The Center for Cosmetic Surgery 725 Heritage Road #100
Golden, CO 80401 Phone: (303) 278-2600 Monday – Friday: 8 a.m.–5 p.m.
The Center for Cosmetic Surgery 755 Heritage Road #100
Golden, CO 80401 Phone: (303) 279-6100 Monday – Friday: 8 a.m.–5 p.m.
The Center for Cosmetic Surgery 501 South Cherry Street #900
Denver, CO 80246 Phone: (303) 951-2100 Monday – Friday: 8 a.m.–5 p.m.
The Center for Cosmetic Surgery 501 South Cherry Street #900
Denver, CO 80246 Phone: (303) 951-2102 Tuesday – Friday: 8:00 a.m.–5 p.m.
The Center for Cosmetic Surgery 6985 Tutt Blvd Ste 110
Colorado Springs, CO 80923 Phone: (719) 380-1823 Monday: 10 a.m.–1 p.m. Tuesday – Friday: 8 a.m.–5 p.m.
Surgical consultations offered at our Denver, Colorado Springs, and Golden locations.
Mini Facelift at a Glance
2.5-3 hour surgery
Back to work: 1-2 weeks
A mini facelift rejuvenates the cheeks, jawline, and neck with shorter scars than a traditional facelift. In Denver, Colorado, the board-certified plastic surgeons at The Center for Cosmetic Surgery prefer this technique for patients who want to look naturally more youthful with long-lasting results. Over the past few decades, facelift techniques have evolved, becoming more effective, less disruptive, and safer than ever. With today’s advanced surgical techniques, our talented facelift surgeons help women and men reflect the youthful, vibrant way they feel inside.
Mini Facelift Before & After Photos
Keep in mind that each patient is unique and your results may vary.
This 62 year-old woman had already had corrective breast surgery in the form of an implant exchange and mastopexy with us several years prior, and apparently was pleased with her results. She thereafter returned to us asking about her options for a facelift (or “rhytidectomy”), with a desire to improve her jowling and sagginess of the n... Read More
This 70 year old patient of Dr. Wolfe felt that the image in the mirror did not match how young she felt. She underwent a mini facelift with SMR (and a bit of liposuction on the neck). This softened wrinkling near her mouth, refined her jawline, and tightened her neck.She is shown here before and 6 months post op. Read More
This is a 60 year old woman who wanted to improve her facial appearance and look younger. She did not like the loose neck skin and jowls on her lower face and was bothered by the her drooping outer eyebrows as well. She also complained about the lines around her mouth, her forehead wrinkles, and desired fuller lips. She underwent a minifaceli... Read More
This is a 49 year old woman who felt she looked older than she was, mostly due to the "jowling" at her jawline and loose tissue of the neck. She also disliked the way she looked from a side angle as she felt there was no definition from her chin to her neck. She underwent a mini-facelift to remove excess skin and tighten the underlying muscle... Read More
This 72 year old woman was displeased with the loose skin along her jawline and wrinkling and laxity of the skin on her neck. She underwent a mini facelift with Dr. Steven Vath, which resulted in a much more youthful appearance.After photos taken at 6 weeks post op. Read More
This patient came to The Center for Cosmetic Surgery seeking comprehensive facial rejuvenation. Her primary concerns included a loss of definition along her jawline and neck, noticeable jowls, and excess skin causing heaviness in her upper and lower eyelids. She was interested in procedures that would help her achieve a more refreshed and you... Read More
This 65 year-old woman came to us wishing to address her progressive signs of lower facial aging. She was advised that she was an excellent candidate for a "mini-facelift" approach (avoiding a neck incision), which was indeed performed as an outpatient. She was very pleased with her rapid recovery and results (which are shown here... Read More
This patient chose to undergo a SMAS Facelift in Denver and Colorado Springs to address concerns about facial aging. Her main goals included tightening the neck and jawline and reducing wrinkles across her face. She had noticed laxity along the jaw and prominent lines that did not improve with non-surgical treatments. After meeting with Steve... Read More
Designed to rejuvenate the lower 2/3 of the face, a face lift elevates and tightens the tissues of the cheeks, jawline, and neck. While there are many different types of facelifts, most patients can attain all the benefits they’re seeking with a mini face lift by our Denver specialists. To get a better sense of the techniques that may be used during your facelift procedure, along with detailed illustrations, be sure to visit our Step-by-Step Facelift Surgery Guide.
A mini facelift, also called a short scar facelift, is essentially a scaled-down version of a full facelift. With this technique, your surgeon makes short incisions in front of and behind your ears, lifts your lower facial skin away from your jaw and neck, tightens the underlying strength layers of the face and neck, removes excess lax skin, and uses tiny sutures to anchor the skin in place. You don’t get long scars down the hairline behind the ears, a scar under the chin, or a disturbed hairline at the sideburn; you do get the smooth, elevated cheeks, sharp jawline, and tighter-looking neck you had several years ago.
A Reputation Built on Results
Attention to detail is everything. This center does just that from start to finish. I very much appreciates their service. Dr Vath is a stellar human being!
After 10 years of having my implants, I was surprised when my mammogram picked up a rupture. Dr Wolfe and his team were quick to get me in and fixed up with a new pair. Much easier process the second...
I have trusted Dr Vath for a decade now. He has not only treated myself but also trusted in him with my daughter! I am so happy about my results everyime! This result is exactly what i wanted! Thank you...
Dr. Teresa Cunningham is an OUTSTANDING cosmetic surgeon who is highly skilled, very diligent and incredibly approachable physician. Her staff is first-rate and the team's ability to work in concert...
A mini facelift addresses the most common early signs of facial aging, making it the right choice for many patients. However, if you’re older or your skin has suffered extensive environmental damage, you may be a better candidate for a traditional, full facelift.
A full facelift requires the surgeon to create a more extensive incision that winds into the hairline behind the ears, as well as a small incision beneath the chin. This helps manage more extreme neck laxity and jowling. While this approach is highly effective for more advanced aging, most patients seeking a facelift do not require these extra maneuvers to achieve the youthful results they desire.
For the majority of patients, a mini facelift provides the ideal balance of improvement, recovery, and subtle, natural-looking rejuvenation.
Other Facelift Options
New names for facelifts seem to spring up weekly, catchy brands whose main purpose is to promote demand by creating illusions—perhaps the unrealistic expectation that you’ll recover from the procedure in just a weekend, or the notion that surgery will pose very little disruption to your lifestyle.
Our surgeons know that no matter what you call your facelift, the strategy is the same: provide the proper amount of lift for a natural look with minimal recovery time. If a small facelift will do, a full facelift will unnecessarily increase your cost, risk, and recovery time. By the same token, a limited procedure may be inappropriate if you have significant laxity and heavy tissues and desire an aggressive correction of facial aging. The truth is that even a mini facelift procedure is still surgery. No facial cosmetic surgery can be expected to deliver significant improvement without at least several days of recovery time.
Can I Combine My Facelift With Other Procedures?
Your surgeon may recommend combining additional procedures with your mini facelift for more complete facial rejuvenation. Options include:
With most facial procedures, even combinations, you should experience just mild discomfort after surgery. Bandages will be off in a day or 2. Bruising and swelling usually subside within 1 to 2 weeks. You’ll be showing off the rejuvenated you in no time.
Will a Mini Facelift Accentuate My Thin Lips and Give Me a Pulled Appearance?
The mini facelift will not affect the appearance of your lips. The goal of a mini facelift is to lessen the wrinkles on your face, decrease jowls, elevate the cheeks, and tighten the neck. You will not have a pulled appearance. A facelift should not pull on the corners of the mouth or the lips and therefore, has no effect on the mouth or lips whatsoever. We can use Surgisil lip implants to plump thinning lips if desired.
Making your cosmetic goals a reality is easier than ever with our flexible financing options:
Lighter anesthesia or no anesthesia during a procedure does not change the nature of the procedure itself.
A mini facelift will not address the brow or eyelids. A brow lift and/or eyelid surgery can be safely performed at the same time as a mini facelift to treat these areas.
The Aesthetic Society membership applies to select physicians within the practice.
Start With a Personal Consultation
Our consultations are your time to meet with a board-certified plastic surgeon to discuss your aesthetic vision, explore your procedure options, and develop a personalized surgical plan. You’ll also receive clear pricing and details about available financing options to help you move forward with confidence.
Your face is the first thing people see when meeting you. At The Center for Cosmetic Surgery, we know how important it is to have natural-looking facelift results. In addition to reviewing their experience, qualifications, and before-and-after photos, ask yourself the following questions:
Do their mini facelift results give the patient a rested, more youthful appearance without looking tight or overdone?
The goal our surgeons have for their patients who undergo a mini facelift is for them to look like a younger, refreshed and well-rested version of themselves, not someone else. The key to this is good surgical technique. A pulled look after a facelift is usually the result of putting too much tension on the skin and not tightening the underlying structures. Our surgeons always tighten underlying structures during their mini facelifts. These underlying structures that support the face are often misrepresented as muscle. All facial muscles are used either to chew or create facial expression; therefore, these muscles are never cut or sewn during any facelift procedure. A layer between the muscles and the skin called the SMAS (superficial musculo-aponeurotic system) is used to support the face, and this is the layer tightened in a mini facelift procedure.
Do the ears look natural and unaltered?
A telltale sign of a facelift is an earlobe that does not dangle in a normal fashion. This deformity, sometimes called “pixie ear”, can occur when a tight facelift distorts the earlobe, causing it to stretch toward the neck.
Are the scars well concealed?
An experienced surgeon takes care to place the incisions strategically where the resulting scars are not noticeable.
Are You Ready for a Consultation?
Our board-certified plastic surgeons apply techniques that are current yet proven, and the results they achieve for their facelift patients speak for themselves. The Center for Cosmetic Surgery has plastic surgery offices conveniently located in the Denver metropolitan area. To learn what plastic surgery can do for you, request your consultation using our online form or simply call
(303) 278-2600.