Why does placement of facelift incisions at the temple vary?

Where the
incisions are made is determined by the surgeon’s preference and experience. I
do the short-scar facelift (smaller scar) and the end result is very
natural looking.  My patients are thrilled with
their results.  A small incision is placed just
above and below the front of the ear and the scar is placed inside the ear.  Women are able to wear their hair up or in a ponytail
without any tell-tale signs of surgery. Seek a consultation with a Board
Certified Plastic Surgeon with elite credentials in this procedure.

The temple incision will vary depending on surgeon preference and what type of facelift. The incision that is carried around the temporal hair tuft is easy to camouflage in the hairline and should not be visible on casual glance. Other incision types have pros and cons and your surgeon will be happy to discuss that with you. 

The answers to this question should make it apparent to you that a few surgeons need to be seen in consultation for you to be comfortable with the answer. For the most part the surgeon will do what he/she is most familiar with in conjunction with how they were trained. Each incision has their pros and cons (I favor the incision in the hairline - that way you will practically never see a scar), but if you visit several specialized facelift surgeons, you will get a feel about what is good for you, and who you feel comfortable with.

Thank you for your question.Incision placement varies with each patient, hairline geometry, and type of lift.Ask your surgeon to draw on your picture where your incisions will be.Best wishes.

It's very dependent on the technique and experience of the surgeon. Their experience will dictate where they are comfortable making an incision. There are advantages to each location but exposed non-hairline incisions should rarely be closed with staples. Incisions location and length could determine what results can be accomplished. Don't expect small incisions to yield big results. That's looking for a magic wand. In plastic surgery, we have learned over a long time to hide incisions and carefully choose their placement to optimize results. Don't choose a short scar technique expecting a long scar result. Their is no free lunch.

At your consultation with your surgeon they will explain to you where your incisions will be and exactly what entails with the procedure.

 It plastic surgeon will adjust the incisions of the facelift to minimize distortions of hairline and sideburns. This will be explained to you by your surgeon prior to the operation.

I must admit, i ask myself the same question often. To be completely honest, us surgeons are an interesting group of people. We are very type A (if you know what I mean) and many of us thing our way is, the ONLY way. But you know what, this isn't true. In Surgery, there are many ways to achieve the same effect. Each way has its benefits, drawbacks and of course this all depends on the experience of the person doing it. One of the things we consider when making the temple incision is the hairline. You can imagine, if we make the incision RIGHT at the hairline it may be more viable, especially in people with little or no hair. However, there is a benefit of this over another way, putting the incision in the hair. The benefit of this is that the incision is hidden in the hair, however, as we pull the skin there is a chance we can raise your hairline or move your hairline back a bit, which isn't always desirable. Also, as you mention above, it depends on the type of facelift as well. A "mini-lift" would not use this incision at all, but then you can not really remove much extra skin with all this.In the end, all surgery has limitations and drawbacks. Our job as surgeons is to inform you of these and help you chose the one that will give you the effect you desire. I hope this is helpfull,James P. Bonaparte, MD, MSc, FRCSCHead and Neck Surgerypracticing in Facial Plastic and Reconstructive SurgeryAssistant Professor, University of OttawaOttawa, Ontario, Canada

There are probably as many incisions used in facelift surgery as there are newly created names for facelifts.  Several factors are generally considered by the facelift surgeon in creating the incisions for the facelift.  The sex of the patient, the height of the temporal hairline, the depth of creases in front of the ear, and most importantly, the objective of you and your surgeon in performing the facelift.  A good facelift surgeon will likely consider these variables and many more in order to give you the most natural and pleasing facelift result.

The type of facelift incisions (length, position) depends of
multiple factors like patient’s physical findings and surgical technique used
by the facelift surgeon. Shorter scars (the ones that do not go into or in
front the temple hair-bearing area) are usually reserved for patients that require mild or
minimal excess of skin. On patients significant excess of skin, the incisions
that avoid getting in front of the hairline or into the temple hair-bearing area area requires a oblique
vector of skin pull ( to avoid extending the incision), thus increasing the
risk resulting in a “lateral sweeping effect” or facelift stigmata. When the face lift  incisions are extended into the temple or in front of the hairline, the
facelift skin pull is more vertical, and therefore tends to give a more natural
results. The incisions in front of the hairline can be more inconspicuous than
the ones inside the hair bearing scalp, specially during social activities that
requires the head/hair to get wet like swimming. Patients interested in undergoing facelift surgery should
discuss their options with a board certified Plastic Surgeon specialized in
Face Lifts





John Mesa, MD

Board Certified Plastic Surgeon

Livingston, NJ & Manhattan, NYC