Am I ready for a facelift at 37 years old? (Photos)

tifacola.  I appreciate your frustration, however I do believe you are still a bit young for even a mini facelift. However, micro liposuction of the jowl region may be a reasonable option for you and an excellent stopgap until you are ready for a mini facelift. Consult with a board-certified plastic surgeon in the area to confirm my advice. Good luck.

Thank you for your question. You do not have enough loose skin to warrant a facelift. Generally speaking, 37-years-old is still very young to get a facelift procedure.

Properly placed facial filler in the cheeks can help to pull up slight lines around the mouth, giving your face an overall rejuvenated look. If you are finding that this is not enough, you may consider looking into skin care and laser treatments. I recommend setting up a consultation with a board certified plastic surgeon to discuss your options. Best of luck!
 

Thank you for including photos with your concerns. Jowling tends to be an age-related process and it is unlikely that jowl descent or significant skin laxity would be present at a young age.  If you are looking to improve the contour of your jaw and neckline you may want to consider using fillers or fat transfer to create a sharper, more linear shape.  Early signs of aging can also be improved using nonsurgical skin tighteners such as Ultherapy. 
Hope this helps.  

I don't recommend a facelift at this time, because you don't have enough skin laxity. I would recommend volume enhancement using a number of techniques ranging from fat to synthetic fillers which will help symmetry. Once facial aging progresses to skin laxity and dissent, I recommend a micro or many facelift. I actually have found that patients who get treated surgically sooner end up looking better longer.
Sincerely, 
Philip J. Miller, MD, FACS
Double Board Certified Facial Plastic Surgeon

Thank you for your question.  Is does appear you are showing early signs of ageing but at this stage non surgical skin tightening (renevion) or skin rejuvenation (co2 laser) would help improve the appearance of your skin making you appear youthful and radiant.  Where you have started to lose a little volume this can also be replaced by dermal fillers or fat transfer.  I feel having a facelift now would be too premature and the results will be minimal.  The still pay the same money for little improvement.  Please have a consultation with a board certified surgeon to discuss your options.  I agree a facelift is not needed for yourself now.  All The Best 

The photos are limited but I will address some of your concerns based on what I see. There does not appear to be significant jowling, but flatness in the cheeks and a long upper lip. Rather than continue to spend money on fillers, you might consider cheek implants which are permanent and will elevate the nasolabial folds and provide fullness to your cheeks. In addition, you may be an excellent candidate for an upper lip lift procedure. This surgery will shorten the distance between your nose and lip and provide more "pink" of the lip to be displayed as well as provide a more defined cupids bow. 

Based on your photos, I'm not sure a facelift is the best first option for you. I recommend an in-person consultation with a board certified facial plastic or plastic surgeon to discuss less invasive options such as volumization with filler or fat injections and/or laser skin rejuvenation. Sincerely,
Mark Been, MD
Board Certified Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon

A Mini Facelift can usually be an option on most realistic patients anytime after the age of 35-40. It really depends on your anatomy and genetics. It is best to talk to your surgeon because everybody has different techniques and recovery time is usually based on a number of factors. Sometimes we do them in much younger pts.If we are just talking about a short scar facelift, this can typically be done in the office under local anesthesia. Usually there are no drains, no outside stitches, and patients can go out in public the same day, although I usually recommend they low for the first couple days. Most of the initial swelling is from the numbing medicine and your body absorbs it within the first 4-6 hours. Obviously the body heals with swelling and inflammation and usually that maxes out at two days and then starts getting better. Most of these patients take no pain medicine and usually feel very comfortable going out in public within a few days.  I usually call my patients the night of surgery and check on them the next day. If everything is fine the next day, I then let them shower and they do not need a dressing over their incisions. They can usually start using make up after a few days.  At the two week check up, I usually have people start working out and then after six weeks they can do whatever they want. I routinely tell people to take a few days to a week off work and to hide out but some people are very nervous especially celebrities and I usually tell them to hide out for two weeks. As with any scar on the human body, initially scars are red, hard and raised and it typically takes six months to a year for them to become a soft thin white line. Additionally with recovery, there're many things we do to expedite healing such as nerve blocks during surgery, oral supplements, skin care and scar therapy recommendations, lymphatic massage sessions that are included in our pricing.I strongly feel that it's very important to have an honest conversation with your surgeon about your particular situation, lifestyle, work environment and specifically which procedures you're having done so that you both have the most honest answer about your recovery and are realistic with expectations and results.Surgery is not for everyone. In today's day and age, there are many nonsurgical options to consider although surgery usually gets the most improvement specifically of the jowls.I would recommend that you see a board-certified plastic surgeon in your area that is a member of both ASPS & ASAPS and performs a lot of facelifts but also offers all the nonsurgical options such as injectables and laser treatments. Go over your concerns with them and make sure above all, you walk out of there with several options and an idea of the pros and cons to each of them as well as realistic expectations. I hope this helps and wish you all the best in your surgery and event. If it does, please take a moment to up vote this answer on the “respond” button on the top right.  

Thank you for your photos. On front view, you do not appear to have laxity of the lower face which is typically what a facelift will address. Profile views could be helpful. I perform mini lifts on patients in your age range however it is hard to determine from your photos if this would achieve your goals or not.I think your approach with fillers is appropriate for you at this age. You have lost volume in your cheeks which is natural and happens to everyone. This can change the shape of the face subtly and make it appear longer. Fillers are a great way to return the face to more of an upside down triangle with the cheeks creating a pedestal for the eyes.There are some other treatments you could consider and I recommend you see a facial specialist, who performs both surgical and non surgical treatments.

HI tifacola,
I do not think that you are ready for a facelift unless I cannot see your problem clearly from your photos. If the risk out weighs the benefit, I would hold off for now. You would not get a dramatic result from the lift at this point.
Best,
Dr. Christine Rodgers

Most would agree that having a facelift in one's 30's is not typical. Having said this, I performed a "re-do" facelift for a woman in her 30's. This is case # 0035 in the gallery link provided. So, your pictures do not lead me to believe that you need a surgical option. I understand your frustration but do your homework as non-surgical options may be better based on the photo's you provided. Seek out consultations from board certified plastic surgeons that are members of ASPS and ASAPS. This is a good start.Sincerely,

Michael Kulick MD

   Board Certified Plastic Surgeon

   Member of ASPS, ASAPS
   Recipient of the Klingbeil Award – Teaching Safe Techniques and Advanced Technologies