Facelift surgery is an aesthetic surgical procedure designed to address skin laxity, sagging, and noticeable loss of facial contours that develop in the face and neck due to aging. The procedure does not focus solely on removing excess skin; laxity in the deeper facial tissues is also evaluated, with the aim of repositioning these tissues appropriately.

Facelift surgery may be considered for individuals whose facial and neck sagging cannot be sufficiently improved with non-surgical methods and whose overall health condition is suitable for surgery.

Individuals who may be suitable for facelift surgery include:

• Generally, individuals aged 40 and over whose skin tissue is suitable for facelift surgery
• Those who have no medical contraindications to anesthesia
• Individuals with noticeable sagging and loss of elasticity in the face and neck
• Those with realistic expectations
• Individuals with laxity and banding in the neck area
• Those with pronounced lines extending from the corners of the mouth toward the jawline
• Individuals with volume loss in the cheekbone area
• Those with deepened nasolabial folds

With advances in surgical technologies, facelift procedures can be performed using different techniques depending on the patient’s tissue quality, age, and degree of facial aging. Selecting the appropriate surgical technique is important for both the longevity and natural appearance of the results.

Common facelift techniques include:

• Traditional (Full) Facelift: A comprehensive technique in which incisions typically begin in the temple area and extend around the front and back of the ear, allowing the SMAS layer and skin to be repositioned upward and backward.
• Mini Facelift (Mini Rhytidectomy): A less extensive surgical approach performed with shorter incisions, focusing mainly on the lower face and jawline in patients whose tissue sagging is not yet advanced.
• Mid-Facelift (Endoscopic Facelift): A technique in which tissues in the cheek and cheekbone areas are elevated through small incisions made within the hair-bearing scalp with the assistance of an endoscope.
• Deep-Plane Facelift: An advanced technique performed in a deeper anatomical plane without separating the skin from the SMAS layer, aiming to reposition tissues without creating excessive tension on the skin.

Facelift surgery is a delicate surgical procedure performed under general anesthesia in a fully equipped operating room. The duration of the surgery generally ranges from approximately 3 to 6 hours, depending on the technique used and whether additional procedures such as eyelid surgery or neck lift are performed at the same time.

Surgical incisions are usually positioned within the natural folds in front of the ears and within the hair-bearing scalp. As healing progresses, the visibility of the scars typically decreases. During surgery, sagging tissues are repositioned toward their anatomical locations, excess skin is removed, and the incisions are closed with aesthetic suturing techniques.