Why have a facelift?

You might choose to have a facelift if you’ve noticed the skin on your face starting to sag due to age. Your skin may also sag if you’ve lost a lot of weight. It’s particularly helpful for skin around your jawline, and is often combined with a neck lift . Your surgeon will explain which procedure will work best for you.

It’s best to have a facelift while your skin has started to sag, but still has some elasticity – for most people, this is between the ages of 40 and 60. You can still have a facelift when you’re older than this though.

How to get a facelift

As a cosmetic procedure, a facelift wouldn’t be covered by the NHS so you’ll need to have it done privately. You can find a consultant surgeon using the search function on our website. Even though it’s done privately, it’s still important to let your GP know you’re thinking about having a facelift.

Deciding on a facelift

You’ll have an initial consultation with a consultant surgeon to talk about what types of facelift might be suitable for you. They’ll go through the benefits and possible risks, as well as discussing any alternatives. Non-surgical alternatives to facelift might include Botox for treating wrinkles around your eyes or forehead, and skin resurfacing techniques to improve the texture and look of your skin.

Preparing for a facelift

It’s important that you’re as healthy as possible before having a facelift. 

• Lose any weight advised by your healthcare team before surgery
• Stop smoking or using nicotine at least six weeks before

If you're looking in England, check the Care Quality Commission (CQC) website for treatment centres that can perform facelifts. All private clinics and hospitals must be registered with the CQC to provide cosmetic surgery in England. Read more in our guide for important questions to ask your clinic and doctor.

Will I need an anaesthetic for my facelift?

You might have a facelift under general anaesthesia (meaning you’ll be asleep) or a local anaesthetic (where the area being treated is numbed), with the option of sedation, which makes you drowsy. If you have a general anaesthetic or sedative, you’ll need to stay in overnight.

If you do go home on the same day, you’ll need someone who can stay with you overnight. 

Either way, you won’t be able to drive after the procedure, so arrange for someone to take you home.

What happens during facelift?

There are many different kinds of facelift, but generally the surgeon will:

• make cuts (incisions) above the hairline at the temples that extend down in front of your ear, underneath your earlobe and behind the ear
• make cuts under the chin if the jawline is also being lifted
• remove the surplus facial skin
• pull the remaining skin backwards and upwards before stitching it into its new position
• sometimes redistribute facial fat and tissue or add fat to the face
• bandage the face to minimise bruising and swelling

It usually takes 2 to 3 hours, and most people need to stay in hospital overnight.

Recovery and what to expect after a facelift

The following is only a guideline, your surgeon will advise you on how long your own recovery might expect to take.

• Day of surgery: Your face will feel tight and sore after the surgery. The doctors and nurses looking after you will give you painkillers to help manage this. You’re likely to have bandages around your face to reduce bruising and swelling. You should be out of bed and moving around after your operation.
• Week 1: You can start driving again. You should sleep with extra pillows to help the swelling.
• Week 2: Your sutures (stitches) will be removed (if required). You can return to work.
• Week 6: You should be able to return to most of your normal activities. Your scars should start to fade.
• Six to nine months: You can see the full effect of your facelift and you can properly judge the results. Your scars should become paler over time.

Potential complications of a facelift

All surgical procedures carry some risk of complications. Here are some of the most common complications associated with facelift.

• Bleeding and bruising, including blood collecting in the tissues in your face.
• Infection.
• Problems with wound healing. 
• Swollen or numb face, which can last weeks or months
• Loss of blood supply to areas of your skin, causing the tissue to die.
• Nerve damage, including to your facial nerve, which can make your face feel stiff.

More serious complications include allergic reactions to the anaesthetic and blood clots developing in your legs or lungs.

There’s also a risk that you might not be happy with the end result. You also need to bear in mind that the appearance of the areas you had treated will change over time as a natural result of ageing. Changes in weight may also alter your appearance.

You’ll be given information on what to look out for and what to do if you develop any complications. Your doctor can also tell you how likely they are to affect you.

Facelift costs and fees

As a cosmetic procedure, a facelift wouldn’t be available through private medical insurance. You’ll need to self-fund this treatment. Facelift costs in the UK vary. Costs of different techniques – such as mini-facelift – will also differ.

Typically, an initial consultation with the surgeon will cost between £100 and £250, depending on where you live. If you move forwards with the procedure, you’ll be offered one of the following.

• An all-inclusive ‘package price’, where you know the full costs before undergoing treatment. Not all consultants and hospitals offer this. 
• A ‘fee-per-service’ deal, where you receive different invoices from the surgeon, the anaesthetist and the hospital. You often won’t know the full costs until you receive the invoices.

For more information, you can read our guide on self-pay.

Sources

• Face and brow lift. British Association of Plastic Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons (BAPRAS). www.bapras.org.uk (accessed 7 April 2021).
• Facelift and neck lift. British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS). baaps.org.uk (accessed 7 April 2021).
• Yang AJ & Hohman MH. Rhytidectomy. StatPearls. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, last updated 17 February 2021.
• McDaniel JC, Browning KK. Smoking, chronic wound healing, and implications for evidence-based practice. J Wound Ostomy Continence Nurs 2014;41(5): 415-23.
• SMAS facelift rhytidectomy. Medscape. emedicine.medscape.com, updated 31 October 2018.
• Deep plane rhytidectomy. Medscape. emedicine.medscape.com, updated 2 March 2021.
• Cherney K. Everything you need to know about a mini facelift. Healthline. www.healthline.com, 28 April 2020.
• Complications of facelift surgery. Medscape. emedicine.medscape.com, updated 23 June 2020.