Facelift
A modern facelift lifts the deeper tissue of the cheek, jowl and jawline, not just the skin, and closes the skin without tension through incisions around the ear. The techniques differ in how deep the lift goes and which ligaments are released.
Facelift procedures
What each operation does, who it suits, the risks and how recovery goes.
Deep-plane facelift
A deep-plane facelift releases the ligaments that hold the cheek down and lifts the skin, cheek fat and underlying muscle layer together as one flap. It treats sagging cheeks, jowls and a soft jawline. Most surgeons who…
SMAS facelift techniques
The SMAS is the layer of fibrous tissue and muscle under the facial fat, and nearly every facelift done by board-certified plastic surgeons tightens it. Surgeons fold it with stitches, remove a strip of it or lift it as…
Short-scar facelift and MACS lift
A short-scar facelift uses a shorter incision, usually in front of the ear only, and less skin undermining than a full facelift, for a less visible scar and a faster recovery. It works best on the jowls and cheeks of…
Subperiosteal, vertical and preservation facelifts
These facelifts lift the face upward more than back toward the ear. A subperiosteal lift frees the soft tissue from the bone and moves the whole facial "mask" up; vertical, endoscopic and "preservation" lifts are newer…
Facelift anatomy
The face is built in layers: skin, fat, a layer of fibrous tissue and flat facial muscles that surgeons call the SMAS, a deep fascia, and the facial nerve branches beneath it. Facelift techniques differ in which layer…
Facelift incisions and scars
A facelift scar runs along the temple, in front of the ear, around the earlobe and behind the ear, and where each part sits decides whether the sideburn, hairline, tragus and earlobe keep their natural shape. A fine…
Facelift by age
Most people who have a facelift are in their 50s and 60s, and the average age is about 61. Health matters more than age: carefully selected patients over 65, 75 and even 80 have complication rates close to those of…
Male facelift
Men are about 1 in 10 facelift patients in the United States, and their operation follows the same principles as a woman's with changes for the male face. A male facelift is planned around the sideburn, beard and…
Facelift in skin of color and Asian patients
Faces of Asian, African, Hispanic, South Asian and Middle Eastern descent often show aging later and often carry thicker, heavier tissue over a different facial skeleton, so surgeons adjust the lift direction, the neck…
Secondary and revision facelift
A secondary facelift is a second facelift, usually about a decade after the first, for aging that has continued; a revision corrects a result that fell short or a deformity left by the first operation. Scar tissue makes…
Facelift research by topic
What the studies show about each part of the operation.
Brow and eyelid with facelift
Combined procedure papers cover brow lift, forehead lift and blepharoplasty done with a facelift.
Lasers, peels and energy devices
Adjunct papers pair facelift with laser resurfacing, peels and energy devices for the skin surface.
SMAS techniques
SMAS techniques reposition the superficial musculoaponeurotic system by plication, imbrication, excision or a raised flap.
Facial anatomy
Anatomy papers map the layers, retaining ligaments, fat compartments and nerves that facelift techniques are built on.
Threads and nonsurgical lifting
These papers test thread lifts, suture suspension and nonsurgical lifting against surgical facelift.
Fat grafting and volume
Fat grafting restores facial volume at the time of facelift or afterwards; the papers measure take, technique and longevity.
Incisions and scars
Incision papers compare hairline, tragal and postauricular placements and the scars they leave.
Complications
Complication papers report the rates of hematoma, nerve injury, skin loss, infection, hair loss and scarring after facelift.
Outcomes and longevity
Outcome papers measure how long a facelift lasts, how much younger patients look and how satisfied they are.
Facial nerve safety
Facial nerve papers measure where the branches run and how often they are injured during facelift.
Hematoma and hemostasis
Hematoma is the most common early facelift complication; these papers test blood pressure control, drains, sealants, tranexamic acid and the hemostatic net.
Deep plane facelift
The deep plane facelift releases the retaining ligaments and lifts skin and SMAS as one flap below the SMAS layer.
Anesthesia and recovery
Anesthesia papers compare sedation, general and total intravenous anesthesia, pain control and recovery after facelift.
Imaging, measurement and AI
Measurement papers use 3D imaging, photography standards and machine learning to grade facelift results.
Short scar and MACS lift
Short scar lifts shorten or remove the incision behind the ear; the MACS lift suspends tissue with purse-string sutures.
Male facelift
Male facelift papers cover beard-bearing skin, hairline, bleeding risk and incision placement in men.
Smoking and skin flap
Smoking and flap papers measure skin survival and the risk that nicotine and flap tension add.
Training and education
Training papers cover how residents and fellows learn facelift and how surgical volume is measured.
History of the facelift
History papers trace the facelift from skin-only lifts in the early 1900s through SMAS, deep plane and today's techniques.
Secondary and revision facelift
Secondary facelift papers cover repeat and corrective operations after an earlier facelift.
Weight loss and GLP-1
These papers address facial laxity after major weight loss, including GLP-1 medicines such as semaglutide.