Vertical facelift: can i get the same result from pulling my skin up from the temple?

 A vertical lift would be an incomplete and unsatisfactory procedure. You cannot trim excess skin, and the SMAS is left in place, which means it will be pulling downward on the uplifted skin. Don’t try to figure out on your own what can be done to correct the sagging and drooping you’re seeing in your face. Start consulting with facial plastic surgeons in your area. If you’re not ready for a full rhytidectomy (facelift), there are many other options. I hope this helps.

Thank you for the
question. In general, it's best to avoid pulling the skin too tight; it gives
an unnatural look and the results won't last long. To have an effective
and long-lasting lift, most surgeons believe in tightening the underlying 
musculoaponeurotic layer, which is known as SMAS. Skin is allowed to lie
naturally. In addition, it's common to also use your own fat to fill the
specific fat compartments of your face, in what is known as "lift and
fill" facelift by many authors. Combining the two is a very powerful tool
in facial rejuvenation. I would consult with a plastic surgeon and
discuss your specific goals. Please ask your surgeon
to show your before and after pictures of his/her patients to get a clear
understanding of what is involved in the procedure.Pej Aflaki, M.D.
Johns Hopkins-trained plastic surgeon

 

The SMAS tissue is usually pulled vertically in a facelift.  The skin is pulled more obliquely to efface the nasolabial folds.  If the skin is pulled vertically, the skin cannot be adequately excised along the hairline and you would get a dog ear. 

An incision that is totally in the temporal region is generally used for lifting the lateral part of the brow or forehead.  In my opinion, one cannot get any demonstrable improvement in the mid and lower part of the face with a temporal incision alone.  
A facelift incision that starts in the front of the earlobe, goes along the front of the ear, and up into the temporal region can be used in patients with minimal laxity of the face.  This is often called a mini-lift or an S-lift.  The incision going along the front of the ear should heal very nicely and is usually imperceptible
The incision for the traditional facelift has a component that goes behind the ear in addition to the areas described for the S-lift.  With this type of incision, the full face and neck can be corrected.

A few years back much hay was made about the "vertical vector" in facelifting. This was referring to the vector of pull on the SMAS and underneath structures and not the skin.You can certainly lift the temple area by tightening the skin is this area but that's about all it does-lift the temple an maybe the lateral brow. If one is trying to rejuvenate the mid-face, jaw, neck or brow, make another choice. I think the truly vertical vector facelift ended with the mid-face lift through the lower eyelid incision; otherwise known as the vertical cheek lift. Facelifting terminology is confusing at best, and for the most part inaccurate. Operations do not rejuvenate faces, plastic surgeons do.