Quick Lift Vs. Lifestyle Lift: What's the Difference?

Unfortunately, there is a lot of confusion regarding the different types of facelifts. The LifeStyle Lift is a proprietary heavily branded type of mini lift. Some of this confusion is caused by plastic surgeons themselves, as we are not consistent in our terminology. Nevertheless, a facelift implies a procedure where the skin and underlying support tissue (the SMAS) is elevated and redraped. Perhaps the gold standard in facelifting procedures is the high SMAS procedure, a technique that is safe and effective at rejeuvenating the face. It also has a reputation of having a prolonged recovery, and attempts have been made minimize the incision and scope of the procedure. Minilifts of various sorts are minimal incision lifts and go by many names. Quicklift is a trademarked procedure that addresses the lower face, jawline and neck and is marketed through participating practices. Most surgeons offer a comparable procedure. Because of the confusing terminology, make sure you know what type and extent of facelift surgery your surgeon plans to perform.

Quick Lifts, LiteLift™ and Lifestyle LiftsPart of the problem is that many of these procedures are actually done quite differently by all of the doctors involved. Since only Dr Nichter and myself (Dr Horowitz) at Pacific Center for Plastic Surgery currently do the LiteLift™, it is done very much as shown on our website. The Quick Lift, if done correctly, should be similar by each surgeon as described by Dr Brandy.You would have to call Lifestyle and ask how each doctor in your area specifically does their procedure.

Dr McFadden's response is comprehensive and I agree with all - apart from the lifestyle lift (which I have not seen but heard the stories!) - being the domain of facial plastic surgeons alone!

I perform the quicklift and think the results are as good as any other SMAS tightening lift. I operated on a patient 2 weeks ago who slept that night in her own bed, was lunching with friends by day 3, shopping at day 5 and started a new job on day 7 post lift.

The only thing quick about the lift (it takes me 3.5 hours with platysmaplasty) is the recovery which is extraordinary in my opinion.

The LifeStyle Lift is a proprietary heavily branded type of mini lift.  It is a mini-lift under my reasoning that it is focused on the lower face, does not require general anesthesia, and has abbreviated incisions, takes a shorter time to perform and recover from in comparison to a traditional facelift. But then again there are lots of mini-lifts that offer similar claims.
The mini-lifts may be tough to choose from because of all the brand names such as LifeStyle Lift, S-Lift, Quick Lift, LiteLift, MACS and others.
There is however, a need for traditional facelifts. For example, if you have a large amount of redundant neck skin and fat or turkey waddle deformity, you may benefit more by liposuction and a traditional facelift which does better with lower neck skin redundancy.

Probably most important is the skill and experience of the surgeon. Always check out his/her before and after photos and ask to see long term results and most of all that he is trained and a  Board Certified Plastic Surgeon  or Board Certified Facial Plastic Surgeon with extensive experience over many years.
Remember it is the skill and experience of the surgeon that counts not the name !!  Great surgeons get great results, period. The best way to find one is to start with a  Board Certified Plastic Surgeon  or Board Certified Facial Plastic Surgeon with extensive experience over many years. Ask to see before and after photos, especially long term ones. and ask the number of times you will be seen afterwards by the surgeon rather than a medical assistant. A good place to start is "find a doctor" on the American Society of Plastic Surgeons or American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons web sites.

The QuickLift procedure addresses the muscular layer beneath the skin.  We can address each patient individually, offering them a very customized procedure tailored just for their specific needs.  The QL is not a one-size fits all approach. With the QuickLift we can customize a plan for all patients which will optimize their chance for a pleasing outcome.  By utilizing a special incision we can maximize the effect of the procedure, allowing both horizontal and vertical lift in the area - leaving an almost undetectable scar.