Women seeking a more youthful appearance but who don’t have extensive signs of visibly aging skin on the face and neck may qualify for a mini facelift. In contrast to a full facelift, a mini facelift procedure only corrects a portion of the face and does not address the neck at all.
If you think you may be a candidate for a mini facelift, read on to learn more about this outpatient procedure, including the benefits, what techniques are used, and how to plan for your mini facelift consultation appointment.
What Is a Mini Facelift? An Overview
Conventional facelift surgery is a cosmetic procedure that aims to improve sagging skin, loose skin, wrinkles, and fine lines on the face and neck. A traditional facelift procedure — also known as a full facelift — smooths the face and removes sagging skin on the face as well as loose neck skin.
The full facelift procedure requires one incision on either side of the face. Each incision starts at the temple (on the hairline) and extends down, around the front of the ear, beneath the ear, and toward the nape of the neck, where it ends.
Your surgeon will lift skin tissues upward through the cheeks to address sagging, restoring a youthful appearance. Often, there is an incision made beneath the chin as well, to address the neck lift portion of the surgery.
By contrast, a mini facelift compared to the full version, only corrects a small portion of the lower face. So, the incision required only extends from in front of the ear, down around the underside of the ear, to slightly behind the ear.
This smaller incision leaves a smaller scar. However, the improvements a facelift surgeon can create with such a small incision are limited, and the appearance of the neck will likely not be improved.
Mini Facelift Benefits
#1 – A smaller incision means a smaller scar.
Many mini facelift patients are happy that their mini facial rejuvenation won’t involve a long incision, which would result in a long scar.
The limited incision required by a mini facelift ranges from the temple, down in front of the ear, to behind the ear.
A full version of this procedure is a more invasive facelift with a longer scar. Sometimes, an additional facelift scar is also necessary below the chin to adjust excess skin on the neck.
#2 – Mini facelifts tend to result in a shorter recovery time.
Because the work performed on the face is a less invasive procedure with fewer incisions during a mini facelift, the recovery time is shorter as well.
Facial plastic surgery recovery periods can be difficult in general because the healing of the face results in limitations where facial expressions, eating, and talking are concerned. Having a shorter facelift recovery period, then, makes the entire experience more manageable.
#3 – Local anesthesia is often used instead of general anesthesia.
Most full facelift procedures require general anesthesia. However, with the less invasive version — the mini lift — your surgeon can often remove excess skin and adjust the facial skin tissues and underlying muscle using only local anesthesia and sedation.
So, what is the downside of a mini face lift?
Likely the biggest downside of mini facelift procedure is the fact that your results will not be as substantial as they would be with a full facelift. At the same time, it’s important to note that if you don’t actually require a full facelift, you should certainly not get one.
Usually, the most difficult situations occur when a patient lies somewhere in between needing a full facelift and a mini facelift. In this case, some patients may choose to get a mini facelift procedure now and follow up with additional procedures in the years to come.
How to Prepare for Your Mini Facelift Consultation
Before a consultation appointment for a mini facelift surgical procedure, we advise patients to prepare by making a list of any questions or concerns they have.
From there, we also recommend assembling a brief medical history to share with your surgeon and having a semi-firm idea of what you want out of surgery so that you can explain this to your surgeon.
Make sure you’ve chosen a board certified plastic surgeon who’s performed an adequate number of successful facelift procedures in the past (mini facelifts, specifically). Also check your surgeon’s website to review their career biography and before and after galleries.
In that vein, it’s important to note that a consultation appointment also offers the perfect opportunity to see mini facelift before and after photos.
These pictures can be more difficult to find on facial plastic surgeons’ websites because patients commonly don’t want to show their faces online in this context. However, surgeons usually have a book of photos they can show in-person to prospective patients at their plastic and reconstructive surgery offices.
FAQ: Mini Facelift Procedure
When will I see my results after a mini facelift procedure?
As your mini facelift recovery time progresses, you’ll start to see your results emerge at around the week two or week three mark. From there, your results will only improve. Full results may not develop until around the six month mark.
How much downtime will I have after a mini facelift?
Traditional facelifts entail longer downtime due to larger incisions and extensive results. Mini-facelifts target jowls and cheeks with shorter recovery, typically 4 weeks or less, with initial focus on pain and swelling management.
How long does a mini facelift last?
The effects of a mini facelift can last for up to ten years — or longer in some cases.
How much does a mini facelift cost?
Your facelift surgeon will go over things like mini facelift cost at your consultation appointment. It is typically too difficult to estimate the cost of a mini facelift before this time as there are always a number of variables at play, all of which will inevitably influence the final cost.
Request Your Mini Facelift Consultation
The truth is, facial aging happens to everyone at some point. The question is “when”, not “if”.
And while nonsurgical treatments such as creams, serums, and even injections, can be beneficial for some, facelift surgery is usually the truest way to make improvements to your face where signs of aging are concerned. A mini facelift, in particular, works great for many.
If you have sagging jowls, deep lines and wrinkles, and loose skin on your face, consider speaking to a plastic surgeon about mini facelift procedure. Board certified plastic surgeon Dr. Rachel Mason performs mini facelift procedures at her Las Vegas practice.
Call today to set up your consultation appointment with Dr. Mason.
References
https://www.plasticsurgery.org/news/blog/five-common-questions-everyone-has-about-getting-a-facelift