When you look in the mirror, what do you think of the face looking back at you? Is it truly you? For many, they no longer recognize their own face as being "them" and seek out a way to restore a more youthful appearance. A facelift is a time-tested, extraordinary surgical procedure that has the ability to reduce signs of age and help you feel more like yourself.

Video - Facelift Testimonial

What is a Facelift?

A facelift is a cosmetic procedure that specifically targets common facial signs of aging, including:

  • Sagging skin
  • Jowls
  • Creases between the nose and the corners of the mouth
  • Creases around and under the eyelids
  • Double chin

What are the Benefits of a Facelift?

Benefits of a facelift in San Francisco include:

  • Long-lasting results
  • Tightens sagging skin
  • Improves the contour of your neck and jawline
  • Minimizes wrinkles and fine lines
  • Removes excess fat

Facelift Candidates

Every case is unique, but the best facelift candidates:

  • Are in generally good health
  • Have realistic expectations
  • Are nonsmokers
  • Have loose skin on the face and neck
  • Have a strong bone structure

Our team will discuss your personal cosmetic goals with you in your consultation to help determine whether or not a facelift is right for you.

Some candidates also wish to combine their facelift procedure with other cosmetic treatments like rhinoplasty, so be sure to discuss any questions you have with our team at your consultation. There's never been a better time to take charge of your appearance and have the look you've always wanted. To learn more about facelift surgery, please call us today at 650-249-3169 to arrange an appointment. Dr. Liu and his team serve all of the Bay Area, including San Francisco, San Jose and San Mateo, CA.

Banner media

Details of the Facelift Procedure

Thanks to today’s exciting advances in cosmetic science, there are many types of facelifts to choose from. These vary as to the position of the incisions, the amount of downtime required, the skin layers adjusted, and the region of the face that is addressed. Dr. Liu will discuss your options with you during your private consultation, helping to select the best approach based on your needs, age, and facial structure.

Facelift Options Available at Bay Area Aesthetic Surgery

Short Scar Facelifts

If you do not need or want a full facelift, you may want to consider our short scar facelifts, which are less invasive and require less downtime but are still very effective for certain conditions. These types of facelifts are best for clients ages 40-55 who suffer from mild to moderate sagging with little to no skin laxity in the neck, and for whom concealing scars is a priority. They are performed under local anesthesia. Incisions are generally placed at the temples or in front of the ears.

Endoscopic Facelifts

An endoscope is a tiny camera at the end of a slender tube. When inserted through small, well-hidden incisions, it offers the doctor a much higher degree of accuracy and confidence, as magnified images relayed from the camera appear on a monitor during surgery. While endoscopic facelifts present certain benefits, such as less downtime and less invasiveness, there are some drawbacks. An endoscopic facelift cannot address problems in the neck, and it tends to be only effective in the cheek areas.

Full Facelift

The full facelift is often suggested for those with more significant aging concerns and those seeking a long-term solution to sagging skin. On average, results from a full facelift will extend 10-15 years into the future. In a full facelift procedure, our San Francisco plastic surgeons make an inconspicuous incision, typically along the hairline at the temples. 

If they wish to address laxity in the neck area, an additional incision may be made underneath the chin. They then carefully remove and reshape excess fat, skin, and other tissue contributing to your aesthetic issues, and they may also reposition certain muscles as needed.

During the full facelift, your surgeon can adjust the skin’s deeper SMAS layer, which envelopes the muscles responsible for our facial expressions. This leads to a truly graceful and youthful outcome that also appears completely natural. Finally, they tighten the skin and re-drape it across the face before closing the incisions back up.

Facial Fat Grafting

While some clients suffer from sagging, drooping skin and excess fatty tissue in the face, others experience a depletion of facial volume as they age, resulting in a hollowed look, especially in the cheeks, midface, chin, lips, forehead, laugh lines and underneath the eyes. Facial fat grafting can dramatically improve these compromised facial contours, plumping the skin to achieve a more rejuvenated, youthful aesthetic.

During the procedure, fat cells are retrieved from a donor site such as the hips, belly or buttocks, refined and purified, and then reintroduced to their new home. Because the fat cells are taken from the patient’s own body, they are easily accepted and integrated into the facial regions. Note that facial fat grafting is only possible when the patient has the necessary fat stores to donate from.

Background media

Schedule A Consultation

Contact us media

Are There Non-surgical Alternatives to a Facelift?

You may have heard the term “liquid facelift.” This refers to the myriad of wonderful new facial fillers and injectables on the market that can temporarily achieve some of the same objectives as a surgical facelift, but without the anesthesia, incisions or downtime. However, it is not uncommon for the doctor to use fillers in tandem with a surgical lift, and the two approaches often lead to a superior outcome that neither method could achieve on its own.

The most common injectables are BOTOX, Juvederm, Radiesse, and Restylane. These can target wrinkles, fine lines, crow’s feet, laugh lines, forehead furrows, marionette lines, double chins, and many other telltale signs of aging. Injectables typically takes less than 30 minutes to administer and require only very mild topical numbing.

Complementary Procedures

Sometimes when a patient approaches our team for an anti-aging makeover, multiple procedures are required to achieve the desired transformation. While a facelift in San Francisco can produce gorgeous changes in the forehead, cheeks, and neck, it cannot address fatigued, drooping eyelids, sagging eyebrows, or withered lips.

To combat these issues, our team performs blepharoplasty, brow lifts, and lip augmentation procedures, which can be excellently combined with a facelift to reduce downtime, scarring, and post-operative pain.

You will have the chance to discuss these complementary treatments with Dr. Liu and his team during your confidential consultation. You will also have a chance to review dozens of before and after photos that will give you a clearer idea of how the various anti-aging procedures work together to make you look and feel fantastic.

Cheek Lift

For those patients who tend to manifest their advancing years through drooping cheeks, midface sagging, and exaggerated nasolabial folds, the cheek lift offers a minimally-taxing alternative to the full facelift, with lower risks and less post-op discomfort.

Incisions are sometimes hidden inside the mouth, just as when a cheek implant is placed. If the client is also undergoing a blepharoplasty, the doctor can use the incisions made along the lower lids.

Banner media

Where will my facelift be performed?

Our team of surgeons perform all treatments at the AAAASF-accredited San Mateo Surgery Center, where you will enjoy outstanding, personalized patient care, state-of-the-art equipment and technology, elegant reception areas and tranquil recovery suites, along with concierge service from our courteous, outgoing staff. Your privacy, comfort and safety are of paramount importance to our team of experienced, board-certified nurses, anesthesiologists, surgical technicians and medical assistants.

The Facelift Recovery

Like any surgery, a facelift in San Francisco or San Mateo will require a period of recovery to heal and ensure the best possible results. Most patients go home with a bandage wrapped around their faces to minimize bruising and swelling. Depending upon the specifics of your procedure, your surgeon may leave small plastic tubes in place to permit the draining of excess fluid that accumulates near the incision sites.

The first 24 to 48 hours after surgery, you should plan to take it easy at home, but most patients are able to get up and move around within a couple of days. You will probably be able to go back to work within a couple of weeks, and it is not unusual for patients to resume normal physical activities, including exercise, in about 4 to 6 weeks.

Choosing the Best Surgeon for Your Facelift

A primary concern for many clients seeking a surgical facelift is that they do not appear “done” or like a “deer in the headlights.”

These stereotypes emerged when plastic surgery was at a less sophisticated and nuanced stage. Thanks to ever-advancing techniques and aesthetic sensibilities, today’s facelift can be a paragon of natural beauty when performed by the right hands.

It is always important to choose a surgeon who has not only fulfilled the rigorous demands of elite training, relentless examinations, peer-reviewed fellowships and residencies, and board certification but one who combines these credentials with a strong eye for artistry and a humble, approachable demeanor. Dr. Liu and his team are lauded for their stunning facelift results, and they remain one of the Bay Area’s most trusted authorities for all your cosmetic needs.

Banner media

How Much Does a Facelift Cost?

The cost of your facelift will depend on the complexity of the surgical plan required to achieve your ideal aesthetic goals. During your consultation, your surgeon will examine your face and skin and discuss your desired outcome for your appearance. From there, he will design a customized surgical plan for you that will include the cost of your facelift. Please call to schedule a consultation to learn more.

Close
Contact us media

© Silicon Valley Institute for Aesthetics. All Rights Reserved. Web Design & Internet Marketing by Studio III

Terms & Conditions Privacy Policy

Accessibility: If you are vision-impaired or have some other impairment covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act or a similar law, and you wish to discuss potential accommodations related to using this website, please contact our Accessibility Manager at (650) 249-3169.
Contact Us