What does a Facelift do?

Facelift surgery elevates and tightens drooping facial tissues, rejuvenating the overall appearance in a natural way. This procedure is the most powerful facial procedure in "turning back the clock," and helps patients resemble a younger iteration of themselves. 

Isn’t it wonderful that you can truly regain a more youthful appearance under the expertise of a qualified, board-certified plastic surgeon? By entrusting your care to skilled hands, you can combat the effects of aging and gravity, bringing to the surface the vitality that you feel from within. Discover more about various face lifting techniques helping you to achieve this, and which one best fits you. 

Mini Facelift:  

 A Mini Facelift promises improvement for areas from the jawline to the cheeks through shorter incisions along the hairline above each ear or within natural creases around the ear. The procedure is named "mini" because it involves less extensive surgery (usually only some skin dissection) and doesn't achieve the same level of enhancement as a traditional facelift. This technique primarily targets younger patients in their 40s or 50s or  patients who are not as concerned about improving their neck’s appearance.  

We do not perform Mini Facelifts. It's an invasive procedure, with minimal effect. Simply removing skin without addressing deeper tissues results in minimal lift, risk of scar widening and short-lived improvements. For longer-lasting and more noticeable results, the focus should be on lifting and tightening the deep facial tissues, which is not what a Mini Lift aims for. 

Ponytail Lift:  

A Ponytail Lift is a procedure aimed at tightening the brows, forehead, and cheeks for a more youthful appearance. The minimal-invasive procedure gets its name for two main reasons: it produces results akin to a high, tight ponytail in lifting facial skin, and patients can conceal incision marks by having them along the hairline instead of in front and behind the ears. 

Although popularized in marketing, this technique lacks official recognition among facelifting experts or in reference textbooks. Many surgeons caution that the procedure carries a risk of hair loss due to incisions and tension in the hair-bearing scalp, potentially leading to visible scars within the hairline as a common side effect.  

MACS Lift:  

MACS stands for Minimal Access Cranial Suspension, representing a supposedly less risky alternative to a full facelift. The technique aims to avoid the deep dissection and facial nerves. The MACS facelift targets sagging tissues in areas like the neck, cheeks, and jawline. It can be done under local anesthesia with sedation or general anesthesia, depending on patient preference.  

Utilizing a short scar technique, the procedure involves an incision along the temporal hairline that extends to the earlobe, without extending behind the ear. The skin is lifted in the lateral cheek and temporal areas, and the underlying tissue is tightened using purse-string sutures to ensure lasting results. 

The MACS lift is an effective technique in select patients, and allows high satisfaction due to its associated quick recovery. Additionally, its shorter operative time allows more combined procedures compared to traditional facelifts, which can last up to four to five hours. However, its effectiveness may be limited in individuals with significant skin laxity or pronounced fat deposits in the neck. 

High SMAS Lift:  

High SMAS Lift surgery is a powerful deep-plane facelift technique that aims to lift and rejuvenate the lower face, the lateral lower eyelid and the mid-face by repositioning the soft tissues in these areas. The SMAS, or Superficial Muscular Aponeurotic System, is a fibro-muscular network that spans the face and neck, located beneath the superficial fat and skin layers.  

A traditional facelift effectively elevates the deep layer of the face below the zygoma, to reposition the lateral cheeks and correct the lower 1/3rd of the nasolabial fold and the jowls. In comparison, a High SMAS Facelift takes this further by lifting the deep layer (SMAS) in a higher position above the zygoma. With limited skin dissection laterally, the composite flap of skin and SMAS elevates the face while reducing the need for a mid-facelift. 

We often perform fat grafting, eyelid surgery, and radiofrequency skin tightening procedures such as AccuTite and Morpheus8 alongside a High SMAS Lift to improve results. 

Your High SMAS Lift procedure will be conducted under general anesthesia in an accredited clinic, requiring an overnight stay to monitor blood pressure and ensure comfort. Special attention is given to concealing scars within natural skin creases and along the hairline, ensuring they become almost unnoticeable after they have healed. 

At Redeker Aesthetics we perform the High SMAS Lift technique in most of our patients.