lift is not a specific procedure. It is a marketing gimmick that is meant to funnel patients to specific “lifestyle lift surgeon.” The marketing is usually aimed at patients seeking a cheaper and faster recovery through operations under local anesthesia.

It is very difficult to get any long lasting natural results through any short procedure. In fact a skin only operation to tighten the skin can result in a very unnatural appearance long term which is impossible to fix even with a traditional facelift.

It gives a “pulled” look to the face which most people do not like. A mini facelift is typically a smaller operation than a traditional operation which involves an incision in front of the ear and minimal additional dissection.

It is meant for people with very mild deep facial aging who want a mild result. (Chad K. Wheeler, MD, Spokane Plastic Surgeon)

Lifestyle Lift vs. Mini Lift – It’s all in a name.

The Lifestyle lift was a marketing label by a group of facial plastic surgeons who were advertising an affordable mini lift procedure in order to appeal to the larger public.

The procedures are very similar although there are some subtle differences and variations depending upon the surgeon.

The mini lift was developed for (and is appropriate for) the patient who has mainly facial skin laxity and not as much neck laxity. These tend to be, but are not always, younger patients. The advantage is that they can be performed under local anesthesia and have a quicker recovery time.

The results are very natural and very satisfying for the right patient. The downside is that it is a lesser procedure and thus there is the potential for a lesser result in a patient who needs a full face lift.

As with any procedure, an appropriate consultation to provide an individualized treatment plan is always best. (Edgar Franklin Fincher, MD, PhD, Beverly Hills Dermatologic Surgeon)