What's the difference btw a ponytail lift, AuraLyft, a deep plane face lift, and an SMS face lift?

Let me give you a little bit of history about facelift procedures in order to help you understand the difference between some of the techniques used. In the beginning, facelifts involved only the skin. Later on, plastic surgeons realized the skin could stretch over time and that it would be best to work on the supporting structures under the skin called SMAS (Superficial Muscular Aponeurotic System) and the platysma muscles. This is a layer of tissue under the skin that is comprised of fibrofatty tissues and superficial muscles within the fatty layer under the skin. These structures loosen with age and contribute to the jowls and laxity under the neck. A SMAS facelift involves some sort of repositioning of these structures to eliminate laxity from areas like the jowls and under the chin while enhancing other areas like the cheek bones. There are different types of SMAS procedures such as high SMAS, SMASectomy, or SMAS plication. To do these SMAS procedures, one has to lift the skin to expose the layer underneath. This allows the pull to go in one direction in the deep layer and possibly in a different direction in the skin layer, which can be an advantage in certain situations. The deep plane facelift takes the skin and the SMAS in one layer and they are pulled together. This technique may have some advantages and disadvantages. The surgeon should know all of these techniques and use them according to the needs of a particular patient. Ideally, the lay public should not ask the surgeon what technique they desire, because this is the job of the surgeon to know what is the best technique for the patient. So why is it that everyone has heard about all these techniques? It is called marketing. Surgeons want to distinguish themselves by saying they do deep plane facelifts or “X, Y and Z” facelift. Giving their facelift a name is an attempt to create a brand name for the procedure. That is where the ponytail lift or the whatever lift comes from. A smart consumer sees beyond that and chooses a surgeon who has a great reputation and gets good natural results with a quicker recovery and happy patients. It is shown over and over again that the techniques don’t make the difference in the results. What makes the difference is a great plastic surgeon working on a patient with great indications for the procedure. Some patients have always been beautiful and have beautiful features that is masked by aging. Those patients will have the best results. Other patients present a bigger challenge and need more creativity and artistic skill from the surgeon to achieve good results.

There is a lot of nomenclature when it comes to facelifts. A lot of practitioners create a name for marketing purposes, but that doesn't mean that it's any better than a regular lift. There are two main types - a SMAS lift and a deep plane lift. Both can give excellent results for the right candidate, so the key is to see a facial specialist that has a lot of experience in both procedures.

Even as a busy practicing face lift surgeon the number of coined terms that clients approach me with when having their face lift consultation is pretty remarkable.  It would be difficult in the context of this format to adequately describe the various types of face lift approaches there are.  Trying to understand the layers of anatomy involved in  a well performed deep plane face lift takes several years of practice and anatomical understanding.  The important thing for you as the patient is to see surgeons who you trust and let them know what areas of your face are problematic for you.  They should be able to adequately address your problem and choose the proper face lift technique for you as well as tell you the pros and cons of each technique.  You will unlikely remember the name of the face lift you had performed but you will certainly remember the result!  Best of luck.  

I just moderated a face and neck lift panel at a meeting with experts from around the world and the consensus is clear: there are no mystery or magical facelift procedures. Any procedure that involves deep tissue work and removal of excess skin, with fat grafting to restore volume, is a gold standard technique. The attention to detail and artistry of the surgeon as well as individualizing the procedure to each patient is what separates a good from a superb result.

Two of the terms you mention, the SMAS lift and the deep plane lift are descriptions of actual techniques.  The SMAS is the supportive tissue under the skin in the lower face and must be repositioned in all but the most minimally corrective facelifts.  A deep plane lift performs most of the tissue elevation under the SMAS and repositions the SMAS and skin as a composite flap.  Many factors are important in choosing the right lift for a particular patient and an in person consultation is the starting point.  The attached video gives further insight into approaches to facelift.

Don't be misled by facelifts branded by clever marketing names. Your facelift should be tailored to your specific issues. There will be some combination of skin lifting and volume reshaping. That usually involves the layers under the skin, typically the SMAS. 

Different surgeons call different facelifts by various names. Some of the facelifts you mentioned are really other names for accepted techniques such as a modified deep plane facelift, which is my favorite for most patients. Instead of trying to figure out which is best, different techniques also may be used depending on your anatomy, age, budget and aesthetic goals. Find the best facelift surgeon you can and trust them to do the right surgery. 

After 35 years in plastic surgery I am always confused when patient comes with questions about this "new type of face-lift". For all these years face lift was based on SMAS manipulation, lifting/tightening and conservative skin excision. Design of skin incision (if there is any change in that) may be the reason to give different names for the same procedure? I think that you need to see a board certified plastic surgeon who does 50 plus face lifts a year and get things clear. It is very straight forward procedure with predicable outcome. Good luck.

Thank you for a great question, which relates primarily to marketing terminology.  I will start by saying that Plastic Surgeons and Facial Plastic Surgeons I admire most and whose work is consistently stellar utilize some form of deep plane facelift or extended SMAS technique.  For these reasons, I have utilized a deep plane facelift technique in my practice for years and have had consistently happy patients.  Terminology such as "ponytail lift", "auralyft" etc are really more marketing terms designed to present some form of presumed distinction or innovation.  Look for a Surgeon whose results you like, that you like, and whose staff impresses you.  

Hi Victoria, thanks for your question. The one sentence answer is this: 
The NAME of the method used is NOT the "secret sauce", it's the surgeon who is performing the procedure (and a little bit of the method they use). 
I agree with other commentators that facelift terminology can be confusing. Even as a facial plastic surgeon, it is sometimes a challenge to keep up with the new "brand name" procedures that are "developed". In general, there are a few truly distinct techniques within face lift surgeries. 
A deep plane facelift acts in a way that treats the true problem of the aging face by gently re-supporting the deeper facial structures back to where they were in your youth. By doing this, there is no tension, so the technique lasts longer. It also creates a very powerful and incredibly natural look (again, because there is no tension, and things are simply put back to where they belong). There have been branded versions of a deep plane facelift (MADE, Auralyft, etc), but they operate on the same principles. There are subtle incisions around the ear and hidden within the hairline. Because there is no tension on the skin, these heal fantastically and really are never an issue postoperatively. There are subtleties to each surgeon's method, but they are still in the same category and philosophy.
SMAS facelifts tend to rely on tugging the facial tissues to create the rejuvenation change. There tends to be more variety of surgical outcomes within this category. Some methods last for several years, others tend to "wear out" faster. The main benefit of the SMAS lift is that the more minimally invasive versions of the procedure can be performed faster. Some surgeons will tell you there is a lower rate of complication using these methods, but this is not true when the data is actually evaluated.
A ponytail lift is simply a trademarked "brand" of a mini-lift created by one physician. There are small differences of incision placement, but these are not things that other surgeons do not employ as well, even if they do not use the name "ponytail".
To review, there are certainly many different methods of facelift procedures, but even if the same procedure is used, different surgeons can bring about very different results. Find a surgeon who is incredibly trained, has expertise in facial rejuvenation, and those before and after photos fit the aesthetic you are looking for. Warm regards!