Where are the sutures for a lower face and neck lift generally placed?

Thank you for your question. There are considerable variations in the placement of the scars for facelift and neck lift surgery. The one scar that is common is the one under the chin for a deep plane neck lift or for platysmaplasty.

With some facelift interventions, the scars start in front of the hairline in the temple region. They can also be placed behind the temple hairline, but this will affect the position of the sideburns. The scar is always in front of the upper third of the ears, but it can be placed either behind or in front of the midportion of the front of the ear (the tragus) and then again in front of the earlobe.

The scar then follows the groove behind the ears and curves towards the hair. From there, it can either go into the hairline behind the ear or in front of the hairline behind the ear.

There are two main areas where sutures are placed: 1) For incision closure, typically a mix between absorbable and permanent (removable) sutures, 2) Deeper SMAS sutures, long acting monofilament sutures (PDS). Incisional design and tension free skin removal is geared toward making the incision inconspicuous. The incision typically follows the contour of the sideburn, ear, postauricular sulcus, and occipital hairline

The sutures for a lower facelift are hidden inside the ear, down and under the earlobe and extend back into the hairline. Sutures remain intact and are removed after one week. I would recommend consulting with a board certified plastic surgeon like myself to see if you're a good candidate for that procedure.