Is it harder to get a good result over age 60 when you have a facelift? They seem to be more effective on younger people

There is some evidence that a facelift procedure will look better and last longer on a younger patient  But don't dismay. More important than your chronological age is your physiologic age, which is determined by your health, genetics and lifestyle. Many patients over the age of 60 are perfect candidates for facial rejuvenation especially when measures are taken to compensate for age-related changes in bone, fat and skin elasticity. Seek a surgeon with experience and expertise in facial rejuvenation that also understands the biology of aging.

In my experience, age 60 is the most common time people come in for a facelift. A facelift will typically provide a reduction in apparent age of 7-10 years. This is if the facelift is done properly by tightening the facia system under the skin, and tightening the neck muscles. A skin-only facelift will provide short lived results.Patients with a history of smoking, those with thin inelastic skin, or people who lose a significant amount of weight after their facelift may see less longevity of their result.The facelift operation, in the right patient, done properly, is a very satisfying operation for the patient with lasting results.I hope this helps.- Dr. Bryson G. Richards, MD

Thank you for your question.  It is understandable that you may see some facelifts that over pulled or are over tight skin.  Nevertheless, a modern well done facelift actually involves repositioning the tissue under the surface to a previous position.  Therefore, this means lifting the lateral cheek and tightening the neck in a more oblique direction.  This allows for the tissue under the surface to be back where it was a few years ago and the skin re-drapes very naturally and nit in a tight over pulled manner.  This is the basic essence of a modern facelift.