What to expect from a second facelift. Will my results be as good as my first? 7 years post op.

Question

Is it true that a 2nd face lift will never give the same results as a first face lift? Due to a lot of sun damage, I am considering a 2nd face lift ~7 years from my first. I LOVED my first face lift but a few people told me that I need to adjust my expectations for a 2nd. Thanks for any guidance you can provide.

Farhad Rafizadeh, MD · Answer

I can only speak about my own experience with patients. When I perform a facelift, I alway assume that the procedure will have to be redone in 7 to 10 years. Having been in active private practice for 38 years, I have done many secondary facelifts on patients that I had operated upon or on patients who came to me having had their first or second facelift elsewhere. There are patients on whom I have performed three facelifts over a span of 30 years. The results have always been good. It is  always  about recognizing the problems and solving then one by one. It is also about looking at the other areas of the face and determining what needs to be done in order to keep the balance and harmony of the face and produce a natural result. Many times the brow position needs to be addressed in a secondary face lift. The eyes are another area that needs attention. The upper lip often gets longer with age and a lip lift might be necessary. Therefore in a secondary procedure one has to pay special attention to the entire face before repeating the same facelift. I often modify my second facelift approach depending on the patients requirements. Please let me know if your question has been adequately answered.

Gianfranco Frojo, MD · Answer

I think that a secondary facelift can be done well. I would recommend obtaining your original operative report for your next surgeon. I recommend seeing a board-eligible or board-certified ACTUAL plastic surgeon with at least 6 years of integrated plastic surgery training (ideally followed by an aesthetic fellowship accredited by The Aesthetic Society).

David Parizh, DO · Answer

Sun damage - nonsurgical
Facelift addresses laxity, loss of volume. A surgeon should be able to continue to upkeep your results over the years with revision surgery. A quality facelift lasts nearly 7-10 years (if not more) before small revisions needed due to natural aging process. The idea is continued upkeep. 
Make sure that your surgeon is guiding you in the process correctly. A strong skin regimen, laser, or maybe fat grafting is all you may need. Hard to say without pictures. Hope that helps!

Zoran Potparic, MD · Answer

Providing that you are expecting a refreshment of your current result, you will, very likely, be happy with secondary lift. Mild/moderate improvement for next 7-10 years is not a bad deal. Talk to your surgeon about that. Additional options for skin treatment, chemical peel, RF tightening are also available to be used in addition to face lift. Good luck.

Andrew Miller, MD · Answer

The results of a facelift depend on what you have going into it. If your neck is heavy and jowling is significant, then you should have a great result. If you have just more sun damage and wrinkles, then a facelift may not be the best procedure for you - sometimes laser resurfacing is better. Be sure to see a facial specialist for consultation.

Ronald J. Edelson, MD · Answer

The majority of Patients are just as happy with their second facelift or even more so than the first. Especially if you are going back to the same surgeon who did your first  facelift

David M. Kowalczyk, MD, MBA, FACS · Answer

Good evening! It depends on how the first facelift was performed. A second facelift can offer great improvement especially if a deep plane facelift is performed. This involves much more dissection and  positioning of the deep tissues and skin. The results can be quite nice, and last well past a decade. It really depends once the surgeon get under the skin to see the level of scarring. Sometimes, it goes relatively straightforward. Other times, it’s more of a challenge. In the end, I think improvements can be made. Hope this is useful to you!

William Portuese, MD · Answer

A revision facelift is more difficult than a primary facelift, therefore a full set of facial and neck photographs are going to be required to make a determination about how best to proceed. In our practice, the goal of a lower face and neck lift is to tighten loose facial and neck skin, tighten loose facial and neck muscles, lift the jowls, and remove fat deposits in the neck which also includes a platysma-plasty. Choose your surgeon wisely based on producing natural results. Study your prospective surgeon's before and after facelift photo Gallery

What to expect from a second facelift. Will my results be as good as my first? 7 years post op.

Answers (8)

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