Facelift

A facelift is a cosmetic procedure designed to reduce wrinkles, sagging skin, and various other signs of aging in the face and upper neck region for a more youthful and revitalized appearance. Dr. Jon Kurkjian—our board-certified plastic surgeon—is subspecialty-trained in this aesthetically demanding treatment, providing him the advanced anatomical knowledge and surgical skill to achieve exceptionally natural-looking results for women and men seeking facial rejuvenation.

While there are many facelift techniques that can be employed, Dr. Kurkjian typically prefers the high SMAS deep plane facelift as the standard at our practice. In our opinion, this more complex technique provides a more natural look and longer-lasting results. For all facelifts, Dr. Kurkjian’s goal is to make sure his patients look like a more rested and refreshed version of themselves.

Quick Facts About Facelift

Procedure:
Approximately 3-4 hours (facelift alone)
Anesthesia:
General anesthesia
Recovery:
About 2 weeks (desk jobs / light exercise); 4 weeks (social events)
Post-op Visits:
1 day, 1 week, 3 weeks, 6 weeks, 6 months
Cost:
Begins at $25,000 (total fee)

Customizing a Facelift Treatment Plan

At the time of the consultation, Dr. Kurkjian will identify areas that can be improved for enhanced facial harmony, starting from the top of the head and down to the neck. Depending on your specific aesthetic concerns, he may recommend combining facelift surgery with complementary procedures like fat transfer or eyelid surgery—though he will only do so in the event an additional treatment would help produce a better, more natural outcome.

Once both of you have agreed upon the procedural strategy, Dr. Kurkjian will provide a comprehensive overview of how the surgery will be performed, detail what to expect before and after treatment, and answer any questions you may have. If you are satisfied with the proposed plan and feel comfortable moving forward, our team will assist you in booking an appointment for facelift surgery on a date that is convenient for you. At this time, we can also discuss available payment plan options should you desire financial assistance.

In the end, Dr. Kurkjian and our staff want your facelift experience to be as pleasant and stress-free as possible, and we will do whatever we can to make sure you achieve the outcome you desire while delivering an unmatched level of care.

Dr. Kurkjian underwent training on the most advanced facial rejuvenation techniques directly from pioneers in the field of facelifting in both New York City and Dallas. Since that time, he has improved upon the techniques he was taught to develop his signature version of the high SMAS deep plane facelift. His expertise enables him to individualize every procedure for each patient.

What Are the Benefits of Facelift Surgery?

Facelift surgery can help address some of the key signs of facial aging, including:

  • Lines and wrinkles
  • Drooping cheeks
  • Facial volume loss
  • Hanging jowls
  • Sagging neck skin
  • Stubborn fat

It is important to note that while a facelift is considered one of the most comprehensive facial rejuvenation procedures available, it will not directly address aesthetic concerns pertaining to the eye and forehead regions. To resolve cosmetic issues in these areas, patients can often elect to combine their facelift with eyelid surgery and/or brow lift surgery.

Am I a Candidate for Facelift Surgery?

A facelift is an excellent option for men or women who want to look refreshed again. There is no defined upper age limit for facelift surgery, though we recommend that you are in good health and have the approval of your primary care physician before proceeding with facial rejuvenation. During the consultation, Dr. Kurkjian will evaluate your overall health status, facial anatomy, and cosmetic goals. Most importantly, he strives to formulate a detailed and comprehensive plan that is ideal for you. If it is determined that facelift surgery is not an appropriate option at this time, Dr. Kurkjian will recommend alternative treatments that would be better suited to your needs and goals.

What Is the Facelift Procedure Like?

Facelift surgery is performed under general anesthesia, typically taking about three to four hours to complete by itself. In order to avoid a wind-swept or overly tight appearance, Dr. Kurkjian performs the high SMAS deep plane facelift, which involves tightening and lifting the deeper (SMAS) layers of the face without putting any tension on the skin. This not only avoids a pulled look, it also extends the duration of the results and diminishes the visibility of scarring. Once facial tissues are elevated to an ideal position and extra skin is excised, Dr. Kurkjian will carefully close the incision sites.

Dr. Kurkjian’s High SMAS Deep Plane Facelift

While many surgeons perform a SMAS facelift approach, this is typically the SMASectomy or SMAS plication technique, which leaves the SMAS attached to the face and only tightened by sutures. Dr. Kurkjian prefers the high SMAS deep plane facelift, which is a more technically challenging technique he learned directly from pioneers in facelifting surgery.

Dr. Kurkjian’s high SMAS deep plane facelift involves a complete release of the SMAS layer, elevating it from the key retaining ligaments to allow for more movement and, as a result, an improved lift. Using the deep plane technique to apply tension to the face is more beneficial because the SMAS is a stronger layer than the skin. In Dr. Kurkjian’s opinion, a deep plane facelift allows for more natural tightening than the SMAS facelift technique alone. A unique aspect of his approach is the SMAS and skin remain attached, which helps maintain more of the blood flow to the skin and produces a more “unoperated” skin appearance.

A deep plane approach releases the SMAS in order to improve the magnitude and longevity of the facelift. The results of this technique, which usually causes significantly less strain on the facial skin and muscles, are often longer lasting and more natural looking than those of a traditional SMAS facelift. In addition, Dr. Kurkian’s high SMAS deep plane facelift offers the benefit of lifting the midface, creating both a lower and mid facelift. During your consultation, Dr. Kurkjian will determine the best strategy for your facelift procedure after a thorough consultation of your medical needs and cosmetic goals.

SMASectomy and SMAS Plication

In specific cases, Dr. Kurkjian may perform facelift surgery using the SMASectomy and SMAS plication techniques, both of which he also learned from renowned facelift surgeons during his extensive training. These techniques are employed at our practice when addressing revision facelifts, as they are a safer approach when it is impossible to know the plane of dissection from the previous surgeon. The SMASectomy and SMAS plication techniques do not involve the same comprehensive reworking of tissue and facial structure as a deep plane facelift, which may help to protect facial nerve branches from injury.

Due to the complexity of aging, facial rejuvenation often requires a multi-modality approach. To help address all the different ways the human face loses its youthful exuberance, Dr. Kurkjian will commonly combine facelift surgery with techniques such as chemical peels, dermabrasion, dermal fillers, and/or fat transfer (fat grafts) to achieve the best possible outcome. When these procedures are also performed — or if eyelid surgery or brow lift is added — facelift treatment times may be extended. Regardless of the approach, Dr. Kurkjian will always tailor the treatment to fit the unique needs of each patient.

Facelift Before & After Photos

One of the most effective strategies to get to know your surgeon is to explore their before-and-after photos. Please look through our facelift gallery for a preview of Dr. Kurkjian’s results.

Real Patient Results

What Can I Expect During Recovery from Facelift Surgery?

Facelift patients typically stay overnight at a hotel or return home their first night after surgery, both options involving around-the-clock help from an aftercare service. Patients return the following morning, where our team will remove surgical drains, change dressings, and check incisions.

During the initial days after surgery, patients are instructed to rest with the head slightly elevated. While some degree of swelling and bruising throughout the treatment region is common, initial swelling usually lessens within a week and bruising often fully resolves after about two weeks. Most individuals feel comfortable returning to desk jobs and light exercise after approximately two weeks, and a full social recovery can typically be expected after about 4 weeks. To ensure proper healing, strenuous activities and vigorous exercise should be avoided for a total of 6 weeks following surgery.

Dr. Kurkjian and our team aim to provide every patient with detailed care and attention to make the facelift experience at our practice a safe, comfortable, and memorable one. We use several follow-up appointments throughout the course of recovery to assess healing progress and thus modify the treatment plan as needed. The typical follow-up schedule after facelift surgery is post-operative days 1, 4, 7, 14. Follow-up visits continue at 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, 1 year and beyond. Your follow-up visits will also include specific instructions for your skin care and non-surgical treatments to help accelerate your healing and maximize your results in the short and long-term. As always, Dr. Kurkjian and his staff are available to answer questions or address any concerns that may arise along the way.

Will I Have Obvious Facelift Scars?

Although some degree of scarring is an inevitable aspect of any procedure involving incisions, Dr. Kurkjian’s high SMAS deep plane facelift technique helps to greatly diminish the final appearance of any post-operative scars. Typically, our patients’ final facelift scars are very difficult to discern. These nearly invisible scars are possible due to the surgical approach and meticulous technique. Because the tension is applied to the SMAS layer, Dr. Kurkjian is able to close the skin with little to no tension on the skin itself. This not only helps avoid a “pulled” appearance, it also helps ensure ideal scarring.

Secondly, Dr. Kurkjian’s High SMAS technique keeps more of the skin attached to the SMAS and thus helps with better circulation and blood flow to the skin edge. Blood flow is critical to wound healing and thus is very important for proper scar formation.

Lastly, Dr. Kurkjian takes great care in placing his facelift incisions in the natural shadows and junctions of key aesthetic subunits which helps reduce visibility. These scars are placed in the sideburn hairline, along the junction of the ear and the cheek, behind the tragus, behind the ear and into the hairline behind the ear. Careful technique helps place these scars to help ensure an “unoperated” natural result.

In the end, the majority of patients have little to no concern about facelift scarring once incision lines have fully healed, particularly with our meticulous post-operative scar care regimen.

What Does a Facelift Cost?

The cost of a face and neck lift begins at approximately $25,000, which includes all fees. Additional components that can impact the total expense of treatment include:

  • Facility and anesthesia fees
  • The specific concerns being treated
  • The facelift technique used
  • Any necessary pre- or post-op medications
  • Complementary procedures
  • Location of the practice

It is not generally advised to choose a practitioner simply because they offer treatment at a lower cost than someone else. This is, after all, your face! On the other hand, the growth of social media has created frenzied demand for certain “social media famous” surgeons that subsequently charge exorbitant 6-figure fees for procedures. In Dr. Kurkjian’s opinion, it is important for patients to avoid falling prey to the concept that something much more expensive must be better. The unfortunate reality is that some facelift pricing is more about popularity based on photo-shopped or edited photos than any real results on real patients. Our advice is to review standardized professional photos of patients and meet your surgeon to ensure that you feel that they are transparent and honest in their approach.

At our practice, we never want treatment pricing to prohibit patients from receiving the aesthetic care they desire, which is why we offer plastic surgery financing through several of the most trusted healthcare lenders in the nation. These organizations provide numerous payment plan options that break the cost of treatment into manageable monthly payments for virtually any budget. If you desire financial aid, our staff will be happy to help you get started on the application process for your plan of choice.

How Long Does a Facelift Last?

Generally speaking, results achieved through facelift surgery “turn back the clock” approximately 10 years. Aging will continue after surgery, however, this process can be slowed with proper skin care and non-surgical treatments. Most people find that another procedure may be of benefit 10-15 years after their first facelift. That said, at that point in time, patients still look younger than if they never received a facelift in the first place.

While there are a variety of elements that impact how long facelift results ultimately last, one of the most important factors is the surgical method utilized. Techniques that tighten the skin only tend to yield shorter results than those that target deeper layers of the face, such as the SMAS layer which is released and tightened with Dr. Kurkjian’s approach to facelift surgery. Additional components that can influence the longevity of one’s outcome include skin quality and care, as well as one’s lifestyle habits (i.e. diet, sun exposure, tobacco use, etc.).

Following an in-person consultation, Dr. Kurkjian will be able to provide a more personalized answer as to how long you can expect your facelift results to last based on your unique needs and overall lifestyle.

Can I Get a Facelift Without Surgery?

A surgical facelift will typically provide a more comprehensive and longer-lasting enhancement than any non-surgical alternatives for ideal candidates; however, not every individual needs and/or desires to undergo a surgical procedure to achieve their aesthetic goals. For patients seeking a non-surgical facelift, Dr. Kurkjian can discuss the role of neuromodulators, dermal fillers, biostimulators and threads. This customizable treatment can help diminish facial lines and wrinkles, augment areas of lost volume, and lift sagging skin without the need for incisions or prolonged recovery. At the time of your consultation, Dr. Kurkjian can help you decide whether or not a non-surgical approach or surgical facelift would be right for you.

Additional Frequently Asked Questions

Contact Our Practice

If you would like more information about facelift surgery, or if you wish to schedule a consultation with Dr. Kurkjian, please feel free to contact us today.

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