What Are the Pros and Cons of a Face Lift?

Starting with the cons: You will need to put your life "on hold" for about 2 weeks while you are healing. This takes some planning for most people to be out of the public eye for this period of time. Secondly, it can be expensive depending on what combination of procedures you have done. Third, you could end up with an "overdone" look, so be very careful in picking your surgeon.

Now looking at the pros: The first most obvious is the feeling of a new lease on life, rolling the clock back 10 or more years is the main motivation. A popular comment at the time of consultation is, "I want to look as young as I feel".  Another popular reason these days is feeling more competitive in a youth driven job market. The boost in self esteem helps many gain the confidence needed to seek reemployment.

A Facelift is still the best overall procedure for giving a patient a long lasting youthful appearance (7 - 10 years) with minimal risk. When performed by a board certified plastic surgeon this is a very safe procedure. Recovery takes about two weeks which means after this period of time others would not notice any swelling or bruising from surgery. When you combine a Facelift with procedures to reduce wrinkling such as fractional CO2 laser and procedures to add back facial volume such as fat grafting, you enhance the results greatly without additional downtime or risk.
Key Points:
1. Consult with a board certified plastic surgeon who offers the whole spectrum of available options.
2. Remember good cosmetic surgery takes time to do and time to recover from. Don't take shortcuts when it come to something as important as your face.
3. Don't fall for slick marketing that promises it will give you the same result as a Facelift in "one hour" or with "no stitches". Often these marketing companies will send you to a non board certified surgeon.
4. Fillers alone will not rejuvenate the face.
The common risks with face lifts are hematoma formation (a collection of blood under the skin), and healing delays near incisions especially behind the ears. I see these problems most commonly in patients who use tobacco. Men are also more likely to develop a hematoma.
Numbness, Swelling and Bruising are part of the healing process and always resolve over time.
Overall it is an excellent operation that gives you a long lasting dramatic natural appearing improvement with minimal risk, and pain and a reasonable amount of downtime.

The answer depends on who performs your surgery.  A properly performed facelift shouldn’t have any cons:  you should look better, feel better, and not have any health ramifications.  Your face will look lifted and refreshed but not artificial; your incisions will be hidden; your jowls will disappear along with neck laxity.  Proper preoperative medical clearance and an extremely skilled anesthesiologist will guarantee that you get through the surgery without issue.  However, I have seen results that are not necessarily as described above when patients who seek revision facelift procedures find me to correct work done elsewhere.  I’ve seen incisions that are ropy and thick and easily visible , faces that look pulled and unnatural, and have heard stories about poor postoperative care.  I suggest that you do your research carefully and that you set up consultations with several different board certified plastic surgeons who have many befores and afters of facelift surgery that show elegant results. 

When a facelift is performed by an expert facelift surgeon on a good surgical candidate the results can dramatically enhance ones beauty.   The procedure is the most powerful tool in facial rejuvenation.   The cons include recovery time and rare surgical complication.    

A nicely done facelift can look absolutely great.  These are among my happiest patients.  But it is surgery which does involve some risks, including scars, bleeding and infection.  If you go to a reputable, experienced surgeon, the risks are low.  Also check out the surgeon's work and serif the work looks natural.  Good luck!

There’s definitely pros and cons
associated with facelift surgery. 
For this reason, it’s not unusual for patients to spend significant
amounts of time evaluating this issue.

Facelift surgery is the most
powerful tool that’s available for treating facial aging.  The procedure has the ability to remove
excess skin and reposition sagging skin. 
The results of this procedure can be dramatic. It’s safe to say that no
other therapeutic intervention has this type of impact.  In addition, compared to other anti-aging
maneuvers the procedure has a relatively long duration.

In contrast, it’s important to
remember that it’s a major surgical procedure, that has a
lengthy recovery, significant costs, scarring and the potential for
complications.

Despite this, most patients are
extremely happy with the results of this procedure and describe it as a life
changing experience.

All surgical procedures have benefits and tradeoffs. For facelift surgery, the advantages are a younger-looking appearance with fewer signs of aging, including wrinkles and sagging skin. A facelift can sculpt a more defined jawline and tighten the tissue in the mid-face and lower face. Most of my patients say they look 5 to 10 years younger after their surgery, and with proper maintenance, they can look young for many years.

The disadvantages of a facelift are similar to any cosmetic surgery. There are always risks associated with general anesthesia, and recovery time will be necessary. However, choosing an educated, trained, and qualified surgeon greatly reduces your risks from surgery. Good luck!

Pros - Look like you feel, more self confidence,  make you feel like "you're back !"

Cons - Face Lifts are real surgery and as such like most things in life (like driving for example) there are real risks - The risks are too numerous to list if you want to consider the uncommon and rare ones but things like excessive bruising or hematoma (blood clot under skin that may need to be removed), damage to nerves, and wound healing problems especially if you are a smoker or have high blood pressure not controlled.

The key to minimizing these risks is picking the right surgeon. To do so focus on 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.

Let's consider the downside first: expense and recovery time, and fear of looking overdone and fake. Advanced techniques have really minimized recovery time, and a more natural look is the norm these days. The benefits of a facelift are that it does what no nonsurgical procedure does to restore a more youthful and healthy appearance. The key is to think of it as a 3-dimensional operation, rather than simply pulled and tightened skin.

The facelift procedure is one of the most dramatic procedures an individual can undergo, it helps to restore the basic balance to the aging face, by softening the jowls and redefining the neck line.

The cons are it needs to be performed in a fully licensed and accredited surgery center, not a back room. This is important to reduce chances of infection, and manage potential complications such as bleeding.

Choose your doctor carefully, they should specialize in the face. Ask to see their patient photos to make sure their aesthetic or look is what you are looking for. I prefer a natural look, some doctors like a pulled dramatic look.