Mini Facelift

The unique approach to the Mini-Facelift means patients look naturally 10 to 12 years younger without changing their expression. Rather than "lifting" the skin, the problem is solved by transforming the subdermal tissues to their original places.

Mini-Lift surgery is an operation performed in a hospital environment, without the need of general anaesthesia, but instead under sedation and local anaesthesia. Mini-Lift surgery takes around 1 to 1.5 hours with incisions inside and at the back of the ear. It can be performed in conjunction with other operations, for example eye lid surgery or injectables, depending on the patient's requirements.

A Mini-Facelift, also known as a Ponytail Facelift, gives a moderate improvement with minimal inconvenience, scars and risk.

As such it can be suitable for anyone, but a particular indication is for younger patients with relatively early signs of ageing, who find this difficult to put up with and are prepared to accept that they will need further surgery later on. Meanwhile, they will probably use lasers, peels and creams to prolong the surgery free period.

This is a change of approach. Only a short time ago, we advised patients to wait until they really could not put up with signs of ageing and then, at an older age, have a full facelift. The patient would be delighted with the dramatic improvement and would be unlikely to require any further surgery. Now patients are generally not looking for a major change, but just not to grow old.

The mini facelift is part of a maintenance programme and is often combined with fat grafting (lipofilling) to replace lost volume and stem cell treatments to improve overall tissue and skin quality. Lasers and peels all have their place.

There are many other anti-ageing solutions available, both surgical and non-surgical. Request a call from one of our patient advisors or book a consultation at the Cadogan Clinic if you would like to discuss your concerns in more detail.

After your surgery, you will be asked to come in for a post-operative appointment to come back and see our nursing staff at the Clinic between 1 and 2 weeks after your surgery. At this point your incision sites will be reviewed, and your preliminary healing will be assessed.

After 6 weeks your surgeon will personally review your progress – again at the Clinic - and make sure you are recovering as expected. In addition, they will remove any stitches and advise you on the need for further dressings.

Throughout the recovery period you will have full access to our 24/7 on call nursing service, and full access to the Clinic and our post-operative facilities.

Our aim is to make you feel as comfortable as possible during the entirety of your recovery period.

You will need to avoid exercise for a few weeks, but you will be able to back in front of a computer as soon as the next day. There will be some swelling and bruising at the incision areas, which is normal and will fade in time and heal over the next week or so. You should be back at work after 2 weeks.

You may have heard or read online about patients, who are in pain with considerable swelling for weeks or months following a facelift, but this is highly unusual. It may be the result of poor technique or deep plane facelift, where all the soft tissues are lifted off the bone and placed at a higher level.

While this can give good results, we at the Cadogan Clinic, do not feel that the discomfort and long recovery time of this deep plane technique is worth it. We focus on getting you lasting, impactful results, without unnecessary downtime and pain or discomfort.

Facelift results are essentially permanent but surgery will not stop your face from naturally continuing to age. For patients who take care of their skin, avoid smoking, and excessive sun exposure, it should be possible to enjoy the benefits of a facelift for many years, having essentially 'put the clock back' a decade or so following surgery.

You should expect to retain the benefits from your facelift surgery. If it makes you appear 10 years younger, you should always retain that 10-year advantage.

There are other external factors that determine how long a facelift will last, such as age of the patient and the condition of the patient's skin.

Darker skin that is in a healthy condition will respond better at the time of the surgery, as opposed to fairer skin that has sun damage or is thinner. However, patients who are under the age of 60 typically have the longest lasting results.

The skill of the surgeon and the technique used are also an important factor in the longevity of a facelift.

There are also many non-surgical procedures that can be used to maintain results on an ongoing basis beyond surgery and keep your face looking young and fresh.

These are all offered at the Cadogan Clinic, and include:

• Anti Ageing Injectables, e.g. Botox
• Dermal Fillers
• Lasers
• Chemical skin peels
• Non Surgical Facelift

The latest and possibly the best adjunct is regenerative treatment.

Certain lifestyle factors can either increase the risk of complications during and after your surgery, or help sustain long-lasting results:

• Don't smoke: Smoking ages you, accelerating the ageing process dramatically.  The most common impact of smoking before your surgery is that it increases your chances of developing an infection and inhibits your body's natural healing processes. We insist that all patients stop smoking and using nicotine products at least six weeks before surgery.
• Drink less alcohol: Alcohol dehydrates your skin and we want your skin to remain firm and supple in order for results to be long-lasting.
• Keep a healthy weight: Significant weight fluctuations can change the shape and elasticity of the skin on your face. To retain that vibrant, youthful look following your facelift, avoid or cut back on alcohol. Your doctor will discuss your current BMI and drug use at your consultation and advise you further on this.
• Drink lots of water: Water hydrates your skin, it keeps the face looking full and fabulous.
• Always wear sunscreen: Every day- no exceptions. The sun damages your skin, causes wrinkles and advanced ageing.
• Take care of your skin: Following the instructions laid out to you by your surgeon for proper aftercare are of the utmost importance. It's also important to use high-quality skin creams, serums and to continue having professional treatments such as peels, fillers or Botox to continue to support your desired aesthetic.

Your surgeon will give you specific advice on how to wash and bathe after the surgery.

In general, you may gently shower and wash your hair 48 hours after a facelift surgery, taking particular care on the treated areas. You can also blow dry your hair on a cool setting. Be gentle when brushing or combing your hair so that you do not catch your comb in the suture lines. You must follow your surgeon's specific advice.

It is normal to feel a little self-conscious when you are in public following facelift surgery due to the visible swelling, redness and bruising that will inevitably occur on the face during the preliminary recovery phase.

The vast majority of bruising and swelling should have comfortably settled by around 2 to 3 weeks, so it is at this point that you should first plan to be seen by friends and colleagues.

Full recovery can take several months, so we do advise you plan well ahead to ensure that you give yourself enough time to recover before a major event such as a wedding or birthday. We would recommend allowing between 2 to 3 months.

It is typically possible to start wearing makeup again 2 weeks after your procedure. At this point, you can then use camouflage or concealer cosmetic products to cover any remnant bruising you may still have.

Of all the scars you may have from plastic surgeries, scars on the face are the best of the whole body. They are not only well hidden, but also settle efficiently. For most healthy people, surgical scars from a well-performed facelift do not cause any issues.

Even for patients who produce keloid scars can consider having a facelift, even though they will require extra Scar Management during their aftercare treatment.

Facelifts are becoming less invasive and scars fewer. Nevertheless, the standard scars themselves are short and hidden around the contours of the face, in the front of the ear, under the earlobe and in the crease behind the ear.

It is perfectly possible to carry out a facelift under a local anaesthetic, but most of our patients prefer the type of general anaesthesia we give at the Cadogan Clinic (Total Intravenous Anaesthesia (T.I.V.A.)) for full facelift surgery.

TIVA delivers anaesthetic intravenously via a computerised pump able to monitor anaesthetic levels closely. This close calibration allows your anaesthetist to keep you at a relatively shallow level of anaesthesia, meaning your sickness is minimal following your procedure and you can start your recovery quickly. You will also be allowed home an hour or two after the surgery is completed, even if the surgery has taken several hours.

Local aneasthetic or sedation are better options for less invasive facelift surgery such as mini-lift or micro-lift surgery.

Plastic surgeons tend to be sceptical of non-surgical injection-led treatments when it comes to delivering long lasting facial rejuvenation results.

However, we do recommend non surgical alternatives for younger patients or patients with only minor signs of ageing.

There are limits, however. It is very difficult to fix drooping, sagging older skin. with a non-surgical facelift. You also cannot expect full resolution of deep wrinkle lines and drooping skin with fillers and injections, and of course, over time fillers fade and need to be replenished.

There are also various laser and high energy device rejuvenation treatments that we offer at the Cadogan Clinic, such as Laser Resurfacing, IPL, and Ultherapy. These treatments can be sufficient for some patients, but this depends entirely on the condition of the skin.

We typically recommend non-surgical treatments as a maintenance adjunct to surgical treatment, wherever possible. Surgical facelifts remain the better option to ensure dramatic, long lasting results. When it comes to drooping, sagging skin and deeply set wrinkles on the face, a surgical facelift is the best option.

In sum, whilst non surgical treatments can delay the effects of ageing to a certain superficial level, but the emptiness of the face and folds of loose skin will require surgery.

Yes, a Micro-Lift may be the perfect solution for your excess neck skin, but there are other solutions.

The Micro-Lift procedure is designed to help alleviate early signs of ageing and mild loss of elasticity loss.

This procedure commences with the making of a tiny incision below each ear. The connective tissue below the skin is pulled and held back to create a subtle structural lift in your jawline and neck. The skin will become taut and contours defined again.

The Micro-Lift does not offer drastic results. This is the subtlest in facelift procedures. If you have moderate skin laxity a mini-facelift may be a better choice for you. Or, if you have a problem with severe folds or prominent jowls you may want to consider a full facelift. However, if you are in your late 30s to late 40s and are looking for a light “pick up” in your face and neck area, the Micro-Lift is probably the best solution for you.

Remember that these modern lifting procedures are often combined with fat transfer and stem cell transfer to restore volume in the right places and rejuvenate the skin.

Any extra unwanted fat or double chin is removed by liposuction.

The recovery period for a Micro-Lift is really short. Most patients are back to their regular routines after just a few days. You will experience minimal discomfort after surgery. In addition, the smallness of the facial incisions means that your skin’s healing process will be quicker as well. You have minimal chance of poor scarring.

Jowls are the common term used to describe sagging, hanging skin around the chin and jawline. 

This sagging skin means the lower part of the face loses the definition that we enjoyed in our younger years. In some cases, jowls can also have a negative impact on a person’s facial expressions, leaving them looking permanently sad, grumpy or angry.

There are a number of things which can play a factor in the appearance of jowls. This includes genetics (jowls can be hereditary), environmental factors such as excessive sun exposure, and lifestyle choices, such as smoking and weight loss. Jowls may be less pronounced in people who have more fat, thicker skin or higher levels of collagen. The development of jowls is a very common side-effect of the aging process, as the skin loses its natural collagen and elastin. 

A mini facelift is one of the best surgical treatments available for tackling jowls. A jowl lift can get rid of this sagging skin and give the chin and jawline a smoother, tighter appearance. The underlying structures and muscles of the face are also tightened to enhance the result. Our expert surgeons who carry out this procedure will ensure that you are left with a natural-looking result from your surgery, without leaving the skin looking over-stretched.

It is important that you are prepared for your facelift, before and after the procedure.

Your journey to face lift surgery will begin with an initial consultation where you will be able to discuss with the surgeon what you want to achieve with the surgery and what would be possible, given your facial anatomy. The surgeon will go through the options available, discuss your medical history and take key measurements and clinical photography.

At this stage, you will also have a chance to view a number of facelift before and after pictures to give you an idea as to what the surgery can achieve.

If you decide to go ahead with your face lift, you will be given a two week cooling off period. During this fortnight, you can come to the clinic and discuss your face lift with the surgeon as many times as you like.
The surgery is carried out as a day case and you will need a friend or relative to drive you home afterwards. You will not be able to drive for a week following your face lift.

You can expect to be reasonably mobile after one day of rest, post-surgery.

It takes between four and six weeks to fully recover from a mini facelift. You should see results from this time, but expect to see further improvements for up to 12 months post-surgery.

You should expect some swelling and bruising in the days following your face lift. You should sleep on your back for three weeks after your face lift, in order to avoid sleeping on the surgery sites.

You will return to the clinic within two weeks after surgery when our nursing team will review your incision sites and assess your healing. The surgeon will see you at the six week mark for a final appointment. They will review your progress and remove any stitches.

After a face lift, it is common to experience a temporary bruising of the cheeks, a stiff, puffy and numb face, a raised hairline or sideburn and scarring. However all of these should resolve themselves over time. The surgeon will discuss risks and potential complications with you at your initial appointment.

It is vital that you follow all the aftercare advice issued by your surgeon. Failure to do so may delay the healing process or affect the final result. 

It is important to find a reputable surgeon who is experienced and qualified to carry out your mini facelift.

A good surgeon should be able to explain the procedure in great depth, including the different min facelift techniques - the S facelift, Smas facelift and deep plane facelift  - and advise which would best meet your needs. The surgeon should also be honest about any potential risks or complications, possible outcomes and help you to manage your expectations.

A good surgeon will also be able to tell you about alternative surgical and non-surgical anti-aging treatments available and help decide which option is right for you.

You should check that the surgeon is a specialist in mini facelift surgery and when you have your initial consultation, make sure the surgeon has an extensive portfolio of mini facelift before and after photographs that they can share with you so you can get a good idea of how the results of your surgery will look. Be sure to check out testimonials from previous patients.

A good facelift surgeon will always put the patient’s mental and physical wellbeing ahead of everything else. If you are not physically and psychologically fit and healthy, an ethical surgeon will not attempt to perform the procedure.

Only registered doctors can perform cosmetic surgery in England. You can check if a surgeon is a registered doctor or surgeon on the General Medical Council (GMC) online register.

Some surgeons may be members of professional associations, such as the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) or the British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons (BAPRAS). However there are some qualified surgeons who are experts in their field but choose not to sign up to a trade body for their own reasons.

It is important that you are prepared for your facelift, before and after the procedure.

Your journey to face lift surgery will begin with an initial consultation where you will be able to discuss with the surgeon what you want to achieve with the surgery and what would be possible, given your facial anatomy. The surgeon will go through the options available, discuss your medical history and take key measurements and clinical photography.

At this stage, you will also have a chance to view a number of facelift before and after pictures to give you an idea as to what the surgery can achieve.

If you decide to go ahead with your face lift, you will be given a two week cooling off period. The surgery is carried out as a day case and you will need a friend or relative to drive you home afterwards. You will not be able to drive for a week following your face lift.

You can expect to be reasonably mobile after one day of rest, post-surgery.

It takes between four and six weeks to fully recover from a mini facelift. You should see results from this time, but expect to see further improvements for up to 12 months post-surgery.

You should expect some swelling and bruising in the days following your face lift. You should sleep on your back for three weeks after your face lift, in order to avoid sleeping on the surgery sites.

You will return to the clinic within two weeks after surgery when our nursing team will review your incision sites and assess your healing. The surgeon will see you at the six week mark for a final appointment. They will review your progress and remove any stitches.

After a face lift, it is common to experience a temporary bruising of the cheeks, a stiff, puffy and numb face, a raised hairline or sideburn and scarring. However all of these should resolve themselves over time. The surgeon will discuss risks and potential complications with you at your initial appointment.

It is vital that you follow all the aftercare advice issued by your surgeon. Failure to do so may delay the healing process or affect the final result. 

The best age for a minor facelift depends on the person's skin type, overall health, and the extent of their ageing signs. Mini facelifts are typically recommended for individuals in their 40s or 50s who have decent skin elasticity and just mild to moderate ageing signs.

The skin loses elasticity as we age, and the underlying muscles of the face begin to sag, often resulting in wrinkles and lines, as well as a lack of definition in the cheekbones and jawline. These concerns can be addressed with a minor facelift by tightening the skin and underlying tissues, giving the face a more youthful appearance.

The decision to get a mini facelift is a personal one that is determined by your individual goals and expectations. It is a less invasive procedure compared with a full facelift, but it may not provide as much improvement for more severe signs of ageing. The surgery often involves smaller incisions and less tissue dissection, resulting in reduced swelling, bruising, and healing time, and as a result, patients can usually resume regular activities within a week or two of the treatment.

A mini facelift also has the advantage of producing a more subtle, natural-looking result. The operation is intended to treat mild-to-moderate signs of ageing, such as sagging cheeks and jawline, wrinkles, and creases. A mini facelift can create a more youthful appearance by tightening the skin and underlying tissues without making the patient appear overly "done."

It is important to emphasise that a mini facelift is not appropriate for patients who have more severe indications of ageing; instead, a full facelift or lower facelift may be a better option for these patients. Your surgeon will be able to give you more information and advise you on the best course of action based on your specific needs.

In general, a mini facelift may be worth considering if you're looking for a less invasive procedure that can address mild-to-moderate signs of ageing while producing a natural-looking result.

A mini facelift often concentrates on the lower third of the face, including the cheeks, jowls, and neck. The goal of the procedure is to tighten and raise the skin and supporting tissues in these areas to give them a more youthful appearance.

On the other hand, the midface and upper neck may also be involved in a lower facelift, addressing more pronounced ageing symptoms. Besides tightening the skin, the operation is designed to lift and reposition the underlying facial tissues. In comparison with a mini facelift, the lower facelift requires a longer recovery period.