What Exactly IS the Lifestyle Lift? No One Will Tell Me

The short answer is twofold: heavy marketing and a quick procedure

The Procedure: Designed for speed

There is no aspect of a Lifestyle Lift (that has been published in the literature), which distinguishes it as unique to any of the previously described facelift techniques.The Lifestyle Lift is performed under local anesthesia. Speed is a quality that most good surgeon's have, but finishing a procedure too quickly can sacrifice the eventual aesthetic result. As described in Dr. Jafri's excellent post, the Lifestyle Lift procedure is a facelift-type procedure that is performed to enhance the surgeon's speed.

For example, a pre-auricular incision is generally used instead of a retrotragal incision. It is easier, simpler, faster, and technically less complicated to perform and close than a pre-auricular incision. In my own practice, I almost always use a retrotragal incision, meaning the incision follows a path behind the tragus (cartilaginous shield of the ear canal). In my opinion, supported by much of the literature and by many colleagues who are experience at facelift, the retrotragal incision produces a cosmetically superior result (for both men and women).

Secondly, the procedure employs a SMAS plication procedure. This means that there has been no true mobilization of the SMAS (the SMAS is the layer of tisse that bears the tension in a facelift, taking tension off of the skin). Again, a plication procedure is easier, simpler, faster, and less technically complicated to perform than either a true SMAS flap or a deep plane facelift. In my opinion, and in the opinion of many accomplished facelift surgeons, mobilization of the SMAS produces a superior and longer lasting result than simple plication. Is it possible to produce an acceptable result with plication? It is. Is a plication likely to hold up for as long as a SMAS mobilization procedure? Doubtful; not in my hands at least.

Thirdly, a lifestyle lift, as marketed, will not address a heavy neck, platysmal bands, or a low hyoid bone. In order to properly tackle a heavy neck, an incision, skin undermining, appropriate defatting, and contouring of the neck muscle is required. Addressing the neck, combined with the procedures decribed above, will take substantially more than one hour. In my practice, a patient will be comfortably and safely sedated (similar to a colonoscopy) when having this procedure performed. Laying still and awake for 3 hours, hearing the sounds, and seeing the sights of a surgical facility are definitely not for the faint of heart. In fact, this experience can be very anxiety provoking.

Most surgeons have some variability in the way they perform facelifts and certain techniques work better in certain surgeon's hands. However, one axiom that can be applied to facelift is that if a patient has significant aging changes, a one hour procedure is not likely to produce substantial and lasting results.

Heavy Marketing:

Lifestyle lift is a registered trademark owned by a company known as Lifestyle Lift Holdings based out of Michigan. The company owns centers throughout the country that offer a facelift-like procedure. Surgeons are recruited in a local area to perform this procedure at a Lifestyle Lift Center. The Lifestyle Lift company lays out a heavy marketing campaign in an area and over the internet to recruit prospective patients. These patients are then generally screened by non Physicians and sometimes non medical personnel who appear to make preliminary decisions about the acceptability of a prospective patient.

Hello, Lifestyle Lift is the name of a company that was known for doing facelifts type surgeries under local anesthesia. It is no longer in business. They built an amazing brand and grew the market for facelifts, making it a procedure within reach for the average person. Contrary to popular belief, there was no standard “Lifestyle Lift”. The company pretty much allowed their surgeons freedom to do whatever type of facelift they thought appropriate for an individual patient. Most of their surgeons performed facelifting with tightening of the SMAS (the supporting layer of the muscles of the face). In other words, it was a facelift done under local anesthesia and not a watered down version of a facelift as is generally believed. This brings us up to the next point: the “traditional facelift”. Plastic surgeons perform many types of facelift...skin only, skin with SMAS plication, skin with lateral SMASectomy, MACS facelifting, high lateral SMAS facelifts, composite facelifting, etc. All are called facelifts and all can be effective. I know this creates confusion for the consumer, and in fact it creates confusion for plastic surgeons. It is therefore important to ask your plastic surgeon what type of facelift he or she plans on performing, and why. Experience is very important, as it is one of the more complex surgeries performed in aesthetic surgery, an also one where the result can depend upon the individual technique of the surgeon.

Hello! Lifestyle Lift is the name of a company that was known for doing facelifts type surgeries under local anesthesia. It is no longer in business. They built an amazing brand and grew the market for facelifts, making it a procedure within reach for the average person. Contrary to popular belief, there was no standard “Lifestyle Lift”. The company pretty much allowed their surgeons freedom to do whatever type of facelift they thought appropriate for an individual patient. Most of their surgeons performed facelifting with tightening of the SMAS (the supporting layer of the muscles of the face). In other words, it was a facelift done under local anesthesia and not a watered down version of a facelift as is generally believed. Remember, experience is very important, as it is one of the more complex surgeries performed in aesthetic surgery, and also one where the result can depend upon the individual technique of the surgeon.

Lifestyle lift is 80% marketing, 10% profit maybe 10% patient satisfaction. It is not, in fact, a procedure that is part of the curriculum for Board Certified Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons. I don't perform it.As a separate issue, the "wind tunnel" look is something that any good plastic surgeon should be able to discuss with you. It can occur in the early stages after an actual facelift (in fact, it should, as once the swelling resides laxity will return.) A good plastic surgeon knows the art of a face lift. I always talk to my patients about initially looking "wind-swept" and counsel them to expect this temporary appearance. Anything longer would be unacceptable to me (and to my patients.) Last, you mentioned "cutting and sutures." These are an absolute must for a facelift. If somebody promises you facelift results without true surgery, be wary. While laser, filler, fat injection are all wonderful modalities to rejuvenate and preserve a youthful face (I recommend them and perform them regularly) there is no such thing as a nonsurgical facelift, period.

I can only answer for myself, as a former surgeon at the Ontario CA center.  I performed a traditional face and neck lift under local anesthesia.  It involved all the things which previous posts stated were not done....all in the time usually described for a "lifestyle lift" without hurrying or rushing.Although Lifestyle lift has closed, there were many excellent surgeons who were very good at what they did and are still in practice.  Although I'm in southern California, there were many excellent surgeons in Florida as well.  Good luck!

Hi and thanks for your question. I can comment on the practices at the Lifestyle Lift, Orange County CA office. Lifestyle Lift was one of the first plastic surgery practices to market lower facelifts under local anesthesia and oral sedation. The concept became so popular that many private practices now have similar marketed names for their facelifts under local anesthesia. The Orange County, CA Lifestyle Lift location was one of the most successful offices in the nation. Among the Lifestyle Lift locations across the country, the Orange County office had consistently one of the highest patient satisfaction ratings in the nation based on independent surveys year after year. The success of each clinic was highly dependent on the surgeon. The best surgeons at Lifestyle Lift were highly experienced, performing thousands of facial rejuvenation procedures during their careers there, such as myself. Each best surgeon performed their individual lower facelifts tailored to each individual patients' needs just as any surgeon would in their private practices. There was no proprietary technique, and it was not a mini lift in my hands. For example most commonly, I performed a complete neck lift with liposuction, laser lipolysis and platysmaplasty and a full lower SMASectomy facelift all while under local anesthesia and oral sedation. There is an art as well as a science to this technique, and takes skill to perform.   With the ultimate closing of Lifestyle Lift, there remain the best former Lifestyle Lift surgeons out there who are experts in facial rejuvenating procedures under local anesthesia. Fortunately, many of these surgeons are now in private practice. If you are seeking to rejuvenate your face and neck, please research carefully online to find a surgeon who has successfully performed thousands of local anesthesia face and neck lifts.