SurgicalDraft — pending clinician review
Facelift (rhytidectomy)
A facelift repositions the deeper soft-tissue layer of the face and removes excess skin, mainly addressing jowls and lower-face laxity, often together with the neck. Modern techniques focus on the deeper support layer rather than tightening skin alone.
What it is designed to change
- Jowling along the jawline
- Sagging in the lower face and often the neck
- Deep folds that follow from tissue descent, to a degree
What it does not change
- Skin texture, fine wrinkles, or pigmentation — resurfacing addresses those
- The upper face and brows — separate procedures address those areas
- The fundamental character of the face when performed conservatively
Typical candidate considerations
- Overall health, healing capacity, and smoking status matter
- Realistic expectations: refreshed rather than different
- Technique selection is surgeon- and anatomy-specific
Common alternatives
- Non-surgical tightening for mild laxity
- Filler-based approaches for volume-related concerns
- No treatment
Questions to ask a clinician
- Which layer does your technique reposition and why?
- What will this NOT improve on my face?
- Where will scars sit, and may I see healed examples of your work?
- What does revision or touch-up policy look like?
General recovery stages
- First days: swelling, bruising, tightness; drains or dressings per plan
- Weeks: most visible bruising resolves; social activities resume per surgeon guidance
- Months: scars mature and residual swelling settles
Potential risks and limitations
- Bleeding (hematoma), infection, or anesthesia reactions
- Nerve injury affecting movement or sensation, usually temporary but rarely lasting
- Scarring, hair-line changes, or asymmetry
- Skin-healing problems, especially in smokers
Factors that affect price
- Technique and extent (face, neck, combined)
- Surgeon experience and geographic market
- Facility, anesthesia, and aftercare
Practical notes
- Durability
- Long-lasting; the face continues to age from its new starting point.
- Reversibility
- Not reversible.
- Anesthesia
- Sedation or general anesthesia.
- When to seek urgent care
- After a real procedure, sudden one-sided swelling or pain, breathing issues, fever, or wound separation warrant contacting the surgical team or urgent care immediately.
PlasticsForMe provides educational information and conceptual visualizations only. It is not medical advice, does not predict surgical results, and does not replace consultation with a licensed clinician.
This guide is draft editorial content. It has not yet completed clinician review, contains no statistics by design, and will list its author, reviewer, and sources when published under our editorial policy.