Advantages/Disadvantages of "Early" Facelift?

34 is pretty young to be considering a facelift, but the good news is that there are a number of treatments you can do in the meantime to enhance your appearance. Liposuction of the neck and jowl area is a great option If someone has good elasticity of the skin. Which fillers have you tried for your marionette lines? Perlane and Restylane both work great for that area. Starting early will not necessarily pave the way for future problems, you just may not get the desired benefits from the procedure. But if you have what you describe as a youthful face, I do not believe you would get a benefit at this age. And having work performed when you do not need it would not be considered preventative. Photos would really be necessary to give you the best advice, but I would recommend treating the areas that bother you and waiting a little bit to have more invasive work performed. Thank you and I hope this helps!

One should not perform facelifts unless there is an indication with a combination of both Facial Atrophy with Skin Sagging. Obviously, one can correct facial atrophy or loss of early facial fat with fillers and/or fat before doing a facelift. There is really no advantage of doing an early facelift in your 30’s. However, today, doing a facelift in your early 50’s does give you enhanced longevity and one can enjoy the benefits of having facial rejuvenation from a “Lift & Fill” facelift. This also allows for a more natural, non-operated look.

    Jowling if significant is best treated with a facelift.  Fillers or fat grafting works better with marionette lines or nasolabial folds.

Dear Imarie123,


You should consider a second opinion if you are not getting the answers/results that you are expecting

It is hard to advise you without pictures, maybe the injection were not done correctly

A mini facelift would just help tighten a little skin, usually the jowl area


Best regards,

Nima Shemirani

I think that 34 years of age is rather young for a facelift. Most of the signs of aging you are seeing are normal for your age and can be improved with non-invasive techniques like fillers. The disadvantages of having a facelift at your age are many. First, the risks (scaring/cosmetic imperfections, etc..) do not outweigh the benefits, considering that these can easily be treated non-invasively. Additionally, if you start now, by age 55 you'll probably have had 3 facelifts!

Every person, patient ages differently. Generally speaking, patients in their 30s have many options for facial rejuvenation. While surgery can be an option, there are excellent non-surgical treatment options that will take care of the issues you are describing. We recommend options such as Ultherapy (non-surgical face lift), Laser Skin Resurfacing, and good skin care regimens. BOTOX and dermal fillers, when done correctly can be very good options as well.  You should meet with an experienced and qualified surgeon to review your options.

Sagging Skin Not Age is Criteria for facelift. Earlier candidates often have the longest lasting results in my experience. You may be a candidate for a mini facelift based on your exam.
Facial Rejeuvenation is appropriate for most ages who experience sagging of  their facial skin which may come an earlier time for some especially with familial aging traits or loose skin from excessive weight loss.
Facelift candidates are those who feel the appearance of their aging face may interfere with self image and happiness. Aging is unavoidable; unfortunately the outward signs usually appear while you still feel young and have productive years ahead.  The outward manifestations of aging need not be accepted as a matter of course.  Facial rejuvenating procedures are highly rewarding and satisfying procedures for appropriate patients. Skin prematurely ages from a number of factors such living in a hot dry climate, excessive sun exposure especially in your youth, smoking, or fair skin color.
Intended Result
Face lift or Rhytidectomy is an operative procedure designed to remove the major folds, wrinkles, and sagging areas from redundant skin on the face and neck, which naturally occur with aging.  It is frequently done in conjunction with a similar procedure for the eyelids called blepharoplasty, or cheeks (cheek lift or “midface lift”)  since the aging process is usually present in this region as well.  A forehead lift or brow lift may be recommended to elevate the eyebrows and remove deep creases.  If one part of your face is aging faster than another, a procedure can be customized to target that region, such as a “mini-face lift”, or neck lift.  In conjunction with surgery, hollowed areas can be filled in with fat injections (lipoinjection or fat transfer) or injecting fillers such as Sculptra, Radiesse, Jeuvederm or Restylane

Your concerns are quite common. Often early jowl and marrionette line formation can be bothersome. I would not recomend a sugical lift as prevention however. Wait until you absolutely need it . At that point it will be worth the cost and risk of surgery. Fillers in the meantime are your best bet. See a surgeon who can counsel you on  both options  and you will get the best advice. 

Hi lmarie123-

The question isn't so much your age, but whether your concerns can best be addressed with non-surgical or surgical optins.  This is best done on consultation with a surgeon who is comfortable with both the non-surgical and surgical options. While it is true that surgical results generally last longer in individuals with younger skin, I would be surprised that, at 34 1/2, you would be a surgical condidate.

Good luck,

Dr. Kaniff

The key to success in Facial Plastic Surgery is to match the correct procedure with the correct indications.  The role of the Facial Plastic Surgeon is to apply appropriate judgment in deciding whether a patient is an appropriate candidate for a procedure.  There aren't many patients at age 34 who have appropriate indications for a mini lift, and it is unlikely that the degree of improvement in a patient this age would justify the risk of the procedure.  A facelift or mini lift is best used to address changes that are already present, not to prevent these changes from occurring.