At 54 years old, when is it best to get a facelift for the best effects?

Your question is the same as many people ask me. “Should I have a small procedure done now, while my concerns are smaller and get a subtle improvement, refresh my appearance and have a shorter recovery or wait until aging changes are more pronounced and my results are more dramatic? There is not a right or wrong answer to this question. However, you did mention that you would like your changes to be subtle so that people don’t notice and the younger you are the more elastic and strong your skin is and the longer your results will hold up. Therefore, I would probably favor doing your procedure now as opposed to waiting, as this seems to meet the criteria that you mentioned. See a board-certified plastic surgeon to discuss this in detail. Best wishes.

Interestingly enough, I don’t look at how young a patient is, but actually the opposite, I look at how old a patient is. Patients on the other end of the age spectrum have more medical problems, a more difficult time with surgery, and a slower healing time. So there’s more to consider.

For people to not notice you’ve done anything means you want a natural result. And a natural result does not necessarily mean a non-surgical or minimally-invasive procedure.

You want the correct procedure done for your issues, in a safe and sophisticated approach, by an experienced provider.

If you ask a Facial Plastic Surgeon who performs a lot facelifts the ideal age for the procedure, with some exceptions the answer will be when indications are present, but the patient's skin still maintains the turgor and elasticity to redrape properly. That ideal age is usually some time in the 50's, depending on the patient. However, what's most important is when you feel psychologically prepared to do it. The indications you describe make it sound as if you may be a good candidate, but only a consultation will help decide that.

Hello and thank you for your question. The decision to have a facelift is a very personal one and one that is also unique to every patient, so it is difficult for us to advise our patients as to the exact right age for a facelift. However, it pays not to wait too long because the younger you are, the more skin elasticity you will have to achieve optimum results. There are also non-surgical options for neck rejuvenation. Lasers and injectables provide great results with minimal downtime.

However, I highly recommend scheduling an in-person consultation with a board-certified facial plastic surgeon who can make a proper assessment of your skin quality and facial profile. Your surgeon can perform an evaluation and use digital photography to determine your eligibility for the procedure, show your projected results, and ensure the best possible outcome.

Hi, I do not see a picture, but a facelift is a tradeoff: younger looking face vs scars around ears. It is a good tradeoff if you will indeed look younger after a facelift. The best was to check is to go to the mirror and pull up your skin on your face. If you see a good difference, and you like the way you look, then yes, facelift would benefit you.

The truth is, it is best to get a facelift when you dislike what you see in the mirror. There is no right age or right answer, and it depends on your genetics, past sun exposure, health issues, smoking, lifestyle etc. To address your question, if the surgeon has a sophisticated aesthetic, very subtle work can be done that will make you look elegant but not overdone. No surgery stops the ageing process, but at 54, you can look in your 40s with some sophisticated work, and who wouldn’t like that? My personal opinion is that I would rather you do smaller procedures and treatments as you age then suddenly get everything done at 75. Partaking in small improvements means that less people will notice your changes, and you will be able to age gracefully as you wish. Surgery is only a part of the equation to ageing gracefully. There is the mental/psychological part as well, and we tend to feel our best when we look our best. It also doesn’t hurt to focus on good skin care, and skin tightening treatments like lasers and microneedling, and neuromodulators. Based on what you describe, perhaps you could just do a neck lift to improve the neck, and some skin tightening with a laser for your face, though a physical exam would be necessary to help you choose the best approach. I recommend you consult in person with a board certified plastic surgeon to discuss your concerns and expectations and see what procedure is right for you at this time.

A face and neck lift can correct moderate to severe cheek and neck laxity in patients during their fifth decade of life. The longer a patient waits, the more severe laxity of the SMAS and platysmal stuctures become.

Hi, and thanks for your question. That's great that you are noticing that your face is holding up well, even while your neck is becoming more lax. It's normal for parts of our face and neck to age differently.

A good facelift should last you about 10 years. The recovery time is about 7 - 10 days, and many offices offer facelifts as an in-office procedure where you can recover at home.

There are non-surgical options that you can investigate for your neck. However, at 54, these non-surgical options will likely cost a few thousand dollars, and won't be as effective as a face/neck lift.

Your best option is to visit a facial plastic surgeon and do a consultation. This will give you an idea of recovery time, what your results will be, and whether it makes sense--from a budget and desire standpoint--to go forward with a lift now or wait a few years.

I hope this helps!

Dr. T

Although everyone is different 54 years is a reasonable age to undergo a facelift. It's unusually for me to perform a facelift in someone under 45. At your age you are probably a good candidate

Meet with a couple of Board Certified Plastic Surgeons in your area and they could go over all your options with you & together make a plan that would best suit what you are looking for. Sometimes you can do some non invasive treatments to help with the quality of your skin in the mean time.