Facelift: find a top facelift surgeon near you
Facelift.studio ranks the top facelift surgeons in the US on public records of their facelift research, teaching, leadership and the work they show, and explains how the modern facelift works, what it costs and how recovery goes. Dr. Benjamin Talei of Beverly Hills, California ranks #1, with a score of 87.4.
Dr. T. Gerald O'Daniel, MD
Facelift and neck lift surgeon in Louisville, Kentucky. Board certified by the American Board of Surgery, the American Board of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery and the American Board of Plastic Surgery.
- Operations
- Facelift · Neck lift · Submandibular gland reduction
- Practice
- O'Daniel Studios
How has the facelift changed?
The facelift guides cover how the operation changed, what top surgeons do today and what is coming.
The modern facelift
A facelift once pulled the skin tight; today it lifts the layer under the skin, treats the neck with the face and closes the skin without tension. No named technique has been shown to last longer than the others, so the surgeon's plan for each face decides most of the result.
Why facelifts are safer now
Facelift surgeons have lowered the old risks of bleeding, skin loss and a pulled look by lifting the deeper tissue, controlling blood pressure and nausea, and asking patients to stop nicotine. The risks that remain are known, and a patient lowers them by choosing an accredited facility, treating high blood pressure and stopping nicotine weeks ahead.
The papers that changed the facelift
Today's facelift grew out of papers by surgeons who dissected faces in the anatomy lab or followed their own patients for years. Their work moved the lift into the deeper tissue, added fat for lost volume, reshaped the neck and made bleeding rarer, and surgeons still debate how far the deep work needs to go.
The future of the facelift
More men, younger patients and people who lost weight on GLP-1 drugs now ask for facelifts. Surgeons are moving toward deeper release, hidden incisions and work under the neck muscle, and research has not yet shown which of these methods works best.
Who are the top 10 facelift surgeons in the US?
The top 10 facelift surgeons in the US lead the national Top 500, ranked on research, teaching and the work each practice shows.
Dr. Benjamin Talei
Beverly Hills Center for Plastic & Laser Surgery
Dr. Babak Azizzadeh
CENTER for Advanced Facial Plastic Surgery
Dr. James Stuzin
The Institute of Aesthetic Medicine
Dr. Foad Nahai
MetroDerm & Center for Plastic Surgery (Center for Plastic Surgery at MetroDerm)
Dr. T. Gerald O'Daniel
O'Daniel Studios
Dr. Bahman Guyuron
Zeeba Clinic & Medspa
Dr. Steven Cohen
FACES+
Dr. Renato Saltz
Saltz Plastic Surgery & Saltz Spa Vitoria
Dr. Dino Elyassnia
dinomd.com
Dr. Michael Lee
Park Cities Cosmetic Surgery
Which face procedures do facelift surgeons perform?
Each procedure page covers what the operation does, who it suits and how recovery goes.
Facelift
Deep-plane facelift · SMAS facelift techniques · Short-scar facelift and MACS lift
Neck lift
Deep neck lift · Platysma bands and platysmaplasty · Submandibular gland reduction
Midface and cheek
Midface lift and cheek · Buccal fat removal · Fat grafting and volume with facelift
Eyelid surgery
Upper blepharoplasty · Lower blepharoplasty · Tear trough and lid-cheek junction surgery
Brow lift
Endoscopic brow lift · Temporal and lateral brow lift · Hairline brow lift and forehead reduction
Skin resurfacing
CO2 laser resurfacing · Erbium laser resurfacing · Phenol-croton oil peel
Lips, chin and fat
Lip lift · Corner lip lift · Chin implant
Safety and recovery
Facelift complications and outcomes · Signs of a bad facelift · Facelift recovery timeline
What does a facelift cost?
A facelift at a top-ranked US practice costs a median $27,000, by the prices practices publish on their own sites. The cost page lists facelift and neck lift prices, the recovery page gives recovery week by week, and the galleries show before-and-after photos, each from the practice's own site.
Where are the top facelift surgeons near me?
Top facelift surgeons near you are on the map, each marker carrying the surgeon's national rank. Every region, city and state has its own ranking and map.
Each marker carries the surgeon's Top 500 rank and sits on the practice's street address where it is known, otherwise at the centre of the practice's city. Markers that would cover each other spread into a ring and move back as you zoom in. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Regions
Cities
States
What does facelift research show?
Facelift research is summarized in plain words by topic, from anatomy to complications.
Lower blepharoplasty
Lower blepharoplasty treats lower eyelid bags by removing or moving fat through the skin or inside the lid.
Neck lift and platysma
A neck lift tightens the platysma muscle and removes excess fat and skin from the neck and jawline.
Upper blepharoplasty
Upper blepharoplasty removes excess upper eyelid skin, and sometimes muscle and fat, through a crease incision.
Blepharoptosis repair
Ptosis papers raise a drooping upper eyelid by shortening or reattaching the levator or Muller muscle.
Brow and eyelid with facelift
Combined procedure papers cover brow lift, forehead lift and blepharoplasty done with a facelift.
Facelift technique, general
General technique papers describe a surgeon's facelift method, its steps and the results in a patient series.
Canthoplasty and canthopexy
Canthal papers tighten or reset the outer corner of the eye to support the lower lid.
Facial fat grafting, nanofat and microfat
Fat grafting papers move processed fat into the face for volume, lips and skin quality.
Which public figures have had a facelift?
Public figures on the record said in their own words that they had a facelift, eyelid, brow or skin procedure.
Portraits from Wikimedia Commons under Creative Commons licences; photographer and licence on each person's page. Everyone on the record
Which papers changed the facelift?
The papers that changed the facelift run from the SMAS to the deep plane, and surgeons still build on them.
Where do surgeons learn new facelift techniques?
- AMWC Latin America 20262026-10-29 · Medellin, Colombia
- CSAPS 53rd Annual Meeting2026-11-05 · Vancouver, BC, Canada
- 48th Annual ASAPS Conference2026-11-13 · Gold Coast, QLD, Australia
- Facial and Rhinoplasty Symposium 20262026-11-13 · Boca Raton, FL, USA
What is new in facelift research?
New facelift research is listed newest first, each paper with a plain summary where one is written.
Facelift questions
Answers from the published studies and the practices' own price and recovery statements.
What is a deep-plane facelift?
A deep-plane facelift releases the cheek ligaments and lifts the skin, cheek fat and underlying muscle layer together as one flap, to treat sagging cheeks, jowls and a soft jawline. Hamra described the operation in 1990 (PMID 2359803). Reviews have not shown that it lasts longer than other SMAS facelifts (PMID 41100833). Deep-plane facelift
How long is facelift recovery?
Facelift recovery at top-ranked US practices puts the return to work at a typical 2 weeks and the final result at 6 months, by the practices' own statements. In one surgeon's published series, patients returned to normal social life on day 8 on average (PMID 19568088). Facelift recovery, week by week
What are the main risks of a facelift?
A hematoma, bleeding under the skin, is the most common serious facelift complication, at 2 to 4 in 100 across reports, and most appear in the first 12 hours (PMID 16164866). Permanent facial nerve injury was about 1 in 2,000 in pooled studies (PMID 40456989). Facelift complications and outcomes
How long does a facelift last?
A facelift's jawline lift held in Hamra's long-term follow-up, while the early improvement in the fold beside the mouth faded (PMID 12172164). No named facelift technique has been shown to last longer than the others (PMID 41100833). Sagging that returns within two years had a median rate of 2.4% in the papers that reported it (PMID 35534779).
Who performs facelifts?
Facelift surgery in the US is performed by surgeons from several specialties, including plastic surgery, facial plastic surgery, oculoplastic surgery and cosmetic surgery, and each trains and certifies differently. The Top 500 lists plastic, facial plastic and oculoplastic surgeons, read from the society profile or the NPI Registry, with board certification confirmed on each dossier. Who performs facelifts