What is a Facelift?

Wrinkles, skin laxity and misplaced fat deposits can crop up around your face as early as your thirties and forties. These signs of aging may not be representative of your lively, youthful spirit, and they can even make you look unintentionally tired, sad or angry. Fortunately, these imperfections can be corrected through a procedure called facelift.


Facelift surgery accomplishes several goals:

• “Lifts” sagging cheeks
• Smoothes folds between the nose and mouth
• Tightens up loose skin or fat deposits around the jaw
• Removes excess skin

Our surgeons at The Georgia Institute For Plastic Surgery offer several variations of facelift surgery, varying in focus and the degree of invasiveness. Options include the deep plane facelift, SMAS facelift, mini facelift and mid facelift. Our team will help you select the appropriate procedure for your needs.
During a standard facelift, the plastic surgeon makes an incision along the hairline from the temples, extending around and behind the ears, into the posterior scalp. An additional incision may be made underneath the chin to better target that area. Through the incision, the facial muscles are repositioned and tightened, displaced fat is restored to create healthy looking contours and the skin is re-draped more tightly over the face. Any excess skin is removed.

Facelift scars can usually be concealed within the hairline, so no one will be able to detect them.

Designed With Your Needs in Mind

A facelift is tailored to your individual needs and goals, and the result is a refreshed, rejuvenated face. Your results should be noticeable without looking artificial or frozen. You will still be able to make normal facial expressions, and you will look like yourself — only years younger.

For even more dramatic results, facelift can be combined with another plastic surgery procedure; some facelift patients opt for eyelid surgery to remove excess skin and fat around the lids, or forehead/brow lift to smooth wrinkles across the forehead and elevate the brow line. A neck lift, which smoothes and tightens the skin on the neck, is also a nice complement to a facelift.

To learn more about facelift surgery, please contact our team at The Georgia Institute For Plastic Surgery.
Browse through our facelift before-and-after gallery for an idea of the type of results possible at our practice.