Over the years, your skin can lose elasticity, making it sag and wrinkle. These changes, along with natural facial volume loss can give your face a sunken appearance and make you look perpetually tired, but a facelift can combat the effects of age and gravity for a more youthful, refreshed look you’ll love.
Depending on your needs, you can choose from several facelift techniques, including two popular choices: the mini-facelift and mid-facelift. Both have tempting benefits and require fewer incisions and recovery time than a traditional facelift.
Understanding the Different Types of Facelifts
In a traditional facelift surgery, the surgeon makes incisions at your hairline, around your ears, and under your chin, allowing them to remove excess skin and reposition the entire face. Some facelift options also manipulate your facial muscles in addition to tightening skin for a lifted look.
A few facelift types offer a less-invasive option with faster recovery times:
- Mini-facelift: This surgery lifts the skin of your lower face and neck.
- Mid-facelift: This procedure focuses on your cheeks, repositioning fat and tightening the skin.
What Is a Mini-Facelift?
A mini-facelift (also called a short scar facelift, baby boomer lift, or an s-lift) repositions your lower face and neck to smooth wrinkles and jowls caused by sagging cheeks. You can have this surgery with local anesthesia and sedation, or under deep sedation.
To perform a mini-facelift, your surgeon makes an incision from the front of your ear to the back. Then, they separate your skin from the muscle and fat underneath it. Your surgeon tightens underlying tissue and muscle and repositions your skin so it is smooth but not taut. The skin is then secured using sutures (stitches).
Compared to traditional facelifts, the mini-facelift has smaller incisions, faster recovery, and a lower risk of facial nerve injury and earlobe distortion (pixie ears).
What Is a Mid-Facelift?
A mid-facelift is an umbrella term that can include facial fillers, fat transfer, and cheek implants. During the procedure done under local or IV sedation, your surgeon makes several tiny incisions at your hairline or the smile lines beside your eyes and uses minimally-invasive techniques to elevate sagging cheeks.
Depending on your needs, your surgeon can also inject fillers or insert cheek implants during a mid-facelift procedure, which takes one to two hours. This versatile option allows tailored results that can address smile lines and a drooping cheek area. A mid-facelift also has faster recovery times compared to a traditional facelift.
Mini-Facelift vs. Mid-Facelift: Key Differences
The key differences between a mini-facelift and a mid-facelift center around the target areas, incisions, and recovery time.
- Focus: Mini-facelifts focus on your lower face, jawline, and neck. Mid-facelifts focus on your cheeks, eye bags, and smile lines.
- Incisions: For a mini-facelift, incisions are made around the ears. In a mid-facelift, incisions can be made in the hairline or by the eyes.
- Recovery time: After a mini-facelift, you can expect to return to work within two weeks. A mid-facelift typically takes seven to 10 days to heal, with swelling and bruising fading after a few weeks.
Who Is a Good Candidate for a Mini-Facelift?
You may be a good candidate for a mini-facelift if you have signs of aging in your mid or lower face but don’t have too much excess skin around your neck and jawline. People in their mid-30s and older love the mini-facelift, which can also be combined with other procedures like a brow lift. Good candidates are in generally good health, don’t smoke, and have some skin elasticity.
Who Is a Good Candidate for a Mid-Facelift?
Good candidates for a mid-facelift can be men or women who have sunken areas beneath the eyes or pronounced eye bags. This procedure also works well for someone with prominent smile lines or sagging cheeks. Like the mini-facelift, a mid-facelift works best for people with at least partially elastic skin and people with good overall health who don’t smoke.
During your consultation, our team will review your health history and goals so you can choose the best facelift option for you.
Recovery Time: Mini-Facelift vs. Mid-Facelift
For both a mini- and a mid-facelift, your recovery time can vary based on your health and post-operative care. Both surgeries cause minimal pain during recovery, and ice packs can lessen swelling and bruising while you heal.
After a mini-facelift, your bandages can be removed within five days. For both procedures, sutures and staples will come out after a week or two. During recovery from a mini-facelift, you should avoid strenuous activity for at least two weeks; this number goes up to three weeks after a mid-facelift. After both, it is recommended to abstain from alcohol, saunas, and steam baths for a few months.
Recovery from a mid-facelift can take between seven and 10 days, and some patients return to work in less than a week. Swelling and bruising should resolve within a few weeks. Mini-facelift recovery can take a bit longer, with most patients able to return to work within two weeks. For both procedures, full results are seen six to 12 months after surgery.
How to Choose the Best Facelift Approach for Your Goals
The best facelift option for you depends on your aesthetic goals and other factors, and Dr. Malena Amato, a board-certified surgeon, can help you decide which will give you the look you’re after.Dr. Amato is well known for her surgical skill and uses minimally invasive surgical techniques to offer beautiful facelift results. To schedule a facelift consultation with Dr. Amato, call our office at (512) 501-1010 or contact us online today!Which Facelift Approach is Right for Me