Am I Too Old, or Too Young, for a Face lift?

The decision to have a face lift is a very personal one, so it is difficult for us to advise our patients as to the exact right age for a face lift. People of the same age may have had different life experiences (smoking, diet), levels of sun exposure, or genetic traits (such as oily or dry skin) that will affect their skin’s condition and “genetic age”.

However, if you’re aged over 40 and considering a face lift, it pays to not wait too long. This is because women in their mid-forties or early fifties still have sufficient skin elasticity to achieve optimum results.

As you get older, excellent results can still be achieved for women in their sixties, seventies — or older if you are in good health and overall fitness. A typical face lift will last 7-10 years, so ideally we recommend a first face lift in mid-40’s to early-50’s, with a secondary “refresher” face lift in your mid-to-late 60’s.

Men rarely seek advice on face lifts before their 50’s or early 60’s, but those that do will experience greater benefit from surgical facial rejuvenation.

Which Procedure Is Recommended for Which Age?

Based on our extensive experience with aesthetic plastic surgery, and non-surgical facial rejuvenation, we can provide general guidelines with regards to type of face lift, or non-surgical procedure that will work for your approximate age and situation.

Approximate Age: 35+

While it is rare to need to have a face lift in your thirties, there are several non-surgical procedures that we may recommend to refresh your appearance or maintain a youthful profile:

• Non-invasive Dermal Fillers such as Restylane®, Restylane Lyft®, Restylane Silk®, and Juvéderm®.
• Botox® and Dysport® for reducing mild wrinkles and frown lines
• Lip Filler and Peri Oral Rejuvenation to reduce fine lip lines and wrinkles around the mouth, add volume, and smooth the skin.
• Microneedling (Collagen Induction Therapy) to smooth texture and reduce scars
• Kybella® “Double Chin” Treatment – injectable treatment to reduce a “double chin”
• TCA Chemical Peels are ideal for mild wrinkles, fine lines, acne scars, enlarged pores, uneven skin pigmentation and sun damage.
• Dermabrasion (Dermaplaning) works to soften fine lines and wrinkles

Approximate Age: 40+

As a general rule, patients who choose to have a facelift in their early-to-mid forties get a better, longer lasting result than those who put it off until later. We recommend the following face lifting procedures:

• Face lift and/or Neck Lift (SMAS or Deep Plane face lift): The SMAS or Deep Plane face lift is ideal for lifting sagging jowls, mild to severe skin laxity, and/or mid-face sagging. One of the biggest benefits of this type of face lift is it has longer-lasting with effects – lasting about 10 to 15 years with fewer revisions.
• Fat Transfer (Fat Grafting or Fat Injection) is the process of harvesting your body’s own fat and using it to restore facial volume. An ideal treatment to fill out “hollows” and increase volume to regain a more youthful appearance.

Approximate Age: 50+

For our older patients, we recommend the following face lifting procedures

• Secondary or “refresh” face lift: a secondary face lift may have better results than your initial face lift. This procedure is ideal for older patients (late 50’s to 60’s) for whom the natural process of aging has decreased the effects of a previous face lift.
• Pan Facial Rejuvenation — ideal for older patients seeking their first face lift. Pan facial rejuvenation rejuvenates the entire face and neck area. Most of our older patients prefer this to a “piecemeal” approach for a more aesthetically pleasing result.

Non-surgical Facial Rejuvenation Options

Some people do not like the idea of plastic surgery or “going under the knife”. With this in mind there are a large range of non-surgical, non-invasive, options to rejuvenate the facial skin. Read more about non-surgical facial rejuvenation here.