Surgery / TREATMENT GUIDE
Facelift and neck lift
Surgery that repositions the deeper support layer (the SMAS) and removes excess skin to restore the jawline and neck. The most powerful answer to sagging.
- Appointment
- 3 to 5 hours
- Typical social recovery
- Several weeks
- When results may appear
- 6 to 8 weeks, refining to 6 months
- How long they may last
- 8 to 12 years
- Typical course
- One
- Relative cost
- $$$ · Major relative cost
Ranges vary by person, product, area and technique. Cost symbols are editorial comparisons—not quotes. Ask for the full course and follow-up cost.
How it works
Incisions are hidden around the ear. The SMAS and its ligaments are released and lifted, then skin is redraped without tension so the result looks natural and lasts.
Four illustrative steps. Select a step to highlight it; the optional anatomy view explains the same mechanism.
Recovery, in practical terms
Bruising and swelling for 2 to 3 weeks; socially presentable at about 3 weeks.
What it can feel like: General anaesthesia or deep sedation.
What people discuss
Moderate to significant jowls and neck laxity, usually from the 50s onward.
Reasons to pause
Smokers, uncontrolled medical conditions, unrealistic expectations.
This list is not exhaustive. A clinician must assess your health, medications, skin and goals.
Risks worth understanding
- Bleeding under the skin
- Nerve injury, usually temporary
- Scarring, hair loss at the incisions
- Anaesthesia risks
Ask your clinician
- Which technique, and why for my face?
- Can I see healed scars from your patients?
Sources, approval context & editorial limits
Surgeon credentials and facility accreditation require local verification.
Sources support regulatory and safety context; not every efficacy claim or range has been independently verified.
Educational information, not medical advice or a personal recommendation. Independent clinical review is pending. A qualified clinician must assess individual suitability. Timings, relative costs and visuals are illustrative, not guarantees.
Read the editorial policyCompare different approaches
Related catalogue tags, not recommendations.
- Injectables
Wrinkle relaxers (neuromodulators)
Tiny injections of botulinum toxin type A that temporarily soften the muscle movements that fold the skin into lines: frown lines, forehead…
Usually minimal recovery - Injectables
Hyaluronic acid fillers
Smooth gels of hyaluronic acid, a sugar your skin already makes, placed under the skin to restore lost volume, add structure or soften deep…
A few days recovery - Injectables
Collagen stimulators (biostimulatory injectables)
Injectables that add little volume themselves.
A few days recovery