A mini facelift is a cosmetic surgery performed around your hairline or mid-face to lift the lower half of your face.
This procedure aims to address wrinkles, sagging skin, and loss of volume in the face, neck, and jawline to improve visible signs of aging.
Difference Between a Mini Facelift and a Traditional Facelift.
With several options for facelift marketing, sometimes it becomes difficult for you to choose the right one for your concerns.
Below are the differences between a full or traditional facelift and a mini facelift to help you make the right decision.
- During a mini facelift procedure, plastic surgeons use fewer incisions compared to a traditional facelift. In traditional facelifts, incisions are done around and behind the ears.
- A mini facelift focuses on the cheeks and jowls, while a full facelift targets both the cheeks, jowls, and the upper face.
- Unlike a full facelift, a mini facelift has a shorter scar and a faster recovery.
- Results for a full facelift are long-lasting compared to those of a mini facelift, which is short-lived.
- A full facelift eliminates loose skin on the neck and cheeks, while a mini-facelift reduces minor sagging on the lower face and neck.
A mini facelift is most appropriate for people in their forties and fifties who do not have unnecessary skin around the neck or jawline but show signs of aging in the mid-face.
Related: Which Nonsurgical Face-Lift Procedure is the Best?
Mini Facelift Cost
A mini facelift costs between $3,500 and $8,000, while the average cost for a full facelift (Rhytidectomy) or traditional facelift is $7,467.
The prices do not cover everything related to the surgery. You will be required to pay for anesthesia, operating room facilities, postoperative prescription medications, hospital fees, and other associated expenses.
Consult with your surgeon to know the final total mini facelift cost you will pay for your mini facelift before you consider having one.
Most medical insurance companies do not cover facelift surgery because it is a cosmetic procedure and is considered aesthetic. However, some surgeons offer financing and payment plans to help you pay for your mini facelift procedure. Be sure to ask.
Related: Plastic Surgery Procedures You Didn’t Know are Covered by Insurance.
How Does a Mini Facelift Work?
A mini facelift is a minimal skin tightening surgery that focuses on reducing minor sagging skin on the lower face and neck.
Plastic surgeons address this by removing excess skin and lifting the area using small incisions. In return, it tightens the skin reducing the visibility of wrinkles.
A mini facelift procedure does not address changes related to age, like forehead lines or sagging eyelids.
You can consider combining your mini facelift procedure with an eyelid lift surgery or brow lift to achieve full facial rejuvenation.
Procedures for a Mini Facelift
Preparations
- Your surgeon will brief you about everything concerning the surgery. In some instances, they might send you for a lab test for evaluation.
- Your surgeon will advise you to stop smoking.
- Avoid aspirin and anti-inflammatory drugs before surgery, as they can increase bleeding and bruising.
- It is necessary to disclose to your surgeon all medications you are taking.
- You’ll need someone to drive you from the hospital after surgery. So, it is good to make arrangements ahead of time.
- Avoid wearing make-up and jewelry to help fasten the process.
During Surgery
Being an invasive surgery, your plastic surgeon will administer general or local anesthesia. These will make you not feel pain during the surgery.
Your surgeon will then make small incisions around your ears and hairline. They will lift and remove the excess underlying tissues in your skin.
Once the surgery is complete, your surgeon will close up the incisions using sutures. They will also give you antibiotics and painkillers to take during your recovery period.
Risks and Side Effects of a Mini Facelift
Are there any risks or side effects? Yes. Just like any other surgery, a mini facelift does go without complications.
Some of the most common side effects include;
- Anesthesia risks
- Numbness
- Prolonged swelling
- Facial nerve injury
- Unsatisfactory results
- Face Asymmetry
- Fluid accumulation
- Severe Pain
- Swelling
- Oozing and bleeding from your stitches
- Fever and chills
- Nerve damage
Talk to your surgeon immediately if you experience signs of infection, excessive bleeding, or something unusual after your surgery.
Mini Facelift Recovery
Mini facelift recovery time for a mini facelift varies from one patient to another. While some patients take 10-14 days to recover, it will take 2-3 months for you to heal completely unless complications arise during the recovery period.
It takes about one week before the surgeon can remove the sutures. You may experience some swelling and bruising once your surgeon removes your stitches.
Being purely an outpatient procedure, you won’t sleep in the hospital after the surgery.
You will return to your surgeon’s office the following day for a routine consultation. Depending on the first consultation, the surgeon will schedule more appointments to monitor your recovery process.
Also, Your surgeon will give you post-surgery instructions to guide you on activities to engage with. High-intensity workouts may delay your recovery and worsen your symptoms; be sure to ask when to begin them.
Mini Facelift Scars and Results
Mini facelifts have shorter scars due to the small incisions used during surgery. This is helpful, more so if you are prone to scarring.
The scars are concealed in natural folds because of the incisions running in front and behind the ear, making them unnoticeable once they have healed.
Results from a Mini facelift are considered permanent. However, you can talk to your surgeon if you are interested in having other non-invasive anti-aging options, such as dermal fillers, to maximize your results.
Related: Scar Removal Treatment: Is scar removal surgery effective?
Conclusion
Before you undergo a mini facelift procedure, find a board-certified and experienced plastic surgeon to perform your surgery. These will minimize the risks and complications associated.
A mini facelift is an invasive procedure and comes with risks. Depending on your overall goals, there are non-invasive procedures that might address them.
They include; dermal fillers, botulinum toxin (Botox), microdermabrasion or dermabrasion, therapy, and laser skin resurfacing. You can discuss with your surgeon which option best fits your goals.
- Facelift and mini-facelift. (n.d.). hopkinsmedicine.org/otolaryngology/specialty_areas/facial-plastic-reconstructive/cosmetic/face-lift.html
- Facelift surgery (rhytidectomy). (n.d.). plasticsurgery.org/cosmetic-procedures/facelift/procedure
