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.
While we expect ten years, many patients have seen results that last for longer than ten years. Both the full and mini facelift procedures provide long-term results. While each patient is different, the mini facelift typically lasts 10 years. Some patients continue to see results for longer than 10 years.
About the lower facelift
The main goals of this type of facelift are to soften lines and wrinkles, improve the appearance of creases around the mouth, remove excess neck skin, and to tighten and define the loose skin of the jawline and jowls.
A mini facelift can be thought of as a smaller version of a lower facelift surgical procedure designed for younger patients to catch signs of aging early on. It's definition will vary from surgeon to surgeon.
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.
Is a mini facelift painful? Whenever you have a mini or full facelift, there is some pain and discomfort that follows the procedure. With the mini facelift, there is less pain because only certain parts of the face were tightened. This pain is much less significant than those who undergo a full facelift experience.
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.
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. This is caused by gravity, which pulls the excess blood and bruising downward.
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.
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.
Neck lift surgery (platysmaplasty) is the most effective, but also most invasive, treatment for jowls. It may be the only option available to patients with severe jowls or substantial laxity.
One popular noninvasive technique is Ultherapy, which delivers ultrasound heat energy to lift and support deeper layers of skin around your chin and face area. This procedure is more expensive than some other nonsurgical treatments. On average, nonsurgical skin tightening costs about $2,000.
SMAS facelift (SMAS rhytidectomy): A SMAS (superficial musculoaponeurotic system, the muscular layer of your face) facelift targets the lower two-thirds of your face. In this surgical procedure, a surgeon tightens your muscle and trims excess skin and/or fat in your cheeks and lower face.
The deep plane facelift is generally considered the most comprehensive and long lasting type of facelift. This facelift involves the layer of muscles under your facial skin. These muscles are responsible for much of the drooping or sagging you may experience in your face as you age.
Full Facelift
Larger, behind-the-ears incisions allow for optimal removal of excess skin and fat for more dramatic results. A full facelift provides the longest lasting results, pausing the clock on aging for 20 years or more.
Although the mini facelift is designed primarily to tighten the lower half of the face and focuses mostly on the jawline and jowls, a slight amount of upper neck tightening can also be achieved. In a traditional facelift, the focus is mostly on lifting and smoothing the neck more dramatically.
Unlike a deep plane facelift, the ponytail facelift is a less invasive facelift technique. Ponytail facelifts have the shortest scar, and refer to one's ability to wear a ponytail without showing more visible scarring.
A thread lift is a short, minimally invasive procedure that — using advances in thread technology — can lift and reposition sagging facial skin. The results are not as dramatic as facelift surgery but still visible. Thread lifts can target areas of the face and neck, including: Jowls.
"Liquid facelift" is the phrase used for a combination of injectable procedures that can address some of the issues associated with aging – like loss of volume or the appearance of wrinkles – without going through invasive surgery or recovery.
A facelift often will enhance the appearance of your cheek, jaw line and neck region but is considered major surgery. You should think carefully about your specific expectations and communicate your goals to your plastic surgeon.
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.
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.
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.
- 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).
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.