Mini Facelift - would I be a good candidate? (photos)

A mini facelift would be an excellent procedure to lift your cheeks, lower face, and neck. It can be done under local anesthesia in the office and takes 2 weeks recovery.

Thank you for your question and pictures! A mini facelift a good option to treat jowls and the lower face. The surgical option that may be a better fit for you is a midface lift. There are many ways to accomplish this, but treatment options 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.

Surgery is not for everyone. There are non-surgical options that can help achieve what you desire. Cheek filler will help lift the face and if done with a cannula can get the filler up higher on the cheek lifting the face even better. Though this is a great option to surgery it is not a permanent solution and would likely require multiple treatments.

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.

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.

A mini facelift is typically the treatment of choice when one has jowls that one is trying to improve along with cheek descent. There is no completely agreed-upon definition of mini facelift. In general, a standard facelift means elevating the cheek and neck redundant tissue and all the sub techniques that unique individuals require. If one is concerned mostly with redundant skin of the neck, a necklift may be more appropriate. If one is concerned with the jowls but ones neck is doing well, a mini facelift can be considered. A good physical exam is always needed to determine if one is a candidate and also to determine if it is worth it to undergo it. If the cheek skin is flaccid one may be a candidate. A good way to tell is to look in the mirror and hold up your cheek relatively tightly and then let it down 25% or so. This is probably a realistic expectation for a mini facelift for most. Your plastic surgeon at your exam will be able to demonstrate this for you to help determine if you're a good candidate.