Face Lift
Rejuvenate your features while preserving your natural expression.
Op. Dr. Alperen Tekin · FEBOPRAS · TPRECD Member
- Plastic & Aesthetic Surgery Specialist
- TPRECD Member
- FEBOPRAS — European Board
- Personalised Planning
- Natural Results
Face Lift (Rhytidectomy): Repositioning, Not Just Tightening
A face lift addresses the tissue that has descended with age — the blurred jawline, the deepened folds beside the mouth, the lost angle beneath the chin. It works on the supporting layer beneath the skin, not the skin alone, which is what separates a natural result from a tight one.
It does not stop ageing and it does not change who you look like. The aim is that people notice you look rested, not that you look operated on.
What Is a Face Lift?
A face lift (rhytidectomy) repositions the deeper supporting tissues of the face and neck, then redrapes the skin over them without tension.
What it addresses:
- Loss of definition along the jawline, and jowling
- Deepening of the folds running from the nose to the corners of the mouth
- Loss of the angle between chin and neck
- Descent of the cheek tissue
What it does not address: skin texture, fine lines, pigmentation and volume loss. Those need separate approaches, which is why a face lift is often planned alongside other measures rather than instead of them.
The extent varies. A limited procedure suits early changes around the jawline; a more extensive one is needed where the neck is involved.
Who Is a Suitable Candidate?
The best results come from people whose main problem is descent of tissue rather than loss of volume or skin quality.
- Visible laxity along the jawline and neck
- Skin that still has reasonable elasticity
- Stable weight
- General health suitable for surgery
- Not smoking, or willing to stop well before surgery
- Realistic expectations about what surgery changes and what it does not
Age is less important than the pattern of change. Someone in their forties with early jowling may be a better candidate than someone older whose main issue is volume loss and skin texture.
Smoking deserves particular mention here: the blood supply to the skin flaps is what allows healing, and smoking compromises it directly. This is one of the few procedures where continuing to smoke is a genuine contraindication rather than a caution.
How Is the Operation Performed?
The operation is carried out under general anaesthesia and typically takes several hours depending on extent.
- Incision planning: Placed in the hairline, along the natural crease in front of the ear and around the earlobe, so that mature scars sit in shadow and hair.
- Access: The skin is carefully lifted from the underlying tissue.
- Repositioning the supporting layer: The SMAS — the layer that carries the weight of the face — is repositioned upward and secured. This is the step that determines how long the result lasts.
- Neck: Where indicated, the separated neck muscle is repaired in the midline and excess fat addressed.
- Redraping: Skin is laid back over the new contour and the excess trimmed — without tension, which is what prevents a pulled appearance.
A supportive dressing is applied and drains may be used briefly.
Recovery After Surgery
- First days: Swelling, bruising and tightness are expected. The head is kept elevated. Discomfort is usually less than people anticipate.
- First two weeks: Bruising fades and sutures are removed. Numbness in front of the ears and in the cheeks is normal at this stage.
- Weeks three to six: Most people are comfortable in social settings. Residual swelling is still present but not obvious to others.
- Months: The tissue settles, sensation returns and scars begin to pale. The final result is assessed at this stage, not before.
Sleeping on your back, avoiding strenuous activity and protecting the scars from sun are the three things that most affect how well the result settles. Hair colouring and vigorous exercise are resumed on your surgeon’s advice.
Risks and Side Effects
- Bleeding, infection and anaesthetic risks, as with any operation
- Haematoma: A collection of blood under the skin, most likely in the first hours; it is the reason for close early monitoring
- Altered sensation: Numbness around the ears and cheeks is expected initially and generally resolves over months
- Nerve injury: Uncommon; temporary weakness of a facial muscle can occur and usually recovers
- Scarring: Placed in concealed positions, but visible scars can occur in those prone to them
- Skin healing problems: Markedly more likely in smokers
- Asymmetry: Small differences can remain
Factors Affecting the Cost
Costs vary with the extent of the procedure. The determining factors are:
- Whether a limited or extended lift is planned
- Whether the neck is addressed in the same session
- Whether additional procedures — eyelids, brow, volume — are combined
- Type of anaesthesia and length of hospital stay
- The scope of follow-up and aftercare
In line with health regulations, pricing information is not published on this page. An individual assessment is made at consultation.
Sagging or Volume Loss? That Is the Right Question
Facial ageing is not one process; three separate changes advance together and each needs a different solution:
- Downward migration of tissue: Supporting structures loosen and tissue descends with gravity. Blurring of the jawline and loss of the neck angle come from this. It is the true target of surgical lifting.
- Volume loss: Fat pads shrink and the bony framework thins. The face looks “hollow”. What is needed here is not lifting but restoring volume.
- Skin quality: Fine lines, pigmentation and textural change. Lifting does not correct these; a separate approach to the skin is required.
Most people have all three, which explains why a single procedure is not always enough. Lifting a face that has only lost volume makes it tighter but not younger; conversely, adding volume alone to a sagging face increases the weight and can worsen the appearance.
The first thing done at examination is to separate the contribution of these three components.
What Is the SMAS? How It Differs From a Skin Lift
This is the technical point that separates a modern face lift from older methods, and it directly determines how natural the result looks.
Beneath the skin lies a layer of tissue that wraps the facial muscles and continues into the muscle sheet of the neck; it is referred to as the SMAS. It is the true supporting structure of the face.
- Lifting skin only: The skin is tightened but the load-bearing layer beneath stays where it is. The result is short-lived and, if over-tightened, produces the familiar artificial, wind-swept look.
- Repositioning the supporting layer: The tissue that actually carries the weight is moved upward, and the skin is laid over it without tension. The result is both more natural and longer-lasting.
In practice: after a well-executed face lift people do not realise you have had surgery — they only say you look rested. An artificial appearance is the product of poor planning, not of the technique itself.
How Long Does It Last? Does Ageing Stop?
A face lift turns the clock back; it does not stop it. This sentence is the single most important frame for setting expectations.
After surgery ageing resumes from where it left off — but because your starting point is further back, even years later the appearance remains more youthful than it would have been without surgery.
What affects how long the result lasts:
- Whether the supporting layer was repositioned
- Skin quality and individual tissue characteristics
- Smoking and sun exposure
- Weight stability — marked changes affect the result
- Continuing skin care
The healing timeline also requires patience: swelling and altered sensation are expected in the first weeks, return to social settings becomes possible within a few weeks, but full settling of the tissue and maturation of the scars takes months. Assessment in the early period is misleading.
Your Treatment Journey
From your first message to full recovery, we are with you.
First Contact
Message us on WhatsApp — we listen and answer your questions the same day.
Consultation & Planning
A personalised plan based on your expectations and examination findings.
Surgery
Your personalised procedure is performed comfortably under appropriate anaesthesia.
Recovery & Follow-up
We stay with you through regular check-ups at every step of recovery.
Op. Dr. Alperen Tekin
Specialist in Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery. The goal: planning the most suitable result for your anatomy and expectations while preserving your natural look. Every option is discussed openly at your consultation, with a road map tailored to you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Suitability is assessed together, based on your expectations, general health and examination findings.
After the first contact, a consultation and personalised planning follow; after surgery we monitor you with regular check-ups.
Recovery varies from person to person and with the scope of the procedure; a personal road map is clarified at your consultation.
Pricing is personalised according to the scope of the procedure; exact information is shared after consultation. Feel free to message us on WhatsApp with your first questions.
Ready to take a step for yourself?
Let us answer your questions on WhatsApp — take the first step toward your personal assessment.
or call: +90 532 309 31 01
