What are the goals of a great Facelift?

Posted on | Modified on | by Dr. Ricardo L. Rodriguez

What are the goals of a great face lift? Plastic Surgeons approach the Facelift procedure in a variety of ways. A full Facelift has several components: the Brow lift, the upper eyes, the mid facelift, and the lower facelift. If a patient wants to rejuvenate the face, which of these procedures are generally the most important?

In summary these are the guidelines and primary goals for achieving a great face lift:

  • the goal of a facelift is to make you look refreshed and younger, not ‘done’
  • plastic surgeons aim for a restructuring of the face, not stretching of the skin
  • studies show that other people notice your eyes and upper face first – thus, if you want to improve what other people will notice most, concentrate on the upper face.
  • rejuvenation of the face with a combination browlift and  mid-facelift usually gives a very natural and refreshed facial rejuvenation without looking stretched or tight.
  • caution must be taken with the lower facelift as some techniques used by surgeons stretch the tissues horizontally giving the face a stretched appearance

Watch my video to understand better the goals of the face lift procedure. No matter what your age, I always aim for a natural, refreshed appearance!

By Dr. Ricardo L. Rodriguez MD Board Certified Plastic Surgeon Cosmeticsurg Baltimore, Maryland Ricardo L. Rodriguez on American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

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11 thoughts on “What are the goals of a great Facelift?”

  • noreen says:

    Hi Dr Rodriguez; it was helpful to watch your video online about facelifts. I know each person's surgery is different but how much does it currently cost for an Brow-lift? Als0 could you tell me whether you use the endoscopic method or open surgery? I had not realised that a 'facelift' is in fact three or more procedures ie browlift, mid-face lift and lower face-lift with blephoroplasty also perhaps. Are you able to give me an idea for the cost of those procedures in your clinic/s currently? I live in the UK currently but would happily travel for a facelift or other procedure. Best Wishes Noreen

    • Dr. Ricardo L Rodriguez says:

      Noreen: Thank you for your interest! A large percentage of our practice is from out of town. It is always an honor and a privilege when a patient travels here. I will have Kelly at kelly@cosmeticsurg.net contact you. I think a Skype conversation or FaceTime will clarify a lot for both of us as to what the best surgical plan would be. Looking forward to speaking with you on Skype or FaceTime!

  • Joan says:

    Hello, I am interested in the upper lip lift. However, i tend to form scars. Should I avoidmthis proceudre? Many thanks, J

    • Dr. Ricardo L Rodriguez says:

      Joan: Scars are not an issue when you distribute the forces like I do. The deep sutures are to fixed structures (cartilage and periosteum) so there is not much tension on the skin. This is what prevents unsightly scars. Contact Kelly at kelly@cosmeticsurg.net she can help you out.

  • ema says:

    btw, re my post below, you might want to know my age--69. , and i had face lift and bleph at 46, and bleph redone in 2001, and cheek fat 3 months ago when i did mastopexy/implant.

    • Dr. Ricardo L Rodriguez says:

      Ema: I think the only meaningful comments I could make would be after seeing photos. BTW, you got lucky I'm answering posts now, I usually do this just once a week!

  • ema says:

    i have a bit of turkey neck. and some jowl sagging, but not bad. i do not need brow lift. i have a very high forehead. i have had some fat injected in the cheeks- great result. i would love to have that platysma sewn together all the way down the neck. but i am told for my face, i would need the entire lower face lift. not sure why now, i think i recall it has something to do with my laxity of skin. i have had blepharoplasty, but now have loads of loose skin under the eye.(fat pads gone ). i know you do face from the top down.i am told i would need to do mid face lift with lower eye, to get the right positioning. ok i get that. but i fear the pulled look and mouth corners changing if i do full lower face lift with neck. do you sometimes do just the platysma, and if not, why not? is it better to do full rhytidectomy at same time as mid face iift with lower eyes? i am told doing it all together would be the best job possible as the surgeon sees entire picture all at once. i was going to do lower face, now am wondering about it after your video. i would do lower eyes alone, but then if i do mid face lift later on, i will wrinkle that area and need touch up again in lower eye area. i am very confused now as to what to do first or all together. or to just go see you! btw. i am a person who is just the opposite---i look at someone's mouth ., not eyes, i seem to get their expression, their feeling, from their mouth. so i see myself in the mirror the same way. i see lower face and mouth first!

    • Dr. Ricardo L Rodriguez says:

      Ema: Although there are general rules, they are just that - GENERAL. Every patient is specific. And in Plastic Surgery there are no right answers. You have to be happy with your result. The difficult part for the surgeon is knowing if the patient really knows what he/she is going to get from the procedure they request. That is why it's better to ask the patient what they want, then offer the procedure or combination of techniques you think is going to bring the patient the closest to what he/she thinks. In your particular case to make any kind of recommendation tha tmakes sense I would have to see pictures of you or do a virtual consult and have a long conversation with you about your goals and expectations. From what you say you may be happy with a lower facelift. The problem with doing the neck is that most people look at the jowls as part of the neck, and they are really part of the lower face. So if you get the neck and don't get the lower face the jowls may really impact the look. Come see me! Or we could have a telephone consult. Contact Kelly at kelly@cosmeticsurg.net

  • sri santoso says:

    Iam 59 years old, I really enjoy your video very very good explanation. One day I want to have consultation with you. Right now always on my dream to get face lift (still need fund) to do it. I put tumb up for your lecture and make sense to me. Tell me how long is recovery time from face lift ? Dr. Rodriguez you are really good.

    • Dr. Ricardo L Rodriguez says:

      Sri: The recovery is very short, because there is little pain and the face heals really fast. There is very little pain. Within 1 week the major swelling is gone. Depending on what you have done, noticeable, but minor swelling can last up to 3 weeks. Glad to hear the video was helpful!