Face-lift results are not permanent. With age, the facial skin may begin to droop again. In general, a face-lift can be expected to last 10 years.
Injectable treatments will reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, but they will not remove excess skin, improve skin laxity, or eliminate skin sagging. The only way to effectively treat these issues is through surgery. A facelift will provide much more long-lasting results than non-surgical options.
Subtle improvements continue for 3 to 6 months after surgery
Even after you are recovered and back to your full routine, healing will continue for up to 6 months or longer after a facelift.
In most cases, a facelift works best for people in their 40s, 50s, and 60s when signs of aging begin to become prevalent. Deep lines, wrinkles, fine lines, and sagging skin are the result of the aging process and can be best corrected through surgical techniques rather than non-surgical ones.
Facelifts don't stop the aging process, but results are permanent. That means ten years down the line; you can still look a decade younger. Of course, every patient is unique, and many factors (both in and out of your control) affect results.
When performed correctly by the hands of a skilled surgeon, facelift results can be some of the most natural looking of any cosmetic procedure and can leave you with a rejuvenated and more youthful facial appearance.
Because both procedures alter tissue and skin on your face, both offer long-term results. In most cases, a mini facelift will last around ten years easily before another lift is needed. A full facelift can last approximately double that at twenty years.
While facelift results can be different for every patient, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons found that, on average, patients felt they looked about 12 years younger after their facelift surgeries.
The average cost of a facelift is $8,005, according to 2020 statistics from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. This average cost is only part of the total price – it does not include anesthesia, operating room facilities or other related expenses.
Can I have multiple facelifts? Technically, there is no limit or “magic number” when it comes to how many facelifts can be performed. But as we mentioned, we want to make sure your results remain as natural as possible. Too many surgeries can make your face appear “pulled” or “worked on,” which is not always desirable.
Facelift fails are most likely to occur when a surgeon doesn't have the level of training and experience required to do a good job with the procedure you want. This is why you should be sure to look for a facial plastic surgeon for any facial surgery, not simply a plastic surgeon.
Facelift recovery time
You should look and feel normal after 2 – 4 weeks. Keep in mind that facelift surgery cannot stop natural aging, so we encourage patients to continue to take care of their skin and make healthy lifestyle choices.
There is usually very little actual pain following a facelift, but you may experience a deep bruised sensation as a result of the swelling, and your face may seem heavy. The bandage you will wear the first night may seem quite snug under your chin. Rather than make you feel restricted, we hope it makes you feel secure.
Eighty-nine patients (68 percent) returned the survey. Results: One year after face-lift surgery, 87 patients (97.8 percent) described the improvement of their facial appearance as very good or beyond expectations.
Complications of facelift surgery are infrequent, and cosmetic procedures are generally safe, as long as they are carried out by a qualified and experienced professional. However, any surgery comes with some risk. The risks and complications of facelift surgery include: Bleeding.
Overall, a mini facelift is considered effective in correcting sagging skin in the lower half of your face. Depending on your overall goals, you may consider additional procedures, such as an eye lift or dermal fillers.
Botox is perhaps one of the best alternatives to facelifts when it comes to efficiency. This treatment will help you remove wrinkles and fine lines without the discomfort or cost of a facelift. It works by preventing your facial muscles from receiving signals from nerve cells.
A mini facelift involves the placement of incisions in front of the ears which extend from the hairline to the bottom of the earlobe. The surgeon will then gently pull the skin and tissues up and outward the ear. Excess skin and tissue are removed to tighten the appearance of the skin.
Generally, a ponytail lift involves incisions made high up on the face – above the front of the ear or beyond the hairline. The facial cosmetic surgeon then pulls the ligaments below the skin to adjust and reduce sagging.
The answer is, “No,” since many patients do not have the loose skin or sagging fat/muscles that a facelift corrects. Younger patients often find that injectables such as Juvederm or Botox provide the filling or wrinkle reduction that they desire and with a shorter recovery.
Many patients develop aging after a facelift in the same way and areas that they developed facial aging initially. Lines will develop around the nose and mouth, the cheeks will lose some of their fullness, and the jawline will eventually soften.
- Patients who have undergone a facelift rate themselves as looking an average of 12 years younger after surgery, according to a study in the February issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery®, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).
Not surprisingly, the most common age for a facelift is around 58 or 59, with that age increasingly skewing younger.
When a face lift looks unnatural, it's usually because the patient's skin actually looks like it's been pulled up or to the side, almost as if their skin is being blown back by a heavy wind. The reason this looks odd is because our underlying facial structure itself changes with age.
Pulled-down earlobes may happen at the time of the original procedure, or can develop with time. The most dramatic distortion has been called “the pixie ear.” Natural contour can usually be restored, but this is often difficult. The earlobe is often not distorted, but simply pulled forward — a tip-off to a facelift.