As we age, our face is responsible for most signs of ageing – a part of our body also most exposed. In the natural ageing process, our skin loses its elasticity and volume. Combined with gravity, this, unfortunately, causes our face to draw downwards, nearer the bone, often causing unwanted sagginess and pesky folds and lines! To help turn back these effects of time, a range of surgical facelift options are available, giving us incredible youthful and natural-looking results. Facelifts represent the most advanced and refined youth restoration procedures available, allowing you to obtain substantial, impressive improvements.
- What is a surgical facelift?
A facelift, or rhytidoplasty procedure, is the most comprehensive and appropriate answer to the ageing process and tissue laxity. Softening the features of the face, the procedure restores a fresher, younger look, and creates a tighter and ultimately ‘lifted’ appearance.
With a facelift, major folds and wrinkles of the face can be corrected, excessive sagging skin can be reduced and jowls can be removed. Soft tissue loss from the cheeks can also be corrected and the fallen comers of the mouth, that give a tired and sad look, can be elevated. And how does it work? In the procedure, an incision is made, and skin and tissue ‘lifted,’ then repositioned, and any surplus discarded. Absorbable stitches can then be used to close the incisions.
At The Private Clinic, we only ever used refined and minimally invasive modern Facelift techniques, to ensure you will achieve completely natural-looking results.
As we discuss, there are different variations of the procedure available, targeting different areas. In a surgeon facelift consultation, you can be advised on what is the best treatment for your individual requirements.
- What are the different facelift types?
There are several forms of surgical facelift available. This is in terms of the areas targeted and technique used. In past decades facelift techniques have evolved greatly and still, there is a considerable variety of preference amongst surgeons, in which techniques are used, and this, in part, also reflects on where the scars are placed.
Regarding areas targeted, at The Private Clinic we have options to target all major areas. We offer the Full Facelift, Mini Facelift, Forehead and Brow Lift, Mid-Face Lift, and Facelift and Blepharoplasty, tailoring the treatment and technique used to each patient’s unique needs. Please see outlined what can be achieved with each procedure and the scarring and incision lines to expect…
| Facelift Type | What can be achieved? | Scarring/Incision Lines* |
| Full Facelift | Achieve a drastic improvement to your whole face, including a more youthful, fresher appearance.
Can improve lines between the nose and mouth, surplus skin in the jowls area, and heavy or low brows, for example. Any sagging below the jaw can be corrected via another incision below the chin | Typically, an incision is made in the temple, which runs across the hairline, then round to behind the ears, prior to lifting both the lower and upper face, and removing surplus skin, deep lines, and folds. Scarring is therefore usually along your hairline and around the areas, so scars can be hidden by the hair. |
| Mini Facelift | Focuses on correcting the jowls and neck.
The treatment is the best choice for those with some jowls and experiencing moderate skin laxity. | Much shorter incisions, that run from the patient’s temples to the crease in front of the ear.
Minimal scarring compared to the full facelift |
| One Stitch Facelift | Less invasive than a full facelift and is carried out under local anaesthetic.
The results are more subtle in comparison to a traditional facelift but still can provide a firmer, tighter, and more rejuvenated appearance. | Minimal downtime.
Low risk of swelling & bruising.
Scars are completely hidden under the hairline (5-6cm scar). |
| Forehead and Brow lift (Browplasty) | Lifts the forehead, elevates brows and corrects deep lines.
Can help to improve the overall look of your face. | This depends on the individual patient, but in some cases, incisions are within hair-bearing skin on the scalp, or above the brow. |
| Mid-Face Lift (Malar/ Cheeklift) | Restores both the lower eyelid region and cheeks.
Lifts sagging cheeks and gives the face a rejuvenated look.
Can also correct deep nasal folds. | The incisions lines for the Mid-Face Lift are usually hidden in the hair. |
| Facelift and Blepharoplasty (Eyelid Surgery) | A combination procedure which improves the eyelids and face overall. | The incision lines/scarring involved in the facelift areas above.
For a blepharoplasty procedure, incisions are made along the upper or lower eyelid, or both, depending on your needs. |
*Please note that although a facelift leaves some degree of scarring, expert surgeons will ensure facelift incisions are carefully planned to be well hidden and inconspicuous. Most scars are also concealed by the hairline. Scars will also gradually fade with good care and will become flat, making them nearly unnoticeable. Be cautious of unprotected sun exposure and smoking, to prevent scars worsening. Unprotected sun exposure causes scars to thicken and darken and smoking greatly interferes with the healing and final quality of the scars.
You are also able to combine a facelift with non-surgical treatments, to achieve particular results. For example, we recommend for some patients, a facelift combined with lipostructure (fat grafting to the face), which can both be carried out at the same time. This can fill the defects caused by volume loss, which can have outstanding results. For example, the hollow of the cheek and under eye area can be greatly rejuvenated with fat grafting. Our industry-leading, highly qualified surgeon, Mr Roberto Uccellini, who specialises in Facelift Surgery and is located in our London Harley Street, often combines facelift procedures and fat grafting at the same time under local anaesthetic.
Other ancillary procedures, such as dermal fillers, laser resurfacing and Botox can also be used in combination with Facelifts.
- How long is the procedure?
In regards to the procedure day, each of the facelift options discussed will last between 1-3 hours, with those that are more extensive taking longer. Many require local anaesthesia, although, general anaesthesia is required for most full facelift patients. Depending on the procedure, an overnight stay in the hospital may also be necessary.
- Recovery/ Healing and Timings Involved
The Private Clinic advise that you take 2 weeks leave from work post procedure, although, this ultimately depends on the nature of your profession, and the type of facelift chosen. At your consultation, we can recommend what is best for you.
In regards to recovery and side effects after treatment, the affected area will first of all be swollen and may be slightly numb around the incisions, with some bruising. Any swelling and pain you may experience, should, however, have settled down significantly in the second week. For those without absorbable stitches, stitches will be removed after 7 days or sometimes, 2 weeks, depending on the patient.
By 2-4 weeks post procedure, any bruising will be cleared, the ‘tight skin’ feeling should have improved, and any pain should now be minimal.
At a month post procedure, swelling should have reduced by 90%. Your skin may still feel slightly numb however – this can last up to approximately 4-6 months.
For the Facelift and Blepharoplasty combined procedure, all of the above is true. However, stitches for blepharoplasty will be removed 4-5 days after treatment, and it can take up a couple of months for your eyelids to completely settle.
Your surgical team should provide you with more detailed information about the post-surgery period, and be able to answer any questions you have regarding healing and recovery, at any stage.
- How long will my results last?
Results from each of the facelift procedures, including the combined facelift and blepharoplasty procedure, can sustain for several years, and having a good skincare regime and lifestyle can also help lengthen the effects.
Why choose The Private Clinic?
We offer highly skilled and extensively experienced plastic surgeons for our facelift surgery procedures, who represent some of the best for facelifts in the UK and achieve impressive results. We know that a facelift is not a ‘one-size-fits-all’ procedure, and all of our patients will always have a bespoke solution, tailored to their desired outcome and suitability.
With The Private Clinic, you can have peace of mind you will have the safest and most comfortable journey possible. We afford all of our patients care and service of the highest quality, before, during and for a long time following their procedure.
To find out more about our facelift surgery options, please visit our website. If you are interested in booking a consultation with one of our Senior Consultant Plastic Surgeons, or Patient Advisors, who can answer queries and provide information before meeting a surgeon, please book by calling 0333 920 2471 or book a consultation using our facelift online contact form.
Please see below our renowned Facelift Surgeons and their locations:
- Mr Roberto Uccellini MD Specialist Plastic and reconstructive surgery. Full & Specialist GMC Number: 7416337 – London
- Mr Davood Fallahdar FRCS (Plast) Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons (Plastic) GMC Number: 468660– London
- Mr Dario Rochira GMC Number: 6130664– London
- Mr Mrinal Supriya FRCS (OTOL-HNS), GMC Number: 6066456 – Northampton and Birmingham
- Mr Adel Fattah FRCS (Plast.) GMC Number: 4764599 in Manchester
- Mr Philip Lim BSc (Hons), MB ChB, AFRCS (Ed), MRCS (Eng), FRCS (Plast) GMC Number: 4219068 in Leeds
Why not combine an eyelift, blepharoplasty or eye bag removal with a facelift please click here for more information, faqs and read about our patient stories.
