What is the difference between a mini and full facelift? Which of the two would deliver better results for me? 47 y/o (photo)

Question

I'm 47 years young and my neck is looking baggy and so are my eyes. Will a mini facelift correct this or a full facelift? What's the difference?

Ronald J. Edelson, MD · Answer

The difference between mini and standard facelift all depends on who you ask. The problem with a Mini facelift is that there are likely to be important steps left out which lead to a suboptimal result. Choose a good surgeon for starters and go from there. Don’t be confused by the word play. That’s all it is

Semih Yildiz, MD, FEPOBRAS · Answer

A mini facelift is usually best for mild early jowling and lower-face laxity; it uses a more limited dissection and generally gives less correction of the neck. A full facelift, often combined with a neck lift, is more powerful when the main concern is the jawline, neck looseness, bands, or tissue under the chin.

In your photo, the visible concern appears to be mild lower-face/jawline and neck laxity, but the image is limited and an in-person exam can change the recommendation. A mini lift might give some improvement if the looseness is early, but if the neck is your priority, a full lower face and neck lift is usually more reliable. The eyes are a separate issue and may need eyelid surgery, brow assessment, skin treatment, or a combination rather than a facelift alone.

Gianfranco Frojo, MD · Answer

You need a full facelift as this will address the deeper tissue and adequately correct everything. A mini facelift is usually a smaller incision that only include tightening of the cheek tissues and/or neck with suturing only (no elevation of the deeper tissue or creating a flap to pull on). I would recommend seeing a board-eligible or board-certified plastic surgeon with extensive aesthetic training in plastic surgery of the face. This includes a plastic surgeon who performed at least a 6 year plastic surgery residency and an extra 1 year aesthetic fellowship.

Jigar Sitapara, MD · Answer

Good morning from Washington DC!
Thank you for your question. I love the way you phrased it - 47 years YOUNG!There are a lot of semantics in facelift surgery which can make things very confusing. One surgeon's "mini lift" may be the same as somebody's "full facelift" for example. Over the last several years, I have transitioned my facelift practice to move away from the "mini-lift" concept which was a SMAS facelift. I now perform an extended deep plane lift for all appropriate surgical candidates. I find that the results tend to be more natural, longer lasting, and can be more powerful than my old "mini lift". I do however adjust my incisions and amount of skin dissection quite a bit for those with more or less skin laxity.A "full" facelift may including the brows (yours seem to be in good position), upper eyelids (there does not seem to be much skin redundancy), lower lids (you may benefit from a lower lid blepharoplasty to remove the puffiness), and an extended deep plane lower face and neck lift. As always, an in person analysis will be extremely helpful to understand your anatomy and your goals. 
I hope that helps! I wish you the best in your journey!Dr. SitaparaChevy Chase Facial Plastic Surgery

Ozge Ergun, MD · Answer

Thanks for the question. Based on your photos, you are a good candidate for Macs Facelift surgery. This surgery will help to reshape your face and eyelid. I recommend you meeting a board certified surgeon to decide the process together. I wish you all the best.

Suleyman Tas, MD, FEBOPRAS · Answer

Dear Blondie Vaz,

Thankyou for providing reference pictures for a better recommendation. It seems your skin is experiencing skin laxity where the skins firmness and tighteness is lost. I would recommend to get a full face lift because this will target in defining your neck, midface and temporal area as well as the Upper and lower blepharoplasty . Mini facelift in contrast only targets the midface and lower cheek area. Hence a full facelift vertical lift will be most beneficial as it will give a overall tightened look. In addition i would recommend you to look into nanofat injection for your deep nasolabial folds and wrinkles, they will help to fill in the lack of volume.

Best Regards,
TAS TEAM

Peter Lee, MD, FACS · Answer

A profile view is usually more helpful to assess the neck.  To address the signs of periorbital aging, you would benefit most from an endoscopic browlift paired with upper and lower blepharoplasty.  While a minifacelift, which we call a wavelift, and perform with an endoscope to minimize the length of our incisions, would rejuvenate your midface, and cause some improvement along your jawline, you do not have much jowling, so it might be the case that performing liposuction of the neck would satisfy you for the time being, allowing you to postpone a facelift until later in life.  We would need to see you in person to allow you to better choose among these different options.

Gurkan Kayabasoglu, MD · Answer

Hello. Mini face lift only covers the lower face, that is, around your mouth. Mid face only covers your middle face and cheekbones. You need a full face lift surgery. Because both your middle, lower and neck area need to be lifted. The technique I use is the deep plan facelift technique. It is done with an incision in front of and behind your ear. However, if we combine the lower eyelid surgery for your under-eye bagging and the edges of your eyes with fox eyes (Bella eyes) surgeries, you can get the look you desire. Please check our Instagram account and RealSelf photos. You can get more detailed information about me, ask all questions about your case and sending your photos to my assistants at the number on my profile. You can also book an online consultation and discuss your problems with me. With all respect.

Stephen Prendiville, MD · Answer

Thank you for your question.  The major difference between the two procedures is whether or not the neck is addressed with an incision under the chin.  For patients with extensive skin laxity and platysmal banding, an incision is placed under the chin and a platysmaplasty is performed to tighten the lax platsyma muscle.  This is generally omitted in a mini-lift, where lateral facelift incisions are made without addressing the neck directly.  However, this definition may vary from Surgeon to Surgeon. The satisfaction level is usually higher with a facelift.

Jonathan Kulbersh, MD · Answer

Thank you for your question and photo. A mini facelift is generally suggested for patients with early signs of aging, such as jowl formation and mild to moderate skin laxity. A traditional facelift is a more in-depth procedure that addresses advanced skin laxity, facial creases, fallen tissue, and hollowing in the midface.
The differences between the two procedures are determined by the severity of the aging symptoms and the patient's specific goals. I recommend scheduling an in-person consultation with an experienced, board-certified facial plastic surgeon who can suggest the best option for you.

Richard Baxter, MD · Answer

A full facelift addresses skin laxity in the neck and cheeks along with reshaping the face in 3 dimensions. A mini facelift can mean different things, but it usually implies working on only one area, for example the neck or cheeks. Eyes are a separate surgery (not part of a facelift) but often done at the same time.

What is the difference between a mini and full facelift? Which of the two would deliver better results for me? 47 y/o (photo)

Answers (22)

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