Facelift

A facelift is best suited to patients who have sagging skin around their face and find that they are looking tired or upset when they are not.

Contradictions may include high blood pressure, diabetes, lung or heart disease and bleeding disorders as these can increase your risk for complications. A full medical history will be taken at your consultation and your full suitability will be discussed with your surgeon.

Scarring is all dependant on the Surgeon’s skills and experience, and with the most advanced facelift techniques available today, scarring is kept to a minimum. Incision sites will be carefully considered to reduce visibility during recovery and in the long-term. They are also very well concealed for both women and men.

The majority of patients undergoing a facelift procedure are between the ages of 40-60. Ideally the best results are seen on patients who still have elasticity left in their skin, have good bone structure and most importantly are fit and well.

A full facelift targets the area from your eye area to the jaw and a mini facelift is more focused to the lower half of your face. The incisions used with a mini facelift are also smaller so the recovery time is often reduced slightly.

A Mini Face lift is bested suited for patients who have moderate skin laxity with the appearance of some jowls. If you have significant skin laxity with cheek sagging then your surgeon will most likely suggest you have a full Face Lift procedure.

Your consultation is your time with the surgeon to discuss your desired outcome of surgery, ask any questions you may have prepared and go through the surgical procedure talking through any concerns that you might have. We also suggest bringing along some photographs of your younger-self as many of our patients do not want to look different, just younger and this is the best way for your surgeon to physically see how you face has changed as you have got older and work out the best way to give you the results that you want.

A facelift procedure usually takes between 1-3 hours. More complicated and extensive procedures can take longer but this will be discussed at your consultation.

A full facelift will require general anaesthetic but some smaller cases and mini facelifts may only require a local anaesthetic with added sedation if requested.

For a full facelift an incision is usually made at the temple which then runs along and around the hairline round the back of the ears. The facial skin and tissue is then lifted upwards before being repositioned and any excess is then removed. The incisions will then be closed with absorbable stitches.

We do recommend that patients stay overnight in hospital for both the surgeon and the nursing team to ensure that you are healing well post-surgery.

The feeling after a facelift is not usually pain but just a discomfort as your face may feel tight and full for the first 7-10 days but this can be managed by pain medication provided to you.

Scarring is all dependent on the Surgeon’s skills and experience, and with the most advanced facelift techniques available today, scarring is kept to a minimum. Incision sites will be carefully considered to reduce visibility during recovery and in the long-term. They are also very well concealed for both women and men.

The scars following a facelift are usually found along the hairline and around the ears. This means that the scars are able to be hidden by your hair. Overtime, with proper care your scars will fade and become flat making them almost unnoticeable.

All surgical procedures will cause swelling which includes facelift procedures. Bruising after surgery varies between patients and their natural healing responses. Any bruising and swelling should reduce and eventually clear after 2-3 weeks.

You can expect the results to last for many years. The ageing process is continuous and the facelift aims to tackle the hardest signs of visible ageing. A healthy lifestyle and good skincare routine will help you maintain the effects of the facelift for as long as possible. It is difficult to establish just how long the results will last as each patient present a unique situation. There are a range of aesthetic and cosmetic treatments to assist in maintaining results.

We recommend that you book 2 weeks off work but this will depend on depend on the nature of your employment and the type of facelift that you are having.

After 4-6 weeks you will be able to return to exercise and other strenuous activities, we do recommend that you confirm this with your surgeon first however as everyone’s recovery times are different.

We recommend that you avoid wearing make-up for at least a week after your facelift procedure. If you decide to wear make-up after this you should not apply it over any incisions and you must make sure it is removed fully overnight as makeup can expose harmful bacteria to your incisions which can extend your healing time. If you are unsure we would recommend contacting you surgeon or their nursing team for advice.

A facelift is essentially permanent however it will not stop your face from naturally ageing. For patients who take care of their skin, avoid smoking and excessive sun exposure then they should be able to reap the benefits of their facelift for upwards of 10 years. There are many non-surgical procedures that can be used to “touch-up” a facelift in the years following surgery.

During your consultation with one of our Consultant Plastic & Reconstructive Surgeons, you will always be offered the most suitable procedure for your facial structure and desired results. We have a range of face and neck lifting procedures. The average prices paid by our Facelift patients start from £6,900 for a mini-facelift (SMAS) and £9,185 for a full facelift. We don’t follow a one-price-fits-all policy and prices are quoted on a case by case basis. You will be given an accurate quote for your requirements following your consultation.

We offer FREE consultations with our highly experienced Patient Advisors who are able to offer you all the information your require prior to meeting a surgeon. Consultations for Facelift procedures with one of our senior Consultant Plastic Surgeons are £50. Please note that consultations at our Harley Street clinic are with the Surgeons.

A facelift procedure is more targeting at lifting sagging skin especially around the neck and jowls. Although you will see some improvement to lines and wrinkles through facelift surgery, if this is your main concern then a non-surgical treatment such as wrinkle relaxing injections or laser rejuvenation may be better suited. See our wrinkle condition page for more information.

You can have non-surgical facelifts, fat transfer procedures and facial rejuvenation treatments, which will tackle effects of ageing such as uneven skin tone, age spots, wrinkles and loss of fat volume to the face. Treatments that we offer include:

– Organic Facelift (Fat Transfer)
– 8 Point Lift
– Wrinkle Relaxing Injections
– Dermal Fillers 
– Laser Treatments