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Mini Face Lift or Blepharoplasty: Which to Do First?

asked 3 years ago by christina123 in spring lake, nj
Latest answer by David Alessi, MD
Question viewed 5,784 times
Tags: combination, timing

I'm planning a mini face lift and an upper eye blepharoplasty, but am looking at different doctors for each procedure. Which procedure should I do first?

26 answers to Mini Face Lift or Blepharoplasty: Which to Do First?

+1

Combo Surgery Mini Facelift and Blepharoplasty

These are two great procedures to do at the same time. These are two of my most favorite procedures to do together. There is just one recover and one anesthesia instead of two. The cost is also reduced because of doing two procedures at the same time. A consultation with a qualified surgeon is a strong recommendatiion.
David Alessi, MD

Beverly Hills Facial Plastic Surgeon

www.facialinstitute.com

+2

Eyelid surgery before facelift if you want separate procedures

I usually do upper eyelid blepharoplasty and facelift together at the same time. However since you plan to have different doctors do the procedures staging is required. The blepharoplasty of the upper eyelids will have a dramatic impact and recovery will be easier and fairly simple. Also, the results of the upper eyelid surgery will impact the appearance of your brow and the area to the side of your eyelids. This may impact the technical details of your face lift, thus it is better... more
Brooke R. Seckel, MD

Boston Plastic Surgeon
+2

Mini lift and blepharoplasty at the same time

First of all I would strongly recommend finding experienced board certified plastic surgeon who can perform mini facelift and upper blepharoplasty at the same time. There is no reason to do it separately. The advantage is one recovery time from both procedures, also going under the general anesthesia only once instead of two times.
Gregory Turowski, MD, PhD

Chicago Plastic Surgeon
+2

Bleph and combined face lift.

The challenge your situation presents is having different doctors to perform each procedure. It is also somewhat unusual for two plastic surgeons (unless they work together frequently) to combine efforts on a single patient in a combined cosmetic procedure. You should consider finding one board certified plastic surgeon who can address both of these issues at the same time.
Steven H. Williams, MD

San Francisco Plastic Surgeon
+1

Order for mini lift and blepharoplasty

You should consider finding one plastic surgeon who can address both of your concerns. If you do divide the procedures, I would recommend having the blepharoplasty first. The blepharoplasty could result in some swelling in the face and why have swelling which could affect the outcome of the facelift?
Robert L. Kraft, MD

New York Plastic Surgeon
+1

Definitely the face.

The face will push up on the lower lids which sometimes makes it worse. The lids are usually done last for the most refinement.
Nasimul Huq, MD

Niagara Falls Plastic Surgeon
+1

Eyelids and Facelift Together

Blepharoplasty and facelifting is commonly performed together if both areas need improvement. There is generally a cost savings and reduced recovery time if both surgeries are performed together, rather than separately. In some cases, insurance will pay for blepharoplasty if a reduction in your field of vision is present. Recovery from either procedure requires some time away from public due to bruising, and it is preferable to have that downtime occur once rather than on two separate... more
Temp Patterson, MD

Burley Facial Plastic Surgeon
+1

Both together or separate?

I'm sure you have considered your options carefully. It makes sense to do both procedures together since there would be only one period for recovery and some savings benefits. Well trained surgeons are very skilled in performing both type of procedures together or separately and you should consult with a few and select the one you are most comfortable with and has a good reputation. If you had to choose for doing one procedure first I would suggest to select the one to correct what is... more
Arturo Guiloff, MD

Palm Beach Plastic Surgeon
+1

Eyelids and a facelift

I think you would be happiest, in the end, doing both the eyes and the lift together.  If you aren't sure you're ready to jump in with both feet, do the eyes first.  There is minimal pain, mild bruising and a shorter recovery.  Further, the effects are more subtle, so there's not this dramatic change in your appearance.  If, however, you are sure you will be doing both eventually, then just do them both now.  It means one recovery and one... more
John Bitner, MD

Salt Lake City Facial Plastic Surgeon
+1

Mini Facelift and Blepharoplasty

Hi, I would recommend doing the your upper eyelids first since its the lesser of the two procedures. However, you may want to consider doing both at the same time. The surgeon doing the mini lift is probably more than qualified to do your upper lids. This way you have one anesthesia and one recovery. Best, Dr.S.
Oleh Slupchynskyj, MD

New York Facial Plastic Surgeon
+1

Minilift with Blepharoplasty

If you have chosen a Board Certified Facial Plastic Surgeon there should be no reason not to do both the minilift and blepharoplasty at the same time. If you have looked at photographs of previous patients, and like the results, go ahead. Busy schedules make it difficult to plan 2 separate surgeries. For one thing doing both surgeries at the same time avoids paying for the OR and anesthesia twice. Facial procedures also heal at about the same pace. Patients are much happier with their... more
Harold J. Kaplan, MD

Los Angeles Facial Plastic Surgeon
+1

Mini facelift and eyelid surgery

If you are thinking of doing your upper eyelids and having a mini facelift, then you should probably have them done together. Why not have the same surgeon perform the procedure?
Steven Wallach, MD

Manhattan Plastic Surgeon
+1

Do facelift and blepharoplasty together.

Hi. 1) Not a good plan. There are so many plastic surgeons expert in both blepharoplasty and facelift. How the facelift is done affects how the blepharoplasty is done. So it is better to integrate the surgery. And why go through two recovery periods? 2) Don't do "mini" facelift. You will get "mini" result.
George J. Beraka, MD

Manhattan Plastic Surgeon
+1

Mini facelift and upper lid blepharoplasty

The most important decision you make is to be comfortable with the surgeon you chose to do a specific procedure. Make sure the surgeon is qualified to do the procedure, and has the training and credentials. It does not matter which procedure you do first. If you chose to separate them I would advise to wait 3-6 weeks between procedures. So that you can evaluate the healing of each separately without any confusion. Also the risk of deep venous thrombosis is back to normal.
Samir Shureih, MD

Baltimore Plastic Surgeon
+1

Facelift and eyelid rejuvenation make an excellent combination

Facelift and upper eyelid surgery compliment one another very well and there are advantages to a single anesthetic,and a single recovery. It is unlikely that the surgeon who is comfortable with facelift and mini lift will not also be quite comfortable with eyelid surgery. There are so many advantages to a single surgeon, supporting office staff, facility, cost, followup appointments, that unless you have an eye-care specialist who is well known to you it makes most sense to stay with one... more
Peter E. Johnson, MD

Chicago Plastic Surgeon
+1

If this is your wish, I recommend mini face lift first

It appears that many of the physicians are attempting to get you to have one surgeon (which is wise for the reasons mentioned) perform the two surgeries, but obviously that is not your question. So in response to your question, I would perform the mini-face lift first for this reason. When performing a mini-face lift, the sagging skin from the lower face is repositioned to the middle or upper parts of the face. This can effect or alter the surgical plans for the upper lid procedure such as... more
Otto Joseph Placik, MD

Chicago Plastic Surgeon
+1

Combining Surgery: Facelift with a Blepharoplasty / Eyelid Tuck

The decision to proceed with a cosmetic surgical procedure is often difficult for the patient. In terms of the procedures you wish to undergo, speak directly with an experienced and board certified plastic surgeon to understand the risks, benefits, and complexities of each anatomic area. Fortunately, in the choice of an upper blepharoplasty and mini facelift, the two anatomic areas are independent of each other and choosing to do the procedures separately or together are both appropriate. ... more
Raffy Karamanoukian, MD

Los Angeles Plastic Surgeon
+1

Have one procedure

I would agree with the other physicians. I would seek out one physician for both procedures or talk with the surgeons and determine if both of them can operate at the same time. In this way you would have one anesthetic, one healing time, and although less important than an excellent result but still a consideration - less expense.
D.J. Verret, MD

Dallas Facial Plastic Surgeon
+1

Why two doctors?

You should be able to have the procedure done by a single competent plastic surgeon, with one single recovery period, not to mention one operating room fee. If you have a specific reconstructive problem that warrants an opthalmologist such as ptosis, tear duct issues or strabismus, most plastic surgeons work with opthalmologists who could perform that portion of the procedure at the same time as you are having your face done. The style of the surgeon performing the surgery will be very... more
Brent Moelleken, MD

Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeon
+1

Two for One, or One for All?

Unless there is some overriding concern about the surgical skill or artistic ability of one surgeon to do both of these common procedures to your satisfaction, you would be better served to choose one surgeon competent to perform both procedures, and have them both done at the same operative setting. There are several advantages to this approach, including one operative procedure, one anesthetic, and one period of recuperation and disability. Another advantage of the one surgeon, multiple... more
Athleo Louis Cambre, MD

Los Angeles Plastic Surgeon
+1

Stick with one surgeon

Christina, Although I appreciate your desire to obtain "the best" surgeon for each of the procedures that you mention, there are many advantages to choosing one surgeon (especially board certified) for both. Sometimes the least known surgeon will get the best result and sometimes the best known surgeon will get the worst result. This is the wonder of the human body and unpredictability of surgery, which makes it a "practice" even today. If you choose one surgeon and... more
Kenneth R. Francis, MD

Manhattan Plastic Surgeon
+1

Fix what bothers you the most first.

In the ideal world many patients who wish to have more than one procedure done would like to have them done at the same time. However there are many reasons ( time off work, financial etc) patients may not be able to do all the procedures at the same time. I find that patientsa are happiest when they do the procedure that corrects what bothers them the most first. In this case if the appearance of the eyes that bothers you most then do the eyelift first. If your neck bothers you the... more
Susan E. Downey, MD

Los Angeles Plastic Surgeon
+1

Chosing your procedures can be difficult

There is no anatomical or medical reason why one of these should be done before the other. Upper eyelid blepharoplasty and facelifting are distinct procedures anatomically. This means that one will not influence the other in any way shape or form. Most patients will chose to have them done simultaneously in order to consolidate their anesthesia and operating room experiences into one. This is a personal preference rather than a medical decision. In most circumstances, doing two procedures... more
Richard W. Westreich, MD

Manhattan Facial Plastic Surgeon
+1

Make sure you don't need a forehead lift.

Though upper eyelid skin resection is "simple", most patients can "kill two birds with one stone" by having a forehead lift. Very often we see patients who have been told the skin of the upper lid can be removed, but their brows will still make them look old, angry and tired. You can eliminate both the brow sag and the upper lid skin excess with a forehead (brow) lift. The result is superior to upper lid blepharoplasty alone in patients with both problems. The facelift can be done at the... more
Toby Mayer, MD

Beverly Hills Facial Plastic Surgeon
+1

We are plastic surgeons and we are proud!

Upper blepharoplasty is a routine procedure. As a plastic surgeon it is one of the easiest to get right (not so for the lower lid blepharoplasty). In contrast, there are many different techniques for a face lift or mini-face lift. In any case a good plastic surfeon will be able to perform both at the same time and minimize the cost and risks of 2 surgeries and 2 downtimes. Robert Freund, MD, FACS
Robert M. Freund, MD

New York Plastic Surgeon
+1

Get the right doctor and do them both together and have one recovery

Upper eyelid blepharoplasty is an excellent way to rejuvinate the upper face. It should be well within the expertise of whomever you trust to do your face because the face surgery is the more complex of the two. A Board Certified Plastic Surgeon would be the best person to go to for both, not a plastic surgeon for the face and an ophthalmologist for the eyes.
Richard P. Rand, MD, FACS

Seattle Plastic Surgeon

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