Bad facelifts usually show a pulled or windswept face, an earlobe dragged down onto the cheek, a shifted hairline or wide scars. Most come from pulling the skin instead of lifting the deeper tissue. Good facelifts look rested, keep normal expressions and hide scars in the ear folds. Many problems can be improved with revision surgery.
This page is part of our facelift guide for patients. It covers how to spot a poor result, what the public conversation about celebrity facelifts gets right and wrong, and what can be done to correct a lift that didn’t go well.
Signs of bad facelifts
The common signs of bad facelifts are a windswept cheek, pixie ear, a raised sideburn or stepped hairline, wide scars and visible ridges or dimples.
A 2026 StatPearls review on NCBI Bookshelf (US) lists the features surgeons look for when a lift has gone wrong. A 2020 study of 72 revision facelifts in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Global Open (PRS Global Open) shows how often each appears in practice.
- Hairline displacement. The sideburn rises, the temple hair thins or the hairline behind the ear forms a step. It was the most frequent problem in the revision study, seen in 48 of 72 cases.
- Pixie ear. The earlobe is pulled down and attached to the cheek because the skin was closed under tension. It appeared in 10 of the 72 revisions.
- Windswept look. The cheek is pulled sideways, which can make the mouth look wider.
- Lateral sweep. Curved lines run across the lower cheek when the midface wasn’t lifted enough and the lower face was pulled too far back.
- Wide or raised scars. Scars stretch most often behind the ear. Pigment changes and keloids are possible too.
- Cobra neck. Too much fat removed from the centre of the neck, leaving a hollow with fuller sides.
- Ridges or dimples. Uneven contour under thin skin, more likely after some SMAS folding techniques.
The bad facelifts windswept look
The windswept look happens when tension pulls the cheek tissue too far toward the ear. The StatPearls review notes that it often improves with revision done months later. In bad facelifts before and after photos, this shows most clearly from the front, where the mouth corners look stretched.
Not every early problem is permanent. Swelling and numbness are normal for weeks, and the National Health Service (NHS, UK) says the final result can take six to nine months to show. Judge the shape after that window, not at two weeks.
Celebrity facelifts: what photos can and can’t show
Celebrity facelifts are mostly guesswork from photos. Lighting, makeup, weight change and non-surgical treatments make a reliable verdict almost impossible.
We don’t name or judge real people here. Articles on celebrity facelifts gone wrong rely on speculation, and very few public figures confirm what they’ve had done. A face can change between photos because of weight, aging, makeup, lighting, camera lens and fillers. Even celebrity facelifts before and after comparisons rarely use the same angle or distance.
Still, the public debate teaches two useful things. First, the looks people call “bad” match the surgical list above: a tight, wide mouth, swept cheeks and a frozen expression. Second, the results people call “good” are the ones nobody can point to. Many bad facelifts celebrity stories turn out to be about overfilled faces rather than surgery. The PRS Global Open revision study warned that overfilled faces never fully return to normal, even after the filler is dissolved or removed.
A question I hear often is “can you make me look like that person?” What I tell patients is that I can only work with their own face, and the goal is a fresher version of it, not someone else’s.
What good facelifts look like
Good facelifts give a firmer jaw and neck while your face moves normally, the earlobe stays free and scars sit in the hairline and ear folds.
Look at good facelifts before and after photos and a few things repeat. The jowl is smaller but the cheek isn’t flattened. The mouth corners stay where they were. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS, US) says healed scars should sit in the hairline and natural ear contours, where they are well concealed. The neck angle improves, though the neck is also the area that loses the most improvement over the years, according to a study ASPS reported in 2012.
Technique explains much of the difference. The SMAS (superficial musculoaponeurotic system) is the layer that supports the mid and lower face, and lifting it lets the skin close without strain. The revision study traced widened scars to skin-only lifts closed under tension. Our guide to facelift types such as deep plane and SMAS explains each approach, and the before and after guide shows how to read results.
Bad facelifts: how to fix them
Most bad facelifts can be improved with revision surgery once the tissues have settled, often after about a year, though not every problem can be fully reversed.
| Problem | How it is usually corrected |
|---|---|
| Pixie ear | Release the earlobe, undermine the skin widely and move the tension onto the SMAS and platysma |
| Temporal hairline shift | New incision along the existing hairline, beveled so hair grows through the scar; hair transplant in severe cases |
| Stepped hairline behind the ear | Wide undermining of the neck flap and lateral platysma tightening to release tension |
| Wide scars | Excise the scar, lift the deeper layers and close without tension |
| Laxity returning or undercorrection | SMAS plication or SMASectomy with platysma tightening; open neck repair for strong bands |
| Overfilled face | Hyaluronic acid filler dissolved with hyaluronidase weeks before surgery; other fillers may not be removable |
The correction methods above come from the PRS Global Open revision study. The authors advise waiting at least a year after surgery before correcting undercorrection, so swelling has fully gone. StatPearls adds that hair transplantation for hairline loss is considered only after 6 to 12 months.
There are limits. In the same study, ten patients with a receding temple hairline couldn’t be fully corrected. Scar tissue from earlier thread lifts or energy treatments also made revision harder. The NHS (UK) advises raising concerns with your surgeon first and asking how a further operation would be paid for.
Lowering your risk the first time
- Ask which layer will be lifted and how the skin will be closed.
- Look at the surgeon’s own consented photos, including side views of the ear and hairline.
- Stop smoking well before surgery and control your blood pressure, since both affect healing and bleeding.
- Be wary of very large fillers or repeated threads before a planned facelift.
Frequently Asked Questions
FAQ
Answers on spotting a bad facelift, fixing a windswept look, male celebrity facelifts and how good and bad results differ.
How can you tell good facelifts vs bad facelifts?
A good result looks rested, with a firmer jaw, normal expression, a free earlobe and scars hidden in the ear folds. Poor results show swept cheeks, a stretched mouth, a pulled earlobe, a raised sideburn or wide scars. Judge results after six to nine months, once swelling has settled.
Can a windswept facelift be fixed?
Often, yes. A StatPearls review notes the windswept deformity often improves with revision done months after the first operation. The surgeon releases the excess sideways tension and lifts the deeper layer in a more vertical direction. How much improves depends on skin quality and scar tissue.
How long should I wait before fixing bad facelifts?
Many surgeons wait until swelling and scar tissue have settled. A revision study in PRS Global Open advised waiting at least a year before correcting undercorrection. Urgent problems such as bleeding or infection are different and need care right away.
Do male celebrity facelifts look different?
Men’s facelifts need different planning: the beard and sideburn hairline must stay natural, and men have about twice the risk of hematoma, according to StatPearls. A pulled sideburn or beard hair moved behind the ear is a common giveaway of a poor male facelift.
Are bad facelifts common?
Serious complications are uncommon, but dissatisfaction is the most common adverse outcome after facelifts, according to a 2026 StatPearls review. Careful surgeon selection, realistic goals and techniques that lift the deeper layer lower the chance of a result you’re unhappy with.
If you’re unhappy with a previous lift, a calm assessment is the first step. You can ask Metropole Clinic by ABmedi for a revision consultation. To compare all options and costs, return to the facelift overview.
This article is for general education and does not replace a personal medical consultation.
References
Show sources
- Yang AJ, Hohman MH. Cervicofacial Rhytidectomy. StatPearls, NCBI Bookshelf (US). Updated 2026. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Skouras GA, Skouras AG, Skoura EA. Revision and Secondary Facelift: Problems Frequently Encountered. Plast Reconstr Surg Glob Open. 2020;8(8):e2947. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Hohman MH, Raggio BS, Patel BC. Deep Plane Facelift. StatPearls, NCBI Bookshelf (US). Updated 2026. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Facelift: Procedure steps. American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS, US). Accessed 2026. plasticsurgery.org
- Journal report finds patients still look younger five years after facelift surgery. American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS, US). 2012. plasticsurgery.org
- Facelift. National Health Service (NHS, UK). Reviewed 2023. nhs.uk
