Facelift & Neck Lift

At some point, you may start to notice your face looking older than you feel inside. With age, wrinkles and fine lines develop around the mouth, jowls add bulk to the lower face, and loose neck skin forms a “turkey wattle.” While nonsurgical treatments can minimize early signs of aging, people in their 40s, 50s, and 60s often choose to get facelift and neck lift surgery at our Anchorage, Alaska, practice for these more advanced signs of aging. Our plastic surgeons personalize each facelift procedure to help women and men from the Kenai Peninsula and Wasilla, Palmer, and other Mat-Su Valley communities look naturally rejuvenated.

To schedule an appointment, please call (907) 563-2002 today.

Who Can Benefit From a Facelift & Neck Lift?

If you look in the mirror and feel like the sagging cheeks and jowls you see don’t reflect your energy and youthfulness, a facelift can help you look as good as you feel. A neck lift can repair the vertical platysma muscles in the neck that separate as we age, creating thin bands on either side of the neck and reducing the definition of the jawline. Additionally, to be a good candidate for a facelift, you must be a nonsmoker. Smoking not only contributes to facial aging but inhibits healing after surgery. You should be in good overall health and it’s important to have realistic expectations about your results. A facelift typically makes patients look as they did about 10 years earlier. Although the aging process continues after your surgery, you will continue to look younger than your chronological age.

Many facelift patients also benefit from eyelid surgery and a brow lift to rejuvenate the upper face.

What Is the Best Type of Facelift?

If you’ve researched facelifts for any time at all, you may be overwhelmed by the various types of facelift procedures described online. The most common technique—and the modern standard for facelift surgery—is the SMAS facelift. SMAS is short for superficial musculoaponeurotic system, a layer of tissue and muscle that connects the lower face, jawline, and neck stretching from the ear to the neck. Plastic surgeons learned many years ago that simply stretching the skin tight during a facelift, without adjusting the SMAS layer, led to results that didn’t last long and appeared pulled or “windswept.”

How Is a Facelift & Neck Lift Performed?

Our surgeons perform facelift and neck lift surgery using general anesthesia. You will need to have a trusted adult drive you home after your surgeon confirms you’re ready to leave the surgical facility.

The SMAS facelift involves lifting and repositioning the tissue and muscle layer, then re-draping the skin in a way that looks natural. The surgeon removes some excess skin before suturing the incisions, which are well-concealed in the hairline and in the natural crease of the ears and behind them.

During a neck lift, the surgeon tightens the platysma muscles. Additionally, the surgeon may remove or reposition fat below the chin and remove excess skin before suturing the incisions.

How Long Is Facelift Recovery?

The recovery following a facelift is really 2 phases—the physical recovery and the social recovery. Physically, you should plan for about 1 to 2 weeks of downtime with swelling and bruising peaking about 3 to 4 days after the operation. You should avoid bending over and strenuous physical activity for at least 2 weeks. Your social recovery depends on how comfortable you feel being in public before the swelling and bruising completely resolve. If you’re planning to attend a significant social event, such as a wedding, you should allow at least 2 months to completely heal.

How Much Does a Facelift Cost?

The cost of a facelift depends on several factors, including if it’s combined with a neck lift, the extent of the changes needed, the location of the plastic surgery practice, and other factors. The cost of facelift surgery in Anchorage, for example, will be different than in Seattle or Los Angeles. After your consultation, we’ll provide a price quote that breaks down the costs.

Schedule a Consultation

Women and men in Anchorage and elsewhere in Alaska considering a facelift can schedule an appointment by calling (907) 563-2002 or request a consultation at our practice using the online form.