If you are 40 or older and you recently looked in the mirror and said, “Is that really me?” you’re not alone. Around the 40-year mark, most people start to notice signs of aging, especially on their face and neck. Wrinkles, fine lines, crepey skin, age spots, sunspots, sagging skin, jowls, and other signs of aging seem to crop up all at once around this time.
This typically leads patients to either leave everything alone, book an appointment with a dermatologist to find some non-surgical treatments or meet with a cosmetic surgeon. In terms of plastic surgery, the most common solution is a facelift and/or neck lift.
Now, a facelift in your 40s is not the first procedure that we always recommend. 40 is a young age, and even though you might be seeing signs of aging, serious sagging skin, overall poor skin laxity, and other excess skin and wrinkles will occur more in a patient’s 50s or 60s.
With that said, many patients want to catch signs of aging early. Therefore, they consider a variation of the traditional facelift at a younger age. More specifically, they consider a 40 year old mini face lift.
Is a 40-Year-Old Mini-Face Lift a Good Idea?
For many patients, yes! Absolutely.
Naturally, not every 40 year old is going to benefit from a mini facelift, neck lift, or eyelid lift to give them a more youthful appearance. But many are.
Undergoing a mini face lift procedure at a younger age allows you to “catch” signs of aging faster. One common issue that a lot of older, more mature patients in their 50 and 60s have if they undergo a facelift, is that their changes are rapid. All of a sudden, their friends and family see them after their facelift recovery, and their face and neck are completely changed.
If you get a 40-year-old mini-facelift, the transition is much more graceful and seamless. Some of your friends and family won’t even notice that you’ve had work done. As long as you wait until you are fully recovered before seeing them, they’ll typically just think that you look a bit fresher and more lifted.
Mini Facelift vs Traditional Facelift
The biggest difference between a mini facelift and a traditional facelift is that a mini facelift simply covers a smaller area. This typically means a less invasive procedure and a shorter recovery time. A mini facelift incision will usually be smaller than a traditional facelift incision.
Traditional Facelift
So, if you have signs of aging all over the lower two-thirds of your face and your neck, and you would like to improve all or most of them, you’re probably going to want a traditional facelift because this procedure covers the largest area on the face and neck.
Mini Facelift
If, however, you’re just looking to tweak and improve a few areas of your facial appearance, particularly in your lower face and possibly on your neck, a mini facelift may be ideal. For these less invasive procedures, it is best if you have less excess skin and fewer visible signs of aging.
Typically, we can correct some jowl formation, nasolabial folds, smile or laugh lines, wrinkles on the lower face, and some sagging on the cheeks with a mini facelift. We’ll focus where you want us to focus to give you a younger, more refreshed appearance.
Mini Facelift FAQs
Will I have mini facelift scars?
Mini facelift scars typically don’t cause much trouble for patients in their 40s. First of all, any type of facelift plastic surgery will require incisions, which means scars after the mini facelift recovery period. However, a mini facelift only requires a few incisions, and the incisions tend to be shorter because the area that is treated is smaller. Mini facelift incisions will be made around the ear and sometimes under the hairline near the ear.
Furthermore, your body is amazing at recovering from damage, such as surgical incisions. Therefore, it’s going to repair those incisions quickly and start rushing collagen to the area to smooth it over, flatten out those facelift scars, and fade them.
How do I find a mini facelift surgeon?
When looking for a mini facelift surgeon, the best facelift surgeon is someone who has specific experience performing mini facelifts. Although this is very similar to a traditional or full facelift procedure, it is actually unique.
Find a board certified plastic surgeon who specializes in facial plastic surgery and specifically, mini facelifts. Check that you are satisfied with their mini facelift before and after pictures before booking a consultation with them.
How much does a 40-year-old mini facelift cost?
Facelift procedures, brow lift surgeries, neck lifts, and even laser treatments require consultation appointments with facial plastic surgeons in order to get an accurate price quote. Board-certified plastic surgeons charge various amounts for their services. Pricing will depend on their location, their experience, how much loose skin you have, and other considerations.
Before and After Mini Facelift
Book Your Consultation Appointment
If you look in the mirror and don’t like what you see because of some new signs of the aging process that you’re starting to see, a mini facelift may be just what you need. The surgery is less invasive than a traditional facelift surgery, but it creates more permanent improvements than injectables and can help you fight those early signs of aging for a number of years moving forward.
Dr. Rachel Mason of Perspectives Plastic Surgery in Las Vegas is a board-certified plastic surgeon who performs mini facelifts and other facial rejuvenation cosmetic surgery procedures. If you would like to learn more about this procedure, please contact us to request a consultation appointment with Dr. Mason.