Mini Facelift

  • 2.5-3 Hour Surgery
  • Back to Work: 1-2 Weeks

You’re fit, active, and happy, but your face tells a different story. The experienced plastic surgeons at The Center for Cosmetic Surgery can give you back a naturally rejuvenated look with a mini facelift in Denver. 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 from Colorado Springs, Fort Collins, and other nearby communities reflect the youthful, vibrant way they feel inside.

Mini Facelift
 Before & After Photos

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Before & After Mini Facelift Case 287 View #1 View in Golden, CO
Before / After
Case: 1 of 8

Case #287

This 54-year-old woman wanted to improve the shape of her lower face, and felt that she always looked tired.  She underwent a mini-facelift with anterior platysmaplasty.  She is shown 6 weeks after her procedure, with dramatically improved neck, jowl, and nasolabial fold contour. Read More
Surgeon: Andrew J. Wolfe, M.D.
Before & After Eyelid Lift Case 719 View #1 View in Golden, CO
Before / After
Case: 2 of 8

Case #719

This is a 64 year old woman who wanted to freshen up her look. She was bothered by the excess skin on her upper eyelids, the loose skin on her neck and her jowling. She underwent a minifacelift to tighten her neck and jawline, and reduce wrinkling throughout the lower face. She underwent an upper blepharoplasty (eyelid trim) to reduce the ski... Read More
Surgeon: Steven D. Vath, M.D.
Before & After Mini Facelift Case 480 View #1 View in Golden, CO
Before / After
Case: 3 of 8

Case #480

This is a 72-year-old woman who wished to improve the appearance of her lower face and neck.  She underwent a Mini-facelift and platysmaplasty.  Before and after photos show a significant change in the aged appearance of her lower face with a natural, unoperated appearance. Read More
Surgeon: Andrew J. Wolfe, M.D.
Before & After Mini Facelift Case 849 View #1 View in Golden, CO
Before / After
Case: 4 of 8

Case #849

This 53 year old patient came to our office wanting to discuss her options to address the loose skin of her lower face (jowls) and neck. She was an excellent candidate for a mini (or short scar) facelift to remove excess skin with tightening of the underlying muscle. As you can see, this gave her a more youthful appearance and refined her jaw... Read More
Surgeon: Andrew J. Wolfe, M.D.
Before & After Mini Facelift Case 11450 Front View in Golden, CO
Before & After
Case: 5 of 8

Case #11450

This is a 52 year old woman who underwent a mini-facelift by Dr. Steven Vath to tighten her neck and jawline. Post-operative pictures are from 5 months after surgery.
Surgeon: Steven D. Vath, M.D.
Before & After Mini Facelift Case 342 View #1 View in Golden, CO
Before / After
Case: 6 of 8

Case #342

This is a 61 year old woman who complained about some signs of aging on her face. Specifically, she felt that she had some loose neck skin and jowls, as well as crowding of the upper eyelids. She chose to undergo a mini facelift in order to tighten her neck and jawline.  She also chose to have a mini browlift and upper blepharoplasty (ey... Read More
Surgeon: Steven D. Vath, M.D.
Before & After Mini Facelift Case 654 View #1 View in Golden, CO
BEFORE / AFTER (4 mo)
Case: 7 of 8

Case #654

This 52 year-old woman with earlier signs of aging (subtle jowling, slightly lax neck, some descent of mid-face malar or cheek fat) came to me interested in a mini-facelift procedure.  She had had light laser treatments, Botox and/or dermal fillers in the past, but I told her she indeed was a candidate for a short-scar facelift, to addre... Read More
Surgeon: Paul M. Steinwald, M.D.
Before & After Mini Facelift Case 11453 Front View in Golden, CO
Before & After
Case: 8 of 8

Case #11453

This is a 52 year old woman who wanted a tighter neck. She underwent a mini-facelift by Dr. Steven Vath to achieve a better neck contour. Post-operative pictures are from 6 weeks after surgery.
Surgeon: Steven D. Vath, M.D.

Keep in mind that each patient is unique and your results may vary.

Is a Facelift Right for Me?

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.

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Facelift Surgery Guide

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What Is a Mini Facelift?

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

Had inverted t-anchor top surgery with Dr. Steinwald. Had some complications after but he took care...
Dr. Steven Vath is just THE best plastic surgeon! I am a registered nurse and have worked in the specialty...
Dr. Vath is a wonderful caring surgeon. All of the staff that I have encountered have been very helpful...
My 2nd procedure done with Dr. Vath I am soo impressed with how thin and straight my scar lines are....

What Is a Traditional Facelift?

If you’re older or your skin has suffered extensive environmental damage, you may be a better candidate for a traditional, full facelift. In this case, the surgeon creates an incision that winds into the hairline behind the ears and a small incision beneath the chin in order to manage more extreme neck laxity and jowling. Most patients do not require these extra maneuvers to achieve the youthful change they desire.

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.

Fact & Fiction About Mini Facelift

  • 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.
  • Lighter anesthesia or no anesthesia during a procedure does not change the nature of the procedure itself.

Our Exceptional Plastic Surgeons

Dr. Steven Vath, Dr. Andrew Wolfe, Dr. Paul Steinwald, and Dr. Matthew Freeman

How to Choose a Facelift Surgeon

For optimal safety and results, it’s important to choose your surgeon carefully. Important guidelines include:

  • Review many impressive before-and-after photos.
  • Find a surgeon who specializes in cosmetic plastic surgery.
  • Seek a surgeon who upholds the proper credentials.
  • Make sure the surgeon uses only an accredited, state-of-the-art surgical facility.
  • Decide, if upon meeting the surgeon, you make a connection.
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Identifying Good Mini Facelift Results

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.

Our 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 two plastic surgery offices conveniently located in the Denver metropolitan area. One is located just outside of Denver in lovely Golden, Colorado, immediately off 6th Avenue West and the other is located downtown in Cherry Creek, Denver. To learn what plastic surgery can do for you, request your consultation using our online form or simply call (303) 278-2600.

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