Face lift surgery
It is true that today, more than ever before, we are faced with quite a few non-surgical options, all designed to restore a younger facial appearance, but it seems that those who wish to receive the most significant change that aesthetic medicine has to offer, choose to undergo a face lift surgery.
The most common phrase we get here at the TLV Medical Center is “Not only I look younger, but I also look better after surgery.”
What else you should know about one of our most popular aesthetic procedures? All the answers are here.
What is a face lift surgery?
As years go by and as we grow older, several things happen at the same time and they all have a similar effect on the appearance of your face: Skin quality decreases and it loses its elasticity and thickness, collagen and elastin levels decrease and the facial tissues lose their volume.
The result of all of the above is laxity, folds and excess of skin- mainly in the lower part of the face and around the mouth, but not only there.
Face lift surgery, therefore, is an aesthetic procedure designed to stretch excess skin, tighten it and sculpt facial contours with the intention of creating a young and fresh appearance of the face and neck, while maintaining a general natural and vital appearance.
Which Areas Can Face Lift Surgery Improve?
A face lift primarily targets the lower two thirds of the face and the neck, the areas most affected by gravity and volume loss over time. This includes sagging cheeks, deep nasolabial folds (the lines running from nose to mouth), jowls along the jawline, and loose, hanging skin under the chin and neck. Many patients are surprised to learn that a face lift can dramatically improve the neck area as well, often replacing the need for a separate neck lift. It's worth noting that a face lift does not typically address the upper face, so patients bothered by forehead lines or drooping eyebrows may be advised to combine it with a brow lift, while sagging eyelids are corrected through a separate procedure known as blepharoplasty.
Face Lift Surgery Can Improve:
- Cheeks – restores volume and lifts sagging mid-face tissue for a firmer, more contoured look
- Jawline – tightens loose skin and reduces jowls, redefining a sharper jaw contour
- Nasolabial folds – softens the deep lines running from the nose to the corners of the mouth
- Marionette lines – smooths the creases extending from the mouth toward the chin
- Neck – removes excess skin and tightens neck bands, often eliminating the need for a separate neck lift
- Lower face contour – restores a smoother, more youthful transition between the cheeks, jaw, and neck
Is Face Lift Surgery Right for You?
During the consultation, the surgical team at TLV MEDICAL evaluates skin quality, facial structure, and each patient's personal goals in order to determine whether a face lift, or perhaps a different or combined procedure, is the most suitable path forward. Generally speaking, patients considering Face lift surgery are:
- Patients who have noticeable skin laxity
- Patients who have deep folds
- Patients who have loss of definition along the jawline and neck that non surgical treatments can no longer address.
- Patients who have good skin elasticity.
Face Lift vs. Mini Lift vs. Non Surgical Facial Rejuvenation
A traditional face lift addresses significant sagging and excess skin through a more extensive surgical approach, delivering the most comprehensive and long-lasting results. A mini lift, on the other hand, is a less invasive variation, generally suited for patients in the earlier stages of facial aging who have moderate laxity and are looking for a shorter recovery. Non-surgical rejuvenation treatments, such as injectables and energy-based devices, can refresh the skin's appearance and stimulate collagen production, but they cannot remove excess skin or reposition sagging tissue the way surgery can.
Face Lift | Mini Lift | Non-Surgical Rejuvenation | |
Best suited for: | Significant skin laxity and sagging | Mild to moderate sagging, earlier signs of aging | Early aging signs, skin texture and volume concerns |
Areas treated: | Cheeks, jawline, neck, lower face | Lower face and jawline (limited neck correction) | Skin surface, volume loss, fine lines |
Invasiveness: | Surgical, more extensive | Surgical, less extensive | Non-surgical (injectables, energy-based devices) |
Results duration: | Long-lasting (years) | Moderately long-lasting | Temporary (months, requires repeat treatments) |
Anesthesia: | General or deep sedation | Local or light sedation | None or topical only |
How is face lift surgery performed?
As always with us, the final course of the surgery is determined individually for each patient depending on their skin type, wrinkles situation, patient expectations and more. Still, we can say that this technique is performed as follows: Incisions are made in hidden locations (usually at the hairline and/or in front of the earlobe) through which the skin of the face is separated, the soft tissues are lifted, the excess skin is removed and after shaping and adding fat (if necessary) everything is sutured together while shaping the contours.
In most cases autologous fat is injected to restore lost facial volume. The fat is usually taken from the thighs and abdomen areas (in unnoticeable small amounts in the areas where it was taken).
Before surgery
Preparations for surgery naturally begin with a meeting with the surgeon, in this meeting you will receive a comprehensive explanation of the surgical technique that is right for you, based on the quality of your skin, its thickness, its texture, the distribution of the subcutaneous fat, the nature of your wrinkles and their shape, and of course, your health and general physical condition.
You will also have to undergo blood tests and may be some other tests and exams, according to the surgeon’s decision.
As is customary before many elective surgeries, the patient must stop taking anticoagulants as well as natural food supplements approx. two weeks before the surgery and must stop smoking in the weeks before, as well as after surgery, as smoking may impair the necessary blood supply.
Post surgery
24 hours from the end of the surgery, you can already shower with lukewarm water, and it is even advisable to wash your hair to properly treat the surgical wounds.
We recommend taking a 10 – 14 days long sick leave, to allow your body its necessary rest. And in fact, 2-4 weeks after surgery you can already go back to normal activity, however during the recovery time you should avoid any strenuous activity.
What Results Can You Expect From Face Lift Surgery?
The goal of a face lift is not to change how patients look, but to help them look like a rested, refreshed version of themselves. Immediately after surgery, some swelling and bruising are expected, and the final result gradually reveals itself over the following weeks as the tissues settle. Most patients notice a firmer jawline, smoother contours along the cheeks and neck, and an overall more youthful, natural appearance, without the tightness or "wind-blown" look sometimes associated with outdated techniques. The results of a face lift are long-lasting, though the natural aging process continues, and many patients choose to maintain their results over the years with lighter, non-surgical treatments.
Face lift surgery - possible complications
As in any surgical procedure, face lift surgery is not free of possible complications.
At the same time, of course, the choice of the operating doctor from every aspect has an effect on this possibility. In any case, you will receive a detailed explanation on each of the possible complication, and methods of prevention and treatment before and after the surgery.
Possible complications:
- Unsightly scars
- Lack of symmetry
- Lack of sensation
- Infection
- Bleeding and hemorrhages – that are not diminishing and/or increasing.
- Edemas – not disappearing after 4-6 months.
- Venous thrombosis
- Necrosis
Our operating theaters
TLV Medical center includes large and specious operating rooms equipped with the latest technology. As a private medical center which has pledged excellence and professionalism, we are committed to providing our patients the best service at every step in the process, and adherence to this pledge is uncompromising.
The medical center is authorized by the Ministry of Health and operates with backup of a public hospital. The operating theaters management team includes the medical director, the anesthesia director and a nurse in charge of the operating room. The work procedures and standards applied on site are among the highest striving to guarantee our customers the most professional and safest care.
The surgeons performing this surgery.
One way or another, do not weigh your options alone. Our doctors who specialize in face lift surgery are the specialists in this area ad will be happy to advise you personally what is suitable for you, what is worth doing and when.
Ravit Yanko, MD
Specialty: Plastic & Mohs surgeon
Eran Hadad MD
Specialty: Plastic surgery
Liora Hollander,MD
Specialty: Plastic & Aesthetic surgery
Ram Silfen, MD
Specialty: Plastic & Aesthetic surgery
Avishai Weinberger, MD
Specialty: Plastic & Aesthetic surgery
Yoav Eros, MD
Specialty: Plastic & Aesthetic surgery
Dvir Yaacov, MD
Specialty: Plastic & Aesthetic surgery
Bajer Itzhak, MD
Specialty: Plastic & Aesthetic surgery
Tamir Shay, MD
Specialty: Plastic & Aesthetic surgery
Dr. Jonathan Wagman
Specialty: Plastic surgery
Consent form: Facelift
- Face lift surgery
- What is a face lift surgery?
- Which Areas Can Face Lift Surgery Improve?
- Is Face Lift Surgery Right for You?
- Face Lift vs. Mini Lift vs. Non Surgical Facial Rejuvenation
- How is face lift surgery performed?
- Before surgery
- Post surgery
- What Results Can You Expect From Face Lift Surgery?
- Face lift surgery - possible complications
- Our operating theaters