How long does a mini face lift last?

Question

I just turned 50 years old. I have mild laxity and just starting to show early signs of aging. I had a consult for a neck and face lift. I was told I was a candidate for a mini face lift and that it should last a decade (give or take). I just read 2 reviews saying their mini lift didn't last longer than 1-2 years. Is this because the surgeon they saw was not skilled enough, they should have gone straight to a full face lift, or do they just do not last long? I am confused.

David Hansen, MD · Answer

We call our lower Face/Neck Lifts a Mini Lift because it is done under local with a little IV sedation for complete comfort but it is a true full lower face/neck lift which lifts both skin and muscle.  Most true lower face/neck lifts last roughly 5-10 yrs and cost roughly $15-25,000 for quality work.  We call ours a minilift because we have minimized the risks by getting rid of general anesthesia which is 90% of the risk of any procedure.  Many other docs do a tiny incision behind or around the earlobe and barely pull the skin only and they call that their  MiniLift which lasts about 1 yr and does minimal improvement at best and run roughly $5-10,000. I don't advise anyone getting them.
 Because the true lower face/neck lift is so easy to undergo and makes such a dramatic improvement naturally, most patients all benefit from this at any age.

Jeffrey M. Darrow, MD · Answer

A number of factors go into how long a mini facelift result lasts. Prior sun damage, diet, quality of the skin, overall health, use of tobacco products, whether the minilift is a skin only lift or involves the SMAS layer.  Assuming all the above factors are maximized to the better, than miniface lift should last 6-8 years.  Obviously, the result after 8 years won’t match the result after 3 months, however your appearance should be better than if you’d not had facial rejuvenation.  Best wishes.

Carey Nease, MD · Answer

The amount of time a facelift lasts is highly variable and dependent on both the patient and the surgeon. A deep plane facelift should last more than 10 years, but a mini lift addressing the skin only will likely only last 3-5 years and not look as natural. At 50 years old you are likely a candidate for a full, deep plane lift. Otherwise you will be back for stage 2 in a few years. Hope that helps!

Andrew Miller, MD · Answer

When you see the term minifacelift or face and necklift, that can mean many things. And ultimately, what is done is what the surgeon feels his or her definition of that procedure is. It is very important in consultation to find out exactly what is going to be done. A traditional mini facelift involves incisions in front and behind the ear and works well for mild laxity of the jawline. If performed well, the results can last for many years. This can be variable, though, depending on if the patient has a healthy lifestyle, or if the patient has a heavy face. If your neck is bothering you, it could be best to go straight to a full face/neck lift as a mini facelift doesn't treat the neck well. As you can see there are a lot of variables so you need to find a facial specialist who you can trust to help you sort it out.

Gerald Minniti, MD, FACS · Answer

Although facelifting is a small part of my practice, I can tell you what my world renowned facelifting colleagues say: 1. mini facelifts yield mini results for a short period of time (a year or so), and 2. the younger you are the more you need a full facelift. Why? Because youthful tissue has much more elasticity, a good thing but not for a surgery that does very little tissue separation. Pulling on a little skin, or even a little deep layer tightening, the later less likely done in a mini facelift, will be resisted by the elastic nature of the tissue and result in it returning to its original contour.

William Portuese, MD · Answer

Mini face lifts tend to give mini results, and just don't last very long since they're minimally invasive. A full set of facial and neck photographs from all angles are required to make a determination about which is the best procedure for you. In our practice, a comprehensive lower face and neck lift accomplishes lifting the jowls, tightening loose facial and neck skin, tightening loose facial and neck muscles in three locations, removal of fat compartments in the neck above and below the platysma muscle, which also includes a platysma plasty to significantly improve the jawline.

Mats Hagstrom, MD (license on probation) · Answer

I don’t really view the outcomes of facial aesthetic surgery as lasting a certain amount of time.
In someways, the results are permanent and other ways having a facelift does not stop the process of facial aging.
Generally speaking mini procedures, give mini results so in that sense the name of the procedure speaks for itself.
My view is that the procedure should be done correctly and doing something halfway gives halfway results.
I personally had a facelift when I was in my 40s and have no regrets.
I also selected an exceptional surgeon.
For most cosmetic surgery, the two most important variables are going to be the patients candidacy for the procedure and the selection of provider.
 Facelift surgery has a great degree of finesse and not all plastic surgeons are talented at this procedure.
When it comes to mastering procedures, for facelift surgery, it generally takes a total lifetime dedication and decades of experience.
The number of plastic surgeons who truly master a single procedure is relatively small. 
Finding a truly, exceptional facelift surgeon usually takes a bit of work.
Generally speaking those who master facelift surgery usually have been in practiced for at least two decades, and typically specialized exclusively in facelift surgery or facial aesthetics.
Plastic surgeons cannot be a specialist and a generalist at the same time.
To find the right provider, I generally recommend patients have multiple in person, consultations with senior, board-certified plastic surgeons, who seem to do a lot of the procedure you are interested in.
During each consultation, ask each provider to open up their portfolio and show you their entire collection of before, and after pictures of previous patients, who had similar facial characteristics to your own.
A quality assessment is absolutely fundamental to understanding your candidacy for the procedure.
A lot of plastic surgeons view facial, aging, more comprehensively, and typically recommend or often provide multiple procedures as part of restoring facial aging.
This often includes a combination of facelift with blepharoplasty or brow lift procedures done in conjunction.
An experienced provider should have no difficulty showing you the before, and after pictures of at least 50 previous patients.
Being shown a handful of pre-selected images, representing only the best results of a provider career is insufficient to get a clear understanding of what average results look like in the hands of that provider, What your results are likely to look like or how many of these procedures they’ve actually done.
Bring appropriate facial pictures of yourself to use as a reference when reviewing before and after pictures.
Learn to recognize what differentiates quality facelift surgery.
This includes having flawless incision lines around the ear with very impressive, jawline definition, and avoiding a swept or surgical appearance.
There’s no correct number of consultations needed to find the right provider.
The more consultations you have the more likely you are to find the best provider.
The biggest mistake most patients make is having only one consultation which pretty much eliminates the ability to choose the better provider.
The best facelift surgeons typically don’t come cheap, so patient should expect to pay for quality work.
Without seeing pictures, we can’t begin to make an assessment.
Best,
Mats Hagstrom, MD.

How long does a mini face lift last?

Answers (7)

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