Through the aging process we’re all destined to have loose skin around the face and neck—an unsettling double chin, jawline “jowls,” and sagging skin. It’s not surprising, then, that a face lift, or a mini-facelift as we refer to it, is among the top three most desired facial plastic surgery procedures.
Now there’s a less invasive face lift that can correct the most substantial signs of aging, helping men and women look rejuvenated, younger, and even healthier often boosting confidence in the process. The modern mini facelift uses a less aggressive technique than a more invasive traditional face lift.
This specialized surgical procedure avoids facial nerves while tightening skin-supporting muscles, often resulting in less swelling and shorter healing time. The mini lift creates a natural-looking appearance that can last for years, an outcome for which Dr. Smith and Dr. Bovenzi have become known. However, even a mini facelift must be customized for each individual. Dr. Smith and Dr. Bovenzi’s goal in recommending facial rejuvenation is to focus on specific areas of the face that need correction. A mini cheek and neck lift, or mini facelift, which elevates the neck and the lower half of the face, is a powerful tool to achieve a long-lasting, rejuvenated look.
Ever wondered how a face lift could improve your looks—and even your self-confidence? Come and see us today for an initial complimentary consultation directly with a surgeon.
Men and women who see signs of aging, especially in their neck and lower face areas. There is not specific age that you need to be to undergo facelift surgery nor is there an age limit as long as you are healthy and your goals line up with what facelift surgery can achieve for you. Our surgeons review a comprehensive medical history with you to ensure that you will be safe during any procedure. We will discuss the procedure’s advantages and limitations with you in detail during your consultation.
The steps to perform the face lift surgery include making the incisions, performing any liposuction if needed, dissecting the skin and subcutaneous fat away from the underlying muscle (the SMAS, aka superficial musculoaponeurotic system) and repositioning this muscle back up to its youthful position. These steps are where the details of the deep plane facelift, SMAS facelift, etc take place. Next, the muscle is sutured into this rejuvenated position in both the face and neck. The skin is then redraped and the excess is trimmed. The skin is sutured and a dressing is placed to hold gentle pressure on the surgical area for the first night.
Depending on which surgeries you are having performed at the same time, your surgical time can vary. For a facelift by itself, the surgery takes about 3 hours or so. This time can change if you have a revision surgery or if you have other procedures added on. You are usually asleep a bit longer than this as it takes some time to go to sleep and wake up from anesthesia. You may note that our surgeons are efficient at facelift surgery because this is a routine procedure that Dr Bovenzi and Dr Smith do all the time. Other surgeons who do not do these surgeries as frequently often have much longer surgical times, sometimes taking up to 6 to 8 hours!
Recovery from facelift surgery usually takes about 1.5 to 2 weeks with the advanced techniques our surgeons use. Facelift surgery is not a very painful surgery, though we do send you with a prescription for painkillers in case they are needed. Usually people only take a few of those pills in the day or two after surgery then switch to regular Tylenol. The recovery from facelift is usually mostly around allowing your body to heal any bruising you may have and resolve the swelling that occurs afterwards. Usually the peak of the swelling is about day 5 and quickly comes down between days 10 and 14 after surgery. Bruising usually resolves within this same timeframe of 10 to 14 days. The downtime from facelift surgery is mostly social downtime plus feeling a bit more fatigued than usual. We provide a surgical booklet which goes over restrictions after surgery in detail. Some of the most important restrictions is making sure you do not over-exert yourself in the healing period. A rise in blood pressure puts you at a higher risk for bleeding and thus, you will need to refrain for exercise for about 4 weeks after facelift surgery. You may go on leisurely walks, but any uphill, power, or strenuous walking can increase your blood pressure and cause unnecessary risk to your surgical result.Depending on your job requirements, usually 2 weeks is recommended time off from facelift surgery, though some people can go back earlier especially if they can work remotely or do not have a physically demanding job.
After facelift surgery, the neck can feel tight, which is normal and expected since the neck muscles are tightened during surgery. This sensation fades with time though the neck contour remains rejuvenated. While patients are free to eat what they like after facelift surgery, most choose to take small bites of soft food especially in the early stages of healing as they are more comfortable to chew and swallow as your jaw may be tight and it can be uncomfortable to open your mouth widely. You should not have any issues talking or breathing after surgery.
Facelift results are permanent as in the tissues are brought up to their youthful position and the excess skin is removed. However, as much as we would like to pause the aging process, it continues after surgery. Some people never see a need to have a second facelift done whereas others start to see signs of aging around 8 to 10 years later and opt to have another facelift at that time.
The cost of a facelift can vary based on your location, surgeon, and the extent of work that is required. In general, the more time in the operating room that is needed, the more costly a procedure can be. Also, revision facelifts can be a bit more complex and so may be slightly more costly. Some things that can help you with the cost of a facelift is if you are planning on having multiple procedures eventually, it makes sense to combine them for less overall cost, less recovery time, and fewer anesthesia doses.
While there are many things to consider in your decision to have a facelift, we certainly understand that cost is at the forefront of everyone’s mind on the journey to realizing a more youthful and refreshed version of themselves. So, how much does a facelift cost?
In truth, the price can vary considerably between geographical areas, surgeons, and your individual facial features and surgical needs. In general, the cost of a facelift can range between $10,000 and $40,000 depending on age and procedures needed, but you may find some outliers on either end of the spectrum. Some surgeons charge in the hundreds of thousands for their facelift services. To find out exactly what is recommended and what your surgery will cost, we offer a complimentary initial consultation directly with our surgeons, Dr. Bovenzi and Dr Smith. Taking into consideration that every person’s facial anatomy and genetics are unique and highly individual, our surgeons will thoroughly analyze your face and aging concerns and will work with those concerns and your budget.
Financing Options
As an elective procedure, the cost of a facelift isn’t covered by health insurance and is required to be paid in full prior to surgery. Our office has multiple different types of payment plans and our staff is well-versed in working with your individual goals and budget and how to best match the two in order to get you the best results possible.
There are a variety of additional options others have utilized over the years that you can consider for financing the newly, rejuvenated you.
Take advantage of the many 0% credit card options available
This is the most common way patients pay for their facelift surgery. Maybe you have an established relationship with your current credit card company and simply need to inquire as to their 0% credit card terms. If a relationship isn’t already in place, simply search online for 0% credit card options and prepare to be amazed at all that are available. In many instances you will even earn points or miles for your purchase depending on the credit card you choose.
Care Credit
Many patients choose to use Care Credit to help them achieve their facelift goals. Care Credit is a healthcare credit card that will allow you to make a set monthly payment and have your balance taken care of in a specific amount of time depending on the term you choose and your monthly budget. Care Credit even offers a 0% payment option (6 months 0% maximum allowed with Smith Cosmetic Surgery).
Personal loan through a bank or credit union
The relationship you’ve developed with your bank or credit union could be the answer to realizing your facelift goals sooner than later. Many banks and credit unions offer personal loans or signature loans at competitive rates and without collateral.
All of the above
Smith Cosmetic Surgery patients often use a couple or several avenues for financing their dream of a rejuvenated, more youthful version of themselves. And don’t worry, you won’t get any judgement from us. We understand how a cosmetic procedure can elevate one’s sense of self and self-confidence. Often giving a competitive edge in a job interview or the confidence one needs to begin dating or putting themselves out there again. We’re here to help and answer questions. Let us know how we can help!
Disclaimer: Smith Cosmetic Surgery & Medical Aesthetic Center and its staff are not financial advisors and are not suggesting that you accumulate debt of any kind. Our goal in outlining the above is to simply bring awareness to options others have utilized to pay for their surgical procedures.
A facelift helps make you look younger by repositioning the skin, muscle, and fat that have started to sag with age. Older types of facelifts only addressed the skin, and pulling just the skin causes an unnatural pulled appearance. We now know that the basis of jowling and neck sagging is from the laxity of the underlying muscle and fat layers. These layers are lifted back to their youthful position to rejuvenate the cheeks, lower face, jawline, and neck.
Facelift scarring is something we pride ourselves at being experts on. The goal is to leave minimal trace that you ever had anything done and the scars are hidden so that even with short hair or with your hair in a ponytail, people would be hard-pressed to see scarring. We design the incisions around the ears in such a way that they heal extremely well and lay in existing facial creases. We also have meticulous surgical technique and care for the incisions to make sure they end up as invisible as possible afterwards. If you have had a previous facelift elsewhere resulting in unsightly scarring, having a revision facelift with us can be of great benefit to help rejuvenate the face as well as remove the old scars.
There are many variations of names for facelifts, many of which are created for marketing purposes or are a minor alteration of a step in a standard facelift technique. Additionally, some terms using the word ‘facelift’ actually describe procedures that are not true facelifts. We at Smith Cosmetic prefer to use the terms “Facelift” and “Mini Facelift” to avoid confusion for our patients.
A mini facelift is designed to optimize your facial rejuvenation while minimizing the downtime required so you can get back to your normal life as quickly as possible with a great result. After a mini facelift you do not need drains and only need to wear the large facelift dressing for the first night after surgery. Sometimes, people are looking for a very large change or are coming in for a complicated revision case, which we have vast expertise in. In these cases, a more aggressive approach is needed to get patients to their goals, which can make a full facelift a better choice for them. The type of technique used in facelift surgery is also sometimes used as a descriptor of the procedure, such as a deep plane facelift, SMAS facelift, or midface lift. These differ most on the extent of dissection needed for your facial structure. Facelift surgery is our most common procedure and the technique used and details thereof are very individualized and in your consultation with the surgeon they can specify which technique would work best with your facial anatomy.
Some people refer to a browlift as an upper facelift and there was a time years ago that people would encompass all sorts of aging face procedures under the facelift name. Now, it is more commonplace to define the procedures by the facial feature being lifted such as specifying the difference between a browlift and a lower face and neck lift. A browlift helps elevate and rejuvenate the eyebrow position, most commonly in the outer part or lateral part of the eyebrow. This is performed using small incisions in the scalp with the scars hidden in the hair. A lower facelift is meant to address the jowling and neck laxity you see around the jawline and neckline areas. The incisions for the lower facelift are located around the ears and sometimes a very small incision just underneath the chin.
Facelift surgery is specifically designed to help with the appearance of your lower face with attention to the chin, jawline, fat underneath the chin, and neck. Routinely, liposuction underneath the chin is employed in facelift surgery to help contour the entire lower face area to achieve comprehensive rejuvenation to achieve facial harmony and revitalization.
It is very common to combine other surgeries with a facelift since there are multiple areas of the face that may age at a similar timepoint. Some of the most common combined procedures with a facelift include browlift, upper eyelid surgery (upper blepharoplasty), lower eyelid surgery (lower blepharoplasty), liposculpture (fat transfer from the abdomen to the face), and skin laser resurfacing. Combing procedures often helps in multiple ways as you can have just one session of anesthesia and can recover from the different procedures simultaneously without extra time added to the recovery process. Additionally, there is sometimes a discount if you have multiple procedures done at the same time.
Facelift results are permanent as in the tissues are brought up to their youthful position and the excess skin is removed. However, as much as we would like to pause the aging process, it continues after surgery. Some people never see a need to have a second facelift done whereas others start to see signs of aging around 8 to 10 years later and opt to have another facelift at that time.
There is no set timeframe between facelift surgeries required as each person’s face ages at different rates. If you have had facelift surgery elsewhere and are unsatisfied with the results, in some cases it is reasonable to do a revision facelift within the first year or so to address the issues that remain. On the other hand, if you have had good results and are interested in maintaining that appearance, the best thing you can do is to continue to see your facial plastic surgeon for maintenance botox and be evaluated for fillers periodically while keeping a personalized skin care routine with our medical aesthetic center.
That said, sometimes people opt for tuck ups before the ten year timeframe when they start to see the beginnings of aging on their face again. In fact, this is the technique that many celebrities who never seem to age will do. This way, there is not a big dramatic change the public can see but can stave off signs of aging before they become more and more noticeable. Please note, this is the technique that celebrities with good plastic surgery do (there are many examples of bad plastic surgery out there, especially in Hollywood)
In our complimentary consultations, patients have the opportunity to discuss all their thoughts, goals, and questions. Our surgeons make sure to spend adequate time with each patient to ensure that your visions are aligned to achieve a result that everyone is thrilled with. Facelift surgery is not a one-size-fits-all, every face is unique and everyone’s anatomy is different. Your consultation is unique to you and the procedure(s) recommended will depend on your goals and facial features. Your plastic surgeon will discuss your medical history, medications, allergies, previous surgeries, and of course your vision for what you would like to achieve and spend time discussing the procedure(s), their risks, benefits, and alternatives as well as the recovery process and any questions you may have about the process from beginning to end. Additionally, we will have you have photos taken and our medical version of photoshop is used to help image what the procedures may look like on your face. This tool is helpful in aligning your and your surgeon’s expectations.
It is always helpful to have an idea of what you would like to discuss ahead of time. Some people choose to write down their questions ahead of time and some like to bring a friend or family member to help them remember all the informaiton discussed. You should make sure to bring a list of your medications and information about your health history to fill out our new patient paperwork, which can be sent to you ahead of time. While it is always good for a patient to be familiar with the procedures they are interested in, we do not recommend you overwhelm yourself with burdensome research beforehand as internet sources for medical care are not always the most accurate or helpful. Please be assured our doctors will take the time to answer your questions whether they come up during or after your visit.
The best preparation patients can do before facelift surgery is detailed at length In our preoperative patient booklets. Much of this information ensures that you are prepared both physically and mentally for your surgical day. Commonly, patients have bloodwork and an EKG done ahead of time to make sure that you are healthy enough for anesthesia. If any additional medical clearances are needed before surgery, your surgeon will let you know with plenty of time beforehand. From a mental standpoint, we recommend reading over the Patient’s Journey diary from one of our facelift patients who happens to be a staff member as well! She explains her experience in detail so you can know what to expect going in.
We take pride in minimizing any scars and hiding them in natural contours of the face so that when they are healed, they are very hard to see.
