How are muscles repositioned in a facelift, are they cut & reattached or repositioned with stitches?

Hello, and thank you for the great question! This would be something best answered by your actual surgeon, as the truth is that it very much depends on the technique that is used. However, in general the muscles are never cut. Instead the fibrous layer called the SMAS which envelops and attaches to the muscles of the face is cut and repositioned with sutures, thus also lifting or repositioning the muscles as well. The way that the SMAS is treated is highly variable depending on the technique.

Hi and thanks for your question! The details depend on which technique the surgeon uses but the main options are to fold the muscle onto itself and suture it in place (SMAS plication) or to cut the muscle, dissect underneath it and then reposition the muscle and sew it into its new position (SMASectomy, deep plane facelift, composite facelift).