Is 40 Too Young for a Facelift?

20 years ago, this question would not have come up. It would have been considered inappropriate by most surgeons for a 40-year old to consider a facelift except perhaps in acne patients with skin laxity.

Now, especially for patients in the entertainment industry who make their living on air, it is more common than not that they undergo cosmetic surgery, including facelifting procedures.

20 years ago the typical facelift patient would have had been offered a facelift with high lateral pull causing loss of the sideburn and a Nike swoop effect due to uncompensated sagging of the midface, a coronal browlift causing significant elevation of the frontal hairline, and hyperelevation of the central brow causing a quizzical appearance. The significant and widespread resultant loss of hair could immediately create the appearance of age rather than youth. The mantra was often the tighter the better.

Facelift techniques have evolved. Accomplished facelift surgeons can now routinely perform gentle facelifts with preservation of all anatomic features. It is possible to preserve the sideburn, the tragus (bump in front of the ear), earlobe shape and cant, and posterior hairline, and to bury the scars so they are minimally apparent.

These advancements do not occur by accident, they occur in the planning stage before the first cut is ever made.  It is determined before the surgery starts how your outcome will be.

There are many ancillary procedures and techniques that were not available such as volume restoration with fat or LiveFill (nontraumatized fascial fat grafts); cheek and midface elevation techniques, fat preserving blepharoplasties, hairline sparing brow elevation techniques, many different lasers, lip lifts, etc. The face is now viewed three dimensionally (i.e. 360 Facelift concept) rather than as a surface to span skin across.

The net result for the patient is that the indications for facelift surgery are changing. It is now possible to offer patients significant improvements, even for patients in their early 40's. By no means is a facelift appropriate for every 40-year old; in fact the opposite is true. It is the select patient whose appearance often depends on projecting youth and vitality, who has anatomy favorable for facelifting techniques that becomes a candidate.

The differences after surgery are typically subtle. The media are full of examples of celebrities who have had ill conceived surgery. It is the work that you don't see that is most clever.

It is hard to advise you without seeing photos. Best, longest lasting results are on younger patients.However, one should look at the pros and cons. There is no reason to go through surgery if one can correct with injectables. I do not advocate for mini-Facelifts. They don't last for 12-15 years and make future, more detailed work more difficult as the skin loses some elasticity. So basically, you get a short time benefit when waiting for another year or two will allow you to have a better, longer lasting lift.

The answer to this question can vary, and keep in mind it is based on the individual patient. However as a general rule, once you look in the mirror and dislike what you see, it’s time.  The tricky part is that sometimes people judge themselves too harshly.  That is why an ethical, reliable plastic surgeon should be consulted – someone who can say “no” if you are being too hard on yourself!  However, for the patients with severe facial laxity and early signs of aging – that’s the time to consider a facelift. For more subtle volume loss and more subtle facial sagging, there are nonsurgical options such as hyaluronic-acid-based filler injections, Botox, and laser treatments. For best results, please visit a board certified plastic surgeon with facelift experience and the ability to say “no” when needed!

Age is only a number. Some people need their facelift at an earlier age depending on the degree of tissue relaxation. It would have been nice to see a picture of you to tell you if you have another option. Fat grafting could be helpful. Try to find a board certified plastic surgeon to go over all your temporary and permanent options, but if you need a facelift, don't let the age be a factor in you decision making.

A Mini Facelift can usually be an option on most realistic patients anytime after the age of 35-40. It really depends on your anatomy and genetics. It is best to talk to your surgeon because everybody has different techniques and recovery time is usually based on a number of factors. 
If we are just talking about a short scar facelift, this can typically be done in the office under local anesthesia. Usually there are no drains, no outside stitches, and patients can go out in public the same day, although I usually recommend they low for the first couple days. Most of the initial swelling is from the numbing medicine and your body absorbs it within the first 4-6 hours. Obviously the body heals with swelling and inflammation and usually that maxes out at two days and then starts getting better. Most of these patients take no pain medicine and usually feel very comfortable going out in public within a few days.  I usually call my patients the night of surgery and check on them the next day. If everything is fine the next day, I then let them shower and they do not need a dressing over their incisions. They can usually start using make up after a few days.  At the two week check up, I usually have people start working out and then after six weeks they can do whatever they want. 
I routinely tell people to take a few days to a week off work and to hide out but some people are very nervous especially celebrities and I usually tell them to hide out for two weeks. As with any scar on the human body, initially scars are red, hard and raised and it typically takes six months to a year for them to become a soft thin white line. 
Additionally with recovery, there're many things we do to expedite healing such as nerve blocks during surgery, oral supplements, skin care and scar therapy recommendations, lymphatic massage sessions that are included in our pricing.
I strongly feel that it's very important to have an honest conversation with your surgeon about your particular situation, lifestyle, work environment and specifically which procedures you're having done so that you both have the most honest answer about your recovery and are realistic with expectations and results.
Surgery is not for everyone. In today's day and age, there are many nonsurgical options to consider although surgery usually gets the most improvement specifically of the jowls.
I would recommend that you see a board-certified plastic surgeon in your area that is a member of both ASPS & ASAPS and performs a lot of facelifts but also offers all the nonsurgical options such as injectables and laser treatments. Go over your concerns with them and make sure above all, you walk out of there with several options and an idea of the pros and cons to each of them as well as realistic expectations. 
I hope this helps and wish you all the best in your surgery and event. If it does, please take a moment to up vote this answer on the “respond” button on the top right.  

The answer is that it depends. Massive weight loss patients, avid long distance runners, and genetically predisposed people can benefit from an early facelift. A thorough evaluation, and realistic expectations are the key for any successful surgical intervention.Bet,Dr Results