Facelift (Rhytidectomy): Types, Cost, Recovery & Results

Facelifts, or rhytidectomy, are operations that lift the deeper support layer of the face and redrape the skin to treat jowls, a softened jawline and loose skin in the lower face and neck. They don’t change your features or stop aging, and most people need about two weeks before they look presentable.

Quick facts	What sources report
Operating time	About 2 to 3 hours, usually under general anesthesia (NHS, UK)
Hospital stay	Most people stay one night (NHS, UK)
Surgeon fee, US	$12,000 to $19,000, surgeon fee only (ASPS 2024)
Cost, UK	A few thousand pounds for a mini facelift, up to £10,000 for a face and neck lift (NHS)
Looking presentable	About 10 to 14 days (ASPS, US)
Final result	6 to 9 months (NHS, UK)
Durability	About 76% of patients still looked younger than before surgery at an average of 5.5 years in one study (Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, 2012)

What is a facelift?

A facelift is surgery that repositions sagging tissue in the lower face and neck, then removes extra skin, so the jawline and cheeks look firmer and less tired.

The American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS, US) describes rhytidectomy as a procedure that treats several signs of facial aging: sagging skin, deep folds between the nose and the corners of the mouth, fat that has dropped or thinned, jowls along the jaw, and loose skin or fat in the neck. Thinning skin, sun exposure, smoking, genes and gravity all play a part in how fast those changes appear.

The incision usually starts in the hair at the temple, curves in front of the ear, wraps under the earlobe and finishes behind the ear in the scalp. If the neck needs work, a short cut under the chin is often added. Through these openings the surgeon lifts the deeper layer, redistributes fat where needed, and then trims and closes the skin without pulling it tight.

Some limits are worth hearing early. According to ASPS (US), a facelift won’t change your basic appearance or stop the clock. It also won’t treat fine lines, sun spots or thin lips. Those respond to skin treatments, fat transfer or fillers, which are often planned alongside surgery.

At consultation, the first thing I look at is where the sagging actually is: midface, jawline, neck or all three. That map decides the type of lift far more than age does.

Types of facelifts

Facelift types differ mainly in which tissue layer is lifted and how long the incision is, from short-scar mini lifts to deep plane surgery under the SMAS.

Most modern lifts work on the SMAS (superficial musculoaponeurotic system), the fibrous layer that gives the main support to the mid and lower face. A skin-only lift relies on skin tension, and skin stretches back. Here is how the common options compare, based on a 2026 StatPearls review on NCBI Bookshelf (US).

Type	What is done	Usually suits
Mini or short-scar lift (including MACS)	Shorter incision ending at the earlobe; SMAS lifted with sutures or limited dissection	Early jowls, limited aging, no heavy neck
SMAS plication or imbrication	The SMAS is folded or trimmed and stitched upward and back	Moderate jowls and lower-face laxity
Deep plane	Skin and SMAS lifted together as one flap after releasing the retaining ligaments	Deeper nasolabial folds, cheek descent, heavier tissue
Face and neck lift	Facelift plus tightening of the platysma (neck muscle) through an under-chin incision	Jowls together with neck laxity or bands

The labels aren’t standard. Two surgeons can use “mini” for different operations, so ask which layer will be lifted. Our guide to deep plane, SMAS and mini facelift techniques compares them in more detail, and the mini facelift guide covers the short-scar option on its own.

What facelifts cost

Facelifts cost $12,000 to $19,000 in US surgeon fees alone (ASPS 2024), and from a few thousand pounds up to £10,000 in the UK (NHS), before other charges.

The society now publishes a projected range from member surveys, not a single average, because prices vary so much by region and practice. That figure covers the surgeon. The ASPS cost page lists the other parts of a typical bill:

• Anesthesia fees
• Hospital or surgical facility charges
• Medical tests before surgery
• Prescription medicines
• Post-surgery garments

ASPS (US) also notes that most health insurance plans cover neither a cosmetic facelift nor its complications. For a full breakdown by type and country, including what a combined neck lift adds, see our facelift cost guide.

Facelifts before and after: what results look like

A good result looks rested and natural: a cleaner jawline, softer jowls and a smoother neck, with no pulled or windswept look and scars hidden around the ear.

Real change shows most along the jaw and in profile. The folds beside the mouth usually soften but rarely disappear, because part of that fold comes from volume loss, not sagging. Expect your face to look like you on a good day, not like someone else.

How long does it last? A study in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (2012), reported by ASPS (US), followed 50 patients for an average of 5.5 years. About 76% still looked younger than before surgery. The neck lost the most of its improvement over time, while the lines around the mouth held up best. A 2026 StatPearls review adds that small touch-up procedures are fairly common within one to two years, and many people go 5 to 10 years before considering another lift.

Not every result is a good one. The same review lists the tell-tale signs of a poor lift, such as a pulled earlobe (“pixie ear”), a windswept cheek and a shifted hairline. Our article on bad facelifts versus good ones shows what to look for. For consented patient photos and tips on reading them, see facelift before and after results.

Recovery after a facelift

Plan for about two weeks before you look presentable, two to four weeks for a full recovery, and six to nine months before the final shape settles.

1. First 24 hours: a pressure dressing and sometimes small drains stay on. An overnight hospital stay is usual (NHS, UK).
2. Days 1 to 2: drains and dressing usually come off at the first check. Keep your head raised on pillows and avoid wetting the bandages for the first two days (NHS, UK).
3. Days 3 to 4: swelling and bruising tend to peak (ASPS, US).
4. Days 7 to 14: stitches are removed unless they dissolve. Most people look presentable within 10 to 14 days (NHS, UK; ASPS, US).
5. Weeks 2 to 6: skip strenuous activity, saunas and massage for at least two weeks (NHS, UK). StatPearls advises avoiding heavy lifting and straining for four to six weeks.
6. Months 2 to 9: the face feels normal again after two to three months (ASPS, US), and the final result shows at six to nine months (NHS, UK).

Numbness and stiffness are normal for a while. The NHS (UK) says facial stiffness usually settles within six weeks, and swelling or numbness can last weeks to months.

When to call your surgeon

• Swelling or pain that increases quickly, especially on one side. Hematoma is the most common complication and usually appears in the first 24 hours (StatPearls, US).
• Fever of 101.5°F (38.6°C) or higher, pus or spreading redness.
• A crooked smile or trouble raising both eyebrows.
• Chest pain, shortness of breath or a painful, swollen calf. Treat these as an emergency.

Weighing a lift that also tightens the neck? The face and neck lift guide explains how recovery differs when both areas are treated.

Best age for a facelift

There’s no single best age. Facelifts are most common between 55 and 69, but the decision depends on how much laxity you have and your health, not the number.

In the ASPS 2024 statistics, people aged 55 to 69 accounted for 59% of US facelifts, people aged 40 to 54 for 18%, and those 70 and over for 20%. ASPS gives no minimum or maximum age. Its candidate page lists three things that matter more: good general health with no condition that slows healing, not smoking, and realistic expectations.

A question I hear often is whether having a facelift earlier keeps you younger for longer. What I tell patients is that surgery treats the sagging you have now. It isn’t a way to prevent aging, and an ASPS surgeon makes the same point. Our guide on facelifts at 40, 50 and 60 looks at what each decade usually needs.

Who should not have a facelift

• People who can’t stop smoking. StatPearls (US) reports skin loss in 7.5% of smokers versus 2.7% of nonsmokers in one study.
• People with uncontrolled high blood pressure, bleeding disorders or poorly controlled diabetes.
• Anyone whose weight is still changing a lot.
• People with body dysmorphic disorder, who should get mental health support first.

Non-surgical facelift options

Non-surgical options such as ultrasound, threads and fillers can soften mild sagging, but published results are modest and shorter-lived than surgery.

Minimally invasive treatments can’t match a facelift, though they may delay it or complement it, according to ASPS (US). Here is what the evidence shows so far:

• Microfocused ultrasound: a 2023 systematic review in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health found mild to moderate tightening, with brow lift measured at 0.47 to 1.7 mm and follow-up limited to one year.
• Thread lifts: a 2021 meta-analysis in Aesthetic Plastic Surgery pooled 26 studies and found swelling in 35% of patients and skin dimpling in 10%.
• Hyaluronic acid fillers: the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approves them for folds such as nasolabial lines and for cheek volume. Rare risks include blindness if filler enters a blood vessel.

Our page on non-surgical and natural facelift options compares these methods, plus at-home approaches like facial exercise, in one table.

Guides in this series

Each guide below covers one facelift question in depth, from costs and techniques to recovery, age and options without surgery.

• Mini facelift: before and after, cost and recovery
• Facelift before and after: natural results
• How much a facelift costs
• Types of facelifts compared
• Face and neck lift
• Signs of a bad facelift and how to fix it
• Facelift at 40, 50 or 60
• Non-surgical facelift options

If you’d like a plastic surgeon to assess which layers of your face have changed and whether a lift makes sense yet, you can book a consultation with Metropole Clinic by ABmedi.

This article is for general education and does not replace a personal medical consultation.

References

Show sources

1. Facelift. American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS, US). Accessed 2026. plasticsurgery.org
2. Facelift: Procedure steps. American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS, US). Accessed 2026. plasticsurgery.org
3. Facelift: Cost. American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS, US). Accessed 2026. plasticsurgery.org
4. 2024 Cosmetic Procedures: Average Cost; Ages 40–54, 55–69 and 70+. American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS, US). 2025. plasticsurgery.org
5. Facelift. National Health Service (NHS, UK). Reviewed 2023. nhs.uk
6. Yang AJ, Hohman MH. Cervicofacial Rhytidectomy. StatPearls, NCBI Bookshelf (US). Updated 2026. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
7. Journal report finds patients still look younger five years after facelift surgery. American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS, US). 2012. plasticsurgery.org
8. Contini M, et al. A Systematic Review of the Efficacy of Microfocused Ultrasound for Facial Skin Tightening. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023;20(2):1522. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
9. Niu Z, et al. A Meta-Analysis and Systematic Review of the Incidences of Complications Following Facial Thread-Lifting. Aesthetic Plast Surg. 2021;45(5):2148-2158. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
10. Dermal Fillers (Soft Tissue Fillers). U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA, US). Accessed 2026. fda.gov