How Long Does a Facelift Last?

The Center for Cosmetic Surgery

When people considering a facelift in Denver ask, “How long does it last?” This question baffles me. Not because it doesn’t make sense to me that people want an answer. And not because I am unaware of the evolution that occurs for my patients after facelift surgery. The question baffles me because I don’t know what they mean by “last.”

Everyone readily accepts the basic premise that the results of lifting surgery are not permanent. No one contests the idea that the benefits of a facelift are slowly lost over time. Yet, people ask about the duration of the results and I don’t understand what measurement they would use to determine “last” versus “not last.”

It’s Easy to Forget What You Looked Like

Sometimes, I start the answer by asking if they mean that “lasting” is the time period until they are back to where they were before surgery. Often, people will respond, “OK, sure, until then.” So I’ll oblige and reply that it generally takes 10 or more years to be back to a pre-surgery state. I then quickly add that, within one month after surgery, no one cares what they looked like prior to the procedure. I say that it would be disingenuous of me, knowing how people think after having a facelift, to pretend that this 10+ year answer means anything to patients after the procedure is over. People don’t remember what they looked like before surgery, nor do they care.

The Aging Process Continues

So again, I ask what does “last” mean? The plastic surgery studies evaluate the gradual return of jowling, nasolabial folds, marrionette lines, and lax neck skin, in an attempt to rate the duration of facelift improvement. But this doesn’t help me answer the patients’ question because I still don’t know what they mean by “last.”

It’s a Personal Matter

I believe what people are asking is, “When will I be dissatisfied with my appearance again?”And, if I’m correct, there is no way for me to know when this will be, even if I’ve done the best facelift possible. The most honest answer is that a facelift lasts until a person doesn’t like the way he or she looks anymore, and there’s no way to predict which endpoints would create this personal conclusion. Therefore, we can’t know when the parameters will be reached for each person to deem the results, “no longer lasting.”

If I do the exact same facelift on identical twins and they get the same results, they may have completely different perspectives on the duration of the improvement depending upon their individual mindsets. Even when I know precisely how my patients would look each year after a facelift, I simply can’t predict when they will no longer enjoy their results.

So how do I answer this puzzling question without getting overly-philosophical about the human condition? Just as I have done above. The benefits of a facelift are lost with time at a variable rate depending upon each person’s skin elasticity, etc. But the duration of happiness someone enjoys from their results is dependent upon a mindset that is only truly understood by each person, and me, after surgery.

All I can do is turn the clock back in the most natural and safest way and hope that my patients find the experience rewarding for many, many years.

To see what results you can expect from facelift surgery, view before-and-after photos in our facelift photo gallery. If you have questions or would like to schedule a consultation, contact us online or call (303) 278-2600.

Dr. Steven Vath

One Response to How Long Does a Facelift Last?

  • Liposuction says:

    I completely agree with you that it depends on the age when you are getting treated for face lift or any other cosmetic surgery. People who are do jobs will have less time to maintain it as skin affects when you are working and giving not much rest to your face.

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