How long does face/neck lift surgery typically take?

This is a tough question to answer in a broad sense, because each case is typically individualized. We typically plan on about four hours for a routine facelift and neck lift. However, there have been cases that have gone as quickly as one and a half hours and others that have taken six hours. I do not think that a surgeon who takes longer is a safer or better surgeon. In fact, in my experience, often the surgeons who take longer to complete a surgery take longer for the simple reason that they do not perform the procedure very often.
The bottom line is that the amount of time that the surgery takes should not be the deciding factor. You should decide on your surgeon based on reputation, experience, and your overall feel you get with the surgeon.
I hope that helps. Please let us know if you have any other questions or concerns! 

Timing and duration of surgery varies greatly. Some surgeons do a great job quickly, others take longer and also do a great job. In the end it really doesn't matter as a couple hours of anesthesia makes no significant difference in recovery, especially if it is only IV sedation.  The only real things that matter are the quality of the dissection, the meticulous control of bleeding, and the final result. Best of luck!

For most patients, facial cosmetic surgeries can be done in the office under local anesthesia - mini facelift, mid face lift, neck lift, blepharoplasties etc. For example, bilateral upper & lower blepharoplasty, mid face lift, Short Scar facelift and neck lift usually takes me about 90 minutes in the office under local anesthesia. The goal is to have patients looking natural.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.

There is not "typical" time. What you should receive is the time that is needed to address your concerns. Often the phrase "facelift" may actually end up meaning the patient wants the face, neck, lower and upper eyelids and maybe even the brow position improved.So, the best advice is to seek out a face to face consultation with board certified plastic surgeon. After that visit, you should have a better feel for what you want done and the time it would take. Sincerely,

Michael Kulick MD

   Board Certified Plastic Surgeon

   Member of ASPS, ASAPS

   Clinical Editor of the Aesthetic Surgery Journal

   Recipient of the Klingbeil Award – Teaching Safe Techniques and Advanced Technologies

The time it takes for facelift surgery can vary quite a bit. It mostly depends on what exactly is being done. Sometimes eyelid and brow surgery is done together with the faelift, and of course this will add time to the procedure. There are also many different types of facelift procedures and some take longer to perform than others. The skill of the surgeon is also important but many expert surgeons take a little longer because they are more meticulous or are performing advanced procedures - so don't base your surgeon selection on time alone.

The duration of a facelift surgery may vary depending on many factors. Every facelift surgery to be performed should be planned individually and specifically for the patient who is going to have the surgery. It is possible to talk about many factors such as whether the neck will be operated on along with the face, the extensiveness of the facelift surgery, skin and tissue structure of the patient, whether the patient has had similiar surgery before, whether it is combined with another operation.
The facelift surgery to be performed will take shorter if only the skin is to be draped. If deep tissues are also going to be tightened, it is expected to take longer. If the facelift surgery is focused only on the lower face and neck area, the operation may be expected to take less. If the mid-face is also targeted, it is expected to take longer.

Combining facelift surgeries with other facial operations is common. These operations include brow lift / forehead lift, eyelid operations, facial fat injections. If the facelift surgeries are combined with one or more of these other operations, the operation duration is prolonged.

Since there can be many variations, it is not possible to talk about a single, specific surgery duration. Taking into account the aforementioned variables, the duration of a facelift surgery generally can vary from 2 to 6 hours.
Hope this helps,Ali Rıza Öreroğlu, MD FEBOPRASEuropean and Turkish Board Certified Aesthetic, Plastic and Reconstructive SurgeonIstanbul, Turkey

Thank you for your question. When making your decision on which surgeon to choose to perform your procedure there are many factors that can be taken into account. You should look at their experience, their certifications, and their results in particular. The amount of time they take in the OR varies case by case. Good Luck.

You probably should not base you decision on time but results and experience.  An experienced operator can get better results in two hours than a much less experienced surgeon can do in four. So its important to distinguish between fast and rushed or careless.  These depend more on experience and technique.  In addition, it might be an oversimplification to say that higher complication rates are associated with speed because you cannot equate speed with someone who is rushed.

Great question!  There are several techniques when it comes to doing facelifts and neck lifts, and also varying degrees of the true definition of the technique itself such as a mini-lift.  It also depends on if there is any muscle work involved.  There are great surgeons that take 4 hours and others that take 8 hours.  The timing itself does not mean one surgeon is superior than another, but rather the amount of work varies from patient to patient.  It is best to see photos and results from the surgeon you are interested in to determine his/her work.  Best of luck and hope this information helps!- Dr. Roger Tsai @DrRogerTsai
Board Certified Plastic Surgeon

Hello.  Thank you for your question.  There are many different approaches to perform face/neck lift, and the time it takes to perform different techniques can vary significantly.  In addition, face/neck lift procedures are commonly performed in combination with other facial rejuvenation procedures, such as browlift, upper and/or lower blepharoplasty, facial fat grafting, facial implants, laser skin resurfacing, etc., which will increase the time in the OR.  Also, the experience and confidence of the operating surgeon can significantly affect the time it takes to perform all of these procedures.  An inexperienced surgeon will likely take longer, because they have not developed the confidence to proceed through the steps of the procedures in an efficient manner.  In my opinion, the surgical approach to facial rejuvenation should be individualized to each patient, and surgical times will vary based on the procedures performed and techniques used.  I feel that the length of time it takes a surgeon to perform any procedure should be one of the least important considerations for choosing a surgeon.  A faster or slower surgeon does not necessarily make a better surgeon.  I would encourage you to seek a consultation with one or more board-certified Facial Plastic Surgeons, or Plastic Surgeons, with extensive experience and expertise in facial rejuvenation and allow them to assess your individual anatomy, concerns and goals, in order to determine the best treatment plan for you.  In addition, look at their before and after pictures and patient reviews to assure that they have the skills and experience to achieve the results that you desire, and that they have happy patients with outstanding patient experience.  These are the most important considerations, in my opinion.  I wish you the best in achieving your aesthetic goals.

A straightforward facelift should take about three hours.  What can increase the surgical time is if other procedures are done at the same time.  Eyelid surgery, fat injections brow lift are all things that could double the time.