Why can't a facelift be reversed?

Thanks for the question.
A facelift generally will involve the removal of a segment of skin and addressing the underlying SMAS layer by cutting/stitiching or changing its direction to aid in the lift. Due to this very process, as you are removing tissue, it is not possible to reverse this as there is not skin to put back. One way of doing this would be by using skin grafts to replace the skin that was lost and reraising the SMAS layer and letting it sit without securing it in a higher place and this would essentially reverse the process but the results would be less than adequate and not something that I would advise. The scarring that develops through the process of a facelift would essentially negate this and would leave you with a substandard result.
I hope this helps 

Most face lifts involve restructuring (reshaping) facial and neck muscles and fascia (SMAS) which includes removal or tacking of this structure in the neck and face. Also, face lift involves removal of the skin in front and behind ears. It is impossible to entirely "reverse" face lift because of removed tissues and changes that have happened after surgery. However, some aspects of face/neck lift can be revised (corrected) to provide more natural look after face lift. 

Thanks for the interesting question. Most facelifts tighten the skin and underlying layers and involve removal of tissue. To reverse a facelift would imply releasing the areas that were tightened and adding tissue. However, the methods to add skin or soft tissue (i.e. skin grafts) would appear unsightly.  One of the goals of reversal would be to create lax tissues and skin but I am not sure if this is possible because through the healing process the underlying tissue will undergo inflammation and fibrosis. The tissue would not be as supple as lax skin and soft tissue associated with aging. I would not suggest reversing a facelift or attempting it. Hope this helps. 

Most face and neck lift techniques entail a tightening and lifting of the deeper tissues of the face followed by a more delicate removal of the excessive skin created by this deep tightening. Although you could theoretically reopen the face and release the tissues that were tightened at the deep level it would be impossible to replace any tissue removed such as deep fat, SMAS or skin. In addition dissection of tissue always causes some permanent changes as a result of the healing mechanism including scar tissue and fibrosis.  So to answer your question some of the aspects of a facelift could be reversed but many of the changes are permanent. 

In 32 years I've never had a patient ask me to reverse a facelift. The question implies the reversal of the effects of the facelift: Not many people actually want to look older even if they are unhappy with the results of the facelift. I'm going to take the liberty of rephrasing your question as it is impossible to actually reverse a facelift operation done correctly. Many people have asked for improvement in scarring and even "softening" of the result for those with extreme fat loss due to aging. I have revised a number of facelifts to create a more natural looking result. In a nutshell, changing the direction and intensity of the SMAS vectors and liberal fat grafting can go a long way to creating a softer, more natural, youthful result without reversing the facelift. The only way to truly reverse a facelift is by living another ten years.