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

Generally speaking the pros of a mini face lift are a more dramatic and complete rejuvenation of the the cheeks, jowls, and neck encompassed in a single procedure that if done well makes the patient look younger without the “windblown,” artificial look.

Among the cons are it is an invasive surgical procedure that takes time to perform and usually requires a deeper level of anesthesia. These factors usually incur a greater financial investment on the part of the patient.

Since it is a surgical procedure that involves incisions, the face lift will result in scars, although if placed strategically and closed under little tension, they become hard to see. (Christopher J. Schaffer, MD, Birmingham Plastic Surgeon)

A Mini Facelift Offers Plenty Of Advantages

The pros and cons of a minilift are:

Pros: 1 hour operating time, recovery usually 1 week decreased cost.
The cons: little long term effect on the neck and lasts a shorter time.

Minilift=miniresult. (Toby Mayer, MD, Beverly Hills Facial Plastic Surgeon)

The pros of a mini facelift (with the caveat of a being performed by a well trained surgeon):

1. Improved neckline and jawline Improved jowl formation
2. More youthful configuration to face
3. Provide long lasting rejuvenation to neck and face

Cons of a mini facelift:

1. Incisions can result in poor scarring (can be minimized with a well trained surgeon)
2. Downtime (different techniques can offer different amounts of downtime)
3. Risks (although significantly less in well trained hands of hematoma, infection)
4. Can look unnatural (choose a surgeon who can create natural results)
5. May not last as long as anticipated (seen in lesser techniques). (Anil R. Shah, MD, Chicago Facial Plastic Surgeon)

Mini facelift pro’s and con’s

Mini facelift is designed to turn back the hands of time. With a mini facelift, you can look years younger, more alert, and healthier. A mini facelift can refine your natural attributes, remove wrinkles and frown lines, and counter the effects of gravity and aging.

Mini Facelift Has As Many Risks As A Full Procedure

In addition to tightening skin and removing wrinkles, facelift procedures also address adding volume to areas that aging has hollowed out. Attention may also be needed to the eyes and neck. Any cosmetic surgery has its risks and requires healing/recovery time.

In addition, a board certified plastic surgeon will need to review your medical history to make sure you are a safe candidate for these procedures. (C. Bob Basu, MD, FACS, Houston Plastic Surgeon)

In my practice there is no difference between a mini facelift and a regular facelift. Both are done under local anesthesia, take about 4-5 hrs and have a week downtime.

We call it a mini facelift because it is much easier to go threw now, recover faster and with almost no bruising because of the tumescent anesthesia as well as much less risky than the old facelifts.

It includes the neck as well as the lower face and runs $6,000-8500 and is so worth it. Almost everyone can benefit from it. The really mini facelifts you see advertised everywhere are not very effective and last 6-12 months with little concern to scar placements and can be done in about an hour and looks like it. (David Hansen, MD, Beverly Hills Dermatologic Surgeon)

Results After Mini Facelift Are Less Dramatic

Mini-lifts are less invasive than a traditional full facelift. The incisions tend to be shorter, the surgery is less invasive but as a result the longevity of the lift is diminished and the ability to tighten and redrape the droopy neck is limited.

Since many patients present with the neck being a major concern the applicability of the mini-lift is somewhat limited.

A facelift however fully elevates the neck tissue and can tighten the neck from both the midline and behind the ear resulting in more complete rejuvenation of the neck.

Further, the deeper tissues of the face are also addressed resulting in more robust lifting of the facial tissue and less tension on the skin incision which can result in finer incisions and a less noticeable scar.

Both are good procedures as long as they are applied to the proper patient. (Stephen Weber, MD, FACS, Denver Facial Plastic Surgeon)

Mini Face Lifts occur in all sorts of variations and degrees of effectiveness IMHO. I have performed Face Lifts for 25 years and today, people are far less interested in a traditional Face Lift that takes 4-6 hours, is far more invasive with long incisions/scars, with recovery and healing healing time that’s measured in weeks and months.

Results Last For A Shorter Amount Of Time

Minimal Incision Face Lifts, like our Celebrity Facelift that dissect the SMAS, elevating and trimming it instead of folding it upon itself are more effective and tend to last longer.

We combine the minimal incision Face Lift with proper, aesthetically based, facial shaping using fillers (Perlane) or Cheek Implants for a naturally youthful and attractive face.

If there’s a large amount of loose neck skin, a Neck Lift can be incorporated into this procedure as well. (Francis R. Palmer, III, MD, Beverly Hills Facial Plastic Surgeon)

The term Mini Facelift can have many meanings. I tell my patients that when we use the word “Facelift” it is like using the word “Car.”

You know we are talking about something with four wheels and a motor that gets you someplace, but it could be anything from a Volkswage Beetle to the hottest Ferrari.

Shorter Recovery Time

So don’t get caught up in a minifacelift. See a well qualified and highly experienced plastic surgeon, describe to him your goals for rejuvenation, and he will be able to put together a surgical procedure tailored to fit your needs.

Mini facelifts are great for those with minimal needs for rejuvenation around the lower face and jowls. Other procedures may be necessary if your neck, upper or lower eyelids, midface, or forehead are a problem for you. (Ronald V. DeMars, MD, Portland Plastic Surgeon)

Mini Facelift: Pro and con

• Pro: You should look younger, not done.
• Con: You should not look unnatural and very “done”

The medical risks such as scarring or nerve damage can be avoided by proper technique. (Ricardo L. Rodriguez, MD, Baltimore Plastic Surgeon)

Get Back To Your Life Just Five To Seven Days After A Mini Facelift

Mini facelifts are gold standard procedure for facial rejuvenation

A Mini Facelift is still the best overall procedure for giving a patient a long lasting youthful appearance (7 – 10 years) with minimal risk.

When performed by a board certified plastic surgeon this is a very safe procedure. Recovery takes about two weeks which means after this period of time others would not notice any swelling or bruising from surgery. When you combine a Mini Facelift with procedures to reduce wrinkling such as fractional CO2 laser and procedures to add back facial volume such as fat grafting, you enhance the results greatly without additional downtime or risk.

Key Points:

1. Consult with a board certified plastic surgeon who offers the whole spectrum of available options.
2. Remember good cosmetic surgery takes time to do and time to recover from. Don’t take shortcuts when it come to something as important as your face.


Lower Cost Of Mini Facelift

3. Don’t fall for slick marketing that promises it will give you the same result as a Facelift in “one hour” or with “no stitches”. Often these marketing companies will send you to a non board certified surgeon.
4. Fillers alone will not rejuvenate the face. The common risks with face lifts are hematoma formation (a collection of blood under the skin), and healing delays near incisions especially behind the ears. I see these problems most commonly in patients who use tobacco.

Men are also more likely to develop a hematoma. Numbness, Swelling and Bruising are part of the healing process and always resolve over time. Overall it is an excellent operation that gives you a long lasting dramatic natural appearing improvement with minimal risk, and pain and a reasonable amount of downtime. (David L. Mobley, MD, FACS, Sarasota Plastic Surgeon)

Mini Facelift Will Rejuvenate Your Face And Make You Look Younger

The pros are clearly the dramatic long term improvements that can be achieved. The cons are the downtime, costs, and incisions. However, very few non-surgical procedures can achieve these results. (Otto Joseph Placik, MD, Chicago Plastic Surgeon)

Provided you chose the right surgeon with the experience and credentials. Mini Face lift can be very rewarding, and patients are very happy. The cons are when complications occur, this is minimized by chosing the right surgeon. (Samir Shureih, MD, Baltimore Plastic Surgeon)

If you do your research and go to a great plastic surgeon (not basing your decision primarily on price as many seem to want to do), the pros of a facelift are huge. A great refreshed, rejuvenated look without signs of surgery, and an easy, relatively painless 2 week recovery to full visibility and activity.

Mini Rhytidectomy Reduces Sagging In The Cheek, Neck And Chin Area

The risks are few in the hands of a top surgeon with a healthy patient. The con is that a great facelift is going to cost you some money but if you look at it as an investment in yourself, it is a better way to spend your money that many other alternatives. (Richard P. Rand, MD, FACS, Seattle Plastic Surgeon)

Benefits and Complications of Facelift Surgery

Not all Face lifts are equal. The EFFECTIVENESS of a Facelift depends on WHAT skin layers are lifted, in WHICH DIRECTION they are lifted and how is the skin excess removed and scars placed. Usually, the more the pull is placed on the deeper layers UNDER the skin – the more a pull can be placed without damaging the skin or getting the dreaded “wind Blown Face” look.

Mini Surgery Is Quick

The direction of the pull will greatly influence persistent jowls and unnatural appearing direction of facial lines. Finally, the extent and placement of scars depends on the extent of skin looseness and the Facelift method.

The benefits of a Mini Facelift is a 10-15 turning back the clock with a refreshed look with a sharp jaw and neck angle. The complications of a Mini Facelift include bleeding, infection, ugly scarring, bruising, facial nerve damage, asymmetry, pulled (pixie) ear, areas of hair loss, among others. (Peter A. Aldea, MD, Memphis Plastic Surgeon)

Well executed facelift yields excellent results

A Mini facelift has the potential to yield remarkable changes when properly performed. These, although extensive, are very safe operations the are well-tolerated. There is not one “facelift”, but a comprehensive analysis of what bothers the patient married to the surgical procedures that will correct them.

Reduced Recovery Time Compared To A Full Facelift

Beware of “miniaturized” operations. We all want short cuts but too often patients are disappointed by improper treatment for their issues. Interview several good surgeons and demand to see lots of pictures, particularly of others that share your aesthetic problems. (Vincent N. Zubowicz, MD, Atlanta Plastic Surgeon)

A well-done mini facelift can produce dramatic results safely

With modern techniques, a well done face and neck lift can produce a youthful, natural result, eliminating jowls, and restoring a beautiful contour for the neck. When combined with other procedures such as browlift, eyelid surgery, cheeklift, fat grafting, and laser resurfacing, there is a balanced rejuvenation of the entire face.

Those are the pros. The cons…downtime of 2-3 weeks, the cost, and surgical risks such as bleeding, infection. healing problems, nerve injury, a result you don’t like, anesthesia risks, and others. Fortunately, in properly trained hands, the frequency of the risks is small. (Michael D. Yates, MD, Huntsville Plastic Surgeon)

Results From A Traditional Facelift Can Last For A Decade

The facelift or cheek/jaw line/neck lift can be an effective procedure to improve facial aging. If done properly the results can be long lasting and dramatic. If done improperly, you can look win swept or pulled for many years.

The pros include a fresher look to the face, elimination or improvement of jowling along the neck and jaw line, tightening of a sagging neck or improvement of a turkey wattle and lessening of the deep folds near the sides of the nose.

The cons include a windswept look when the surgeon pulls in an unnatural way or pulls too tight, risks of scarring especially if pulled too tight and some numbness around the ear.

Of course, cost can be an issue as the prices range from 7500 to 15,000 depending upon where you have it done.

The Results Last After A Mini Rhytidectomy Depends On A Number Of Factors

The windswept look can be avoided by going to the right surgeon who lifts the face in a more vertical fashion than one who pulls sideways sinc we all age according to gravity unless that is the look you are trying to achieve. (Scott Trimas, MD, Jacksonville Facial Plastic Surgeon)

When done correctly, the “pros” are what you wanted – to look naturally younger.

The cons, well they can be many. The most frequent concern I hear is that the patients do not want to looked pulled.

The next, visible scars. Then post surgical pain can be an issue and then patients fear nerve injury. In my experience, none of these concerns have even a 2 % occurrence.

That means, 98% of the patients are happy with the laser vertical Facelift I perform The same may be true for other Board Certified Plastic surgeons. I feel the pros’s out weigh the cons. (Michael Kulick, MD, DDS, San Francisco Plastic Surgeon)

The Results Often Last For A Much Shorter

Pros: improved appearance, restorted volume to your cheeks, decreased wrinkles and jowling, improved neck line, results can last 10-15 years.

Cons: recovery takes about 1 week, swelling, bruising, risk of bleeding, pain, and infection, possible wound healing problems associated with smoking. (Jeffrey E. Schreiber, MD, FACS, Baltimore Plastic Surgeon)

Every decision has its risks and benefits. While cosmetic surgery is generally very safe, do not forget that plastic surgery has its inherent risks. A long lasting and natural youthful appearance is the goal of modern face lift surgery.

Current minimally invasive techniques have advanced these aesthetic benefits with less down time. Recovery is usually within a couple weeks. While risks of facial surgery are minimal, they still exist and you should be aware of them.

The Shorter Recovery Period

Speak with a plastic surgeon specializing in face lift surgery to provide a consultation, and see if face lift surgery right for you. (Houtan Chaboki, MD, Washington DC Facial Plastic Surgeon)

The pros and cons of a face-lift really depend upon what type of face-lift is being performed. As with any other surgical procedure, there are real but very rare risks associated with surgery and anesthesia.

Complications seldom arise; however, in smokers, infection and poor healing may occur. In the hands of an experienced facial plastic surgeon these risks are minimized to achieve an excellent cosmetic outcome. Most patients are by far and away exceedingly pleased with their new refreshed look and sense of wellbeing, and state that they now “look as good as they feel. (William Portuese, MD, Seattle Facial Plastic Surgeon)