Facelift Before and After Photos

A facelift, known medically as a rhytidectomy, is a surgical procedure meant to reduce signs of aging in the face or neck. Different types of procedures are used to correct different problems or deliver different results. If you're considering facial cosmetic surgery, reviewing facelift before and after photos can help you determine what type of technique is right for you.

Facelifts are a very common cosmetic surgery. Every year, more than 130,000 people in the U.S. receive one. There are many more options available today compared to previous decades including both surgical and non-surgical techniques, some of which are less invasive and require no more than a trip to your healthcare provider's office.

This article explains the different types of procedures and provides before and after photos of women who have received facelifts, so you can see how each type of technique affects facial appearance.

Choosing the Right Facelift

Facelift surgery is individualized to a person's needs. Therefore, when starting, it's always a good idea to schedule consultations with multiple surgeons and ask as many questions as needed to determine what type of surgical or non-surgical techniques could let you effectively achieve your goals.

Types of Facelifts

Some common types of facelift surgeries include the following:

  • Traditional facelift: Facial muscles and any supporting structures are tightened, and excess fat and skin are removed from the jowls, neck, and face.
  • SMAS facelift: Superficial musculoaponeurotic system (SMAS) facelifts lift the lower two-thirds of the face and the neck. The platysma muscles are part of the SMAS, and a platysmaplasty (neck lift) is often done as part of the operation.
  • Cutaneous (skin) facelift: This procedure exclusively focuses on removing excess skin, usually in the neck and face.
  • Mid-facelift: In this version, fat in the cheek is repositioned, and the skin is tightened.

When discussing options with your healthcare provider, it's equally important to have a clear idea of the costs and the amount of recovery time. If the healthcare provider understands these constraints, they can usually work with you to find a solution that fits your budget without skimping on the results. In some cases, newer, non-surgical techniques can be used in tandem with surgical ones.

What Happens During a Facelift?

During a facelift procedure, you will receive anesthesia. While you're sedated, the surgeon will make precise incisions, tighten underlying tissues, and remove or redistribute fat to reshape your facial appearance.

When to Consider Getting a Facelift

While there's no age that is best for a facelift, it's important to realize that your skin loses elasticity as you age. Thus, having a procedure in your mid-40s to early 60s will result in a better outcome than a facelift you get later in life.

The American Society of Plastic Surgeons recommends that people in their 40s and 50s get mini facelifts. This is a mildly invasive procedure that allows you to maintain a youthful appearance. The changes will be more natural and less dramatic than a facelift that occurs in your 60s or later.

SMAS Facelift

Facelift

Plastic Surgery Arts of New Jersey

This 46-year-old woman sought plastic surgery for facial rejuvenation, stating that she wanted a "fuller" look to her face. This required the combination of a facelift, endoscopic eyebrow lift, upper and lower eyelid lift (blepharoplasty), and fat injections to the upper lip and nasolabial folds.

Facelift surgery of this sort requires an in-depth understanding of the face's sub-muscular aponeurotic system (SMAS). These facial expression muscles are covered in their envelope of connective tissue and lie beneath the immediate sub-dermis.

Surgically elevating the SMAS helps to reposition the tissues to achieve a more youthful point, lifting and tightening the jowls, neck, and cheeks. This produces a more natural and long-lasting result than a "skin-only" facelift, a procedure considered archaic by most plastic surgeons.

Full Face Rejuvenation

Facelift

Plastic Surgery Arts of New Jersey

This 54-year-old woman similarly sought plastic surgery for facial rejuvenation. The procedures used included a facelift, endoscopic brow lift, blepharoplasty, and submental (under the chin) liposuction.

When searching for a surgeon qualified to perform these procedures, ask about their training, experience, and credentials (including how many times they have performed a particular technique).

You can confirm board certification by contacting the American Board of Plastic Surgery and the American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.

Facelift with Liposuction and Fat Transfer

Facelift

Plastic Surgery Arts of New Jersey

This 52-year-old woman underwent a combination of procedures, including a facelift, endoscopic brow lift, blepharoplasty, submental liposuction, and fat transfer to the area around the mouth.

To achieve the best results and minimize scarring after surgery, follow your surgeon's care instructions and limit physical activity as much as possible for the first several weeks. Moreover, avoid sun exposure during the healing process and apply extra sunscreen if you must be outdoors.

Facelift and Neck Lift

Facelift

Plastic Surgery Arts of New Jersey

This 59-year-old woman sought plastic surgery to achieve an all-around "freshening" of her features. The procedures included a lower and mid-face lift, endoscopic brow lift, blepharoplasty, and neck lift.

Note the dramatic improvement in the drooping jowls and hooding of the eyelids. This is something you cannot achieve with a facelift alone. For this, you would need a brow lift and an upper and lower blepharoplasty, sometimes enhanced with Botox injections.

Deep Plane Facelift

Facelift

Jacob Steiger, MD

This woman received a deep plane facelift, which is similar to a traditional facelift but takes the extra step of repositioning the person's cheek fat to a more youthful height.

A traditional facelift mainly addresses the neck and jawline areas. However, the deep plane technique also lifts the mid-face area to retain the face's natural balance.

If you're not ready to undergo elective surgery, explore non-surgical options such as injectable fillers, laser resurfacing, and non-surgical skin tightening using laser, infrared, or ultrasound technologies.

Deep Plane Facelift With Dermabrasion

Facelift

Jacob Steiger, MD

This woman received a deep plane facelift and dermabrasion around the mouth.

Dermabrasion changes the appearance of the skin by injuring it in a controlled manner, often to treat scarring or older, sun-damaged skin. Only dermatologists or plastic surgeons can perform dermabrasion.

Am I Too Old for a Facelift?

There is no "too old" threshold for a facelift. You shouldn't weigh the decision based specifically on your age. Of course, the procedure does have risks that should be discussed with your plastic surgeon before moving forward with the surgery. These risks can include bleeding, scarring, persistent pain, infection, facial nerve injury, and more. Your overall health needs to be considered in light of these risks.

Facelift With Lip Augmentation

Facelift

Kirk Brandow, MD

The woman received a facelift, neck lift, and fat transfer lip augmentation with injections of the individual's fat.

Lip augmentation is a relatively simple procedure to define and volumize the lips. While extracted body fat can be used for this, healthcare providers commonly use fillers today, including Restylane, a hyaluronic acid-based filler.

The procedure can be performed in the healthcare provider's office when fillers are used. It is most commonly injected into the upper and lower lips to ensure a more balanced look.

3D Facelift

Patient received a 3D face lift, plus upper and lower blepharoplasty (eyelid lift). Face lift and eyelid surgeries were performed by Jacob Steiger, MD, of Delray Beach, FL.

Jacob Steiger, MD

This woman received what some surgeons call a 3D facelift. It differs from traditional facelifts in that the deep facial muscle is elevated in a straight vertical direction to treat the jowls and neck.

Moreover, the person's fat is used to re-contour the cheeks and areas around the eyes. The vertical lift method is said to give longer-lasting, more natural results and with less extensive incisions.

In addition, the woman underwent upper and lower blepharoplasty to tighten the lower lid and create a more "awakened" appearance in the eyes.

Platysmaplasty

Neck lift

Kirk Brandow, MD

This woman received a lower facelift, lip augmentation, and a neck lift with neck muscle tightening called platysmaplasty.

Platysmaplasty is a procedure that involves the surgical reconstruction of neck muscles (the platysma). Two separate sides of the platysma connect in the center of the neck.

The tissues that connect the sides weaken and lose their elasticity as we age, creating the characteristic "turkey wattle." Platysmaplasty re-attaches the sides and reconstructs the internal muscles to tighten the chin and neck areas.

Summary

There are a variety of cosmetic surgery options that can be used to rejuvenate the appearance of the face and neck. The procedures and injections used in cosmetic improvements are constantly changing and improving techniques. These before and after photos are only a sample of the possibilities for cosmetic facial enhancements.

5 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
  1. American Board of Cosmetic Surgery. Facelift guide.

  2. LeRoy, John. "Why facelifts are growing more popular with younger people." American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

  3. American Society of Plastic Surgeons. Dermabrasion.

  4. American Society of Plastic Surgeons. What are the risks of facelift surgery?

  5. Narasimhan K, Ramanadham S, O’Reilly E, Rohrich RJ. Secondary neck lift and the importance of midline platysmaplasty: review of 101 cases. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2016;137(4):667e-675e. doi:10.1097/PRS.0000000000002003

By Blyss Splane
Blyss Splane is a certified operating room nurse working as a freelance content writer and former travel nurse. She works as a freelance content writer for healthcare blogs when she's not spending time with her husband and dog.

Originally written by Natalie Kita