How long does a facelift last?

The longevity of a facelift depends on many factors as you can see from the other answers. Primary factors are the skill of the surgeon and the technique used. Of equal importance are factors a patient brings to the table. Factors that definitely reduce facelift longevity are sun damage, acne scarring, heavy features and weight gains and losses.

Facelifts are also referred to as a rhytidectomy procedure. The longevity of a face lift result really depends on the type of face lift and the depth of correction. Routinely, a well performed face lift not only addresses the redundancy of skin but also the underlying fascial and muscular support. 

Shorter, no downtime facelifts do not adequately correct the underlying muscular and fascial support and are more prone to relapse.

These are averages for what patients report after their surgery.

Threadlifts: Most patients notice a benefit for 6 months to 1 year. No permanent benefit is usually noted since the tissues usually slide past the sutures. In all cases when we have removed threads during revision procedures, the sutures have held no tension and were often quite loose. The data are not fully in on Endotine lifts performed with undermining (lifts performed with a self dissolving device that hooks onto the cheeks or brow), but the longevity is likely to be longer than for threadlifts with no undermining.

Minilifts: Most patients notice a benefit of 2-4 years. If tissue is undermined and advanced and sutured it to a new position, there will likely be a permanent, lifelong benefit from this procedure and the procedures listed below this; patients are always "ahead of the game" by a certain amount, although of course the face continues to age.

Revision facelifts: 2-7 years. Since some of the advancement of the tissue has already occurred, revision facelifts generally do not achieve the rejuvenation effects of a first time lift. However, the ability of a cleverly done revision facelift to restore a natural unoperated, youthful appearance can be transformative.

Facelift skin only: 3-6 years average

Facelift with SMAS treatment and volume restoration (i.e. LiveFill or fat injection): Most patients notice 5-8 years in improvement, less in young patients with minimal aging signs, more in older patients who have several ancillary procedures done at the same time.

Facelift with SMAS treatment and volume restoration with many ancillary procedures (face, eyes, brow, lip lifts, LiveFill, Neck-Lace, conservative CO2 laser i.e. 360 Facelift). Many patients report 8-12 years of rejuvenation or more.

A natural reduction in aging does not result from tightening alone. The more clues of aging that are reduced, the better and more harmonious the appearance. Patients with well performed facial plastic surgery appear younger, but also prettier (or more handsome), if facial beauty and balance are enhanced through ancillary procedures in an addition to the usual tightening.

While genetics and skin quality are important in longevity of a facelift, technique is the number one factor in how long the result will last.

Fast recovery and minimal facelift techniques will last the least amount of time:

Thread Lifts - were very popular in the media over the last few years, but patients found they only lasted a few months to a year, and were very disappointed.

Mini-face lift - S-lift - refers to a face lift with a small amount of skin undermining (non-extensive), with limited SMAS mobilization. These are longer lasting than thread lifts, but realistically results "last" 2 to 5 years.

"Full" Face Lifts - There are many versions of the operation that fall into this class, and can be called SMAS platysma, SMASectomy, SMAS imbrication, Deep plane, Composite lift, Sub periosteal, etc. As a group, these all require extensive "re-arrangement" of the underlying facial tissues, in addition to significant skin undermining. They are technically demanding procedures that are not undertaken by in-experienced surgeons. The recovery is longer (2-4 weeks), but the results generally last 10 to 12 years.

Simply put, the more extensive the procedure, the longer the recovery period will be, and the longer you will enjoy the results.

Hello,

I would agree that a well performed  and appropriately selected Facelift will last 5-10 years.

It is important to recognize that in all patients after the first few weeks a little "settling in" occurrs, where 5-10% of the "tightness" initally seen goes away as the swelling of the facial tissues go down.  That's why its is useless and frankly unethical for after pictures to be taken very soon after surgery since these are not the utlitmate results that will be seen in the majority of patients.

The following are the most important factors that working together determine how long a facelift lasts:

1. Anatomy: some people are inherently blessed with great underlying anatomy - they have long necks, high hyoid bones and little fat in their jowels.  They also may have very good skin that has a natural glow and skin tone that stays with them over the years and makes "it easy" for the facelift results to last.  Others aren't so lucky and no matter how succesful the facelift their anatomy does not permit for long lasting results.
2. Genetics: genetics and anatomy are related, but also your genetics determine how you age.  Some people look young for their age and some people older.  This will have an impact on the results of the facelift.  Also some people reach an age where they "all of a sudden" develop turkey necks, wrinkles and jowls.  This is also influenced by genes.
3. Skin Care: no matter what your anatomy or genetic luck, it is crucial to take care of your skin both before and after a facelift.  This means cleansing, moisturizing, toning and protecting your skin from the sun.  Smoking is terrible for your skin.  A healthy lifestyle with daily hydration and high dietary anti-oxidant intake is great for it.  The healthier the skin the longer a facelift lasts.
4. Type of Facelift: this is probably the most important factor.  It is key that your Surgeon be able to identify and recommend the correct procedure for your anatomy, genetics, skin type and goals.  Whether that be a mini-lift or a full deep plane composite facelift, procedure selection is a very important factor.  As a basic rule, the more invasive the procedure the longer lasting the results.  I have also found over the years of performing hundreds of facelifts that the SMAS plication only procedures are the most inconsistent and have the shortest lasting results.  That is in contrast to SMASectomy, cranial suspension and SubSMAS procedures that provide longer lasting  and durable results.

Hope this was helpful for you!

Some surgeons say they last a lifetime. If you look at a patient that had a facelift years out and then were able to look at the same exact patient that didn't have a facelift years out, the facelift patient would still have signs of improvement 10 or even 20 years out.

I tell my patients that it is difficult to predict how long a facelift will last because there are so many variables ( including: age of the patient, skin quality, technique, smoking and health history), but will most likely give good results for at least 5 -10 years.

In general, a facelift performed properly can last 10 years or more, but this is a very rough estimate, as there are multiple factors involved, including:

• the surgeon's technique
• the patient's age and skin quality
• how the patient cares for themselves after surgery (good diet and exercise, using sunblock, no smoking)
• genetics (how the person ages overall)

A good rule of thumb though is that if the patient is in good health and has good quality skin before surgery, they have an excellent chance at a result which will last several years after surgery, provided they continue to take care of themselves.