While a mini facelift uses fewer incisions compared to a traditional facelift, it's still considered an invasive procedure. Like all types of surgery, mild side effects are to be expected. These include bruising, pain, and swelling. Severe side effects are rare but may include excessive bleeding and infections.
Getting a mini facelift can be worth the investment, depending on your desired results. It is much less invasive, expensive, and painful than a full facelift. It is designed for the 40-year-old that has sagging around the jowl, neck, and jaw. However, it can be effective for other ages too.
In general, good candidates for mini facelifts are men and women in their mid to late 40s up to 60s or 70s. There is not a cut-off age, per se, but instead we look at one's overall health, mobility, and treatment goals.
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. Many patients find that the results last even longer with a few more years for both the mini facelift and full facelift.
Because a mini facelift is less invasive than a full facelift, most patients report feeling minimal pain and discomfort following their surgery. It is common to experience some slight bruising and swelling. However, these issues should dissipate within a few weeks.
You can look literally a decade younger than before the mini-facelift, with useful definition restored to your chin, jaw, and lower facial area, and previously sagging skin tightened up. You'll simply see a much better version of you in the mirror each morning.
Can Someone Be “Too Old” for a Facelift? There is no age at which an individual is too old for any cosmetic enhancement, so long as they are healthy enough to undergo the rigors of surgery, anesthesia and recovery from the procedure.
The mini facelift is performed mostly to tighten the lower half of the face (the jawline and jowls), and is not typically used to address sagging skin of the neck. In fact, with a mini facelift in Palo Alto, the facial skin is pulled only very slightly. The result is a very natural-looking appearance.
It's possible for a patient to remain wide awake, using only the local anesthetic, during the procedure. However, in some cases, it's preferable for the patient also to be given a sedative (a medication in the same class as Valium), in order to help them relax and fall asleep during the procedure.
You must wear the chin strap continuously for the first two weeks after surgery except while eating and showering/cleaning incisions. The strap helps fight the forces of gravity immediately after surgery and helps improve any swelling.
A mini facelift can still make you look years younger, but it often involves much shorter incisions and will not involve a neck lift or brow lift. During a mini facelift, smaller incisions are made and the skin around the mid-face area of the face is lifted instead of the skin of the entire face.
AVOID BENDING OVER OR LIFTING heavy things for one week. Besides aggravating swelling, this may raise the blood pressure and start hemorrhage. AVOID HITTING OR BUMPING YOUR FACE, HEAD AND NECK. It is wise not to pick up small children and you should sleep alone for one week after your operation.
Your face likely will be bruised and swollen. The swelling may get worse before it gets better, but it will probably go away in 1 to 2 weeks. After a few days you may get some bruises on your neck and chest.
Why? When the facelift is performed, the skin is tightened and it can flatten out the jowls because the skin is tighter. However, over time as the skin relaxes, the full fatty jowls will restretch out the skin and the jowls will reappear. Weight loss prior to face lift surgery is very important for these people.
A mini facelift may help the appearance of your undereyes, but no skin will be removed from this area during a mini facelift. This procedure is designed to remove excess skin, fat, and muscle from your jaws and cheeks to produce a more toned and younger appearance.
Recovery time after a standard facelift, mini facelift, or neck lift is fairly quick. Most patients will be back to their day-to-day routine after one to three weeks.
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.
What is a mini facelift? Despite its name, a mini facelift is still a major cosmetic procedure. The procedure – which typically takes from one to one and a half hours – is able to remove excess or sagging skin from around the face, neck and jaw, that is the result of ageing.
A facelift is not generally for anyone under the age of 30. In most cases, a facelift works best for people in their 40s, 50s, and 60s when signs of aging begin to become prevalent.
As the name indicates, a mid-facelift is performed on the midsection of your face and is not intended to address issues with the jawline or neck. A mini facelift, also known as a “weekend lift,” is intended to address issues with the cheeks, jawline, and neck.
Don't smoke or drink alcohol for two weeks before your mini facelift and for two weeks afterward. Reduce stress as much as possible by incorporating some relaxation periods into your daily routine – listen to soothing music, do yoga, meditate, take naps – whatever helps you tone down the stress.
Visible scars are glaring signs of plastic surgery. Generally, facelift incisions run from the hairline at the temple and continue in front of and behind the ears and extend to the lower scalp.
Generally speaking, patients who undergo facelift surgery will be advised to sleep on their back with their head elevated to about a 30-degree angle for several weeks.
Mini facelift scars are minimal
Traditionally, an incision is made in the hairline near the temples on each side. The incision goes in front of the ear, down the front of and hugging the earlobe area, then back to the lower scalp behind the ears.