What is Face Lift Surgery?

Facelift is a procedure to rejuvenate the facial skin that becomes loose and sagging with aging over time. In this surgery, the excess sagging skin of the face is removed by making incisions in invisible areas and the subcutaneous tissues are strengthened. It is ensured that the face takes the "V" or inverted triangle-oval shape of youth. There are many techniques applied for this surgery. The techniques basically vary in terms of interventions on the skin and subcutaneous connective tissues.

Who is Facelift Procedure Applied to?

Today, with the development of technology and non-surgical "minimally invasive" techniques, the age of facelift surgery has moved to a slightly later age. For sagging that starts at a young age, i.e. 30-40 years of age, good results are obtained with procedures performed with techniques and technological devices such as thread facelift (thread suspension, French hanger, spider web technique, etc.), Thermi, gold needle radiofrequency and similar techniques and technological devices, and sometimes these techniques provide non-surgical facial rejuvenation even for patients over 50 years of age. However, with a certain age, which is different for each person, non-surgical techniques are not sufficient for sagging, looseness and wrinkles. In this case, facelift surgery is now required to rejuvenate the face. In addition to facelift surgery, fat injection is usually applied to the face to restore the lost volume in the face. With fat injection, not only the lost volume is restored, but also the skin quality is improved thanks to the stem cells in the fat tissue and a bright and smooth skin is obtained.

Who Cannot Have a Facelift?

Facelift surgery should not be performed on people who have a serious health problem, smoke a lot and/or have impaired healing. More minimally invasive facelift techniques should be considered for these people.

What kind of anesthesia is used in facelift surgery?

Facelift surgeries can be performed under general or local anesthesia. The anesthesia method we use in our clinic for facelift surgery is sedation and local anesthesia. In this anesthesia, there is almost no pain, there is no problem in waking up, and the risks of anesthesia are minimized. Afterwards, the patient is discharged on the same day and can rest at home.

What is the Recovery Process After Facelift Surgery?

If no other procedure is performed at the same time and there is no condition requiring hospitalization, the person is discharged on the same day. For 1 week, antibiotics and painkillers are given. It is not a very painful surgery. In order to minimize swelling, the head should be kept elevated and the patient should lie down. There may be numbness and tingling on the face for a while after facelift surgery, this will regress over time.  There is a dressing on the face that reduces swelling and closes the wounds, and these bands are removed after 5 days. Stitches are removed at the end of the 1st week. In our clinic, in some cases we use radiofrequency device to accelerate healing after surgery. With this technology, swelling goes down faster and healing is accelerated. After the surgery, the patient can quickly return to his/her daily life. It may take up to one month for the full result of the surgery to settle.

Does Face Lift Surgery Leave Scars?

One of the frequently encountered questions about facelift is whether there will be scars after facelift surgery.  As in every surgery where the skin is intervened, some scars remain in this surgery, but these scars are not obvious because they are hidden in front of the ear, on the scalp and behind the ear, and the prominence of the scars decreases over time.

Are the Results of Facelift Surgery Natural?

One of the biggest fears of people who are considering facelift surgery is that the result will not be as natural as they want. They usually state that they are afraid of having a "face expression caught in the wind". In some techniques applied in the past, when the method of removing excess skin by simply stretching the skin and sewing it in this way was applied, situations such as distortion of the expression, unnatural results and a strange expression were frequently experienced. However, with the understanding of the importance of restoring the missing volume in the face and the importance of subcutaneous connective tissues (SMAS), advances in surgical techniques have been achieved. Today, it has become possible to achieve a very natural, rejuvenated face in a natural way without changing the expression of the person.

What are the Risks of Facelift Surgery?

The risks of facelift surgery include early wound dehiscence, bleeding (hematoma) and temporary partial facial muscle immobility. In the long term, there may be conditions such as permanent facial nerve damage and facial asymmetry.

What is the Price of Facelift Surgery?

The price of facelift surgery varies depending on the person's face type, the technique to be applied, whether fat injection will be performed, and whether there are other procedures to be performed (eyelid aesthetics, stem cell application, neck lift, etc.).

Last Updated Date: 20.11.2025