Is getting a mini lift vs. a full facelift a good way to look younger and save money? Many new patients ask me that question. I’ll give you my opinion later in the article. It’s easy to understand why people want to know the answer. After all, research and experience show that people who look younger and more attractive are more popular, get paid more, are more likely to be hired and promoted, and often feel better about themselves. With inflation driving prices up, everyone wants to save money.
Is a mini lift an effective way to save money on facial rejuvenation? How does the procedure work? And most importantly, how do its results compare with a full facelift? How long will a mini lift last vs. a full facelift?
What does a mini facelift do?
A mini lift repositions the skin and a layer of tissue under it to tighten your lower face and jaw. It can eliminate minor jowls and reduce larger ones. It will tighten loose skin around your mouth and jawline. It can help soften nasolabial folds, and smooth marionette lines and wrinkles.
What limitations does a mini lift have?
Mini lifts cannot eliminate substantial signs of facial aging. While this procedure is good at smoothing minor jowls, it will not get rid of larger ones. It cannot significantly reduce deep nasolabial folds the way a Deep Plane facelift can. It does little to improve the appearance of your neck.
The smaller incision used in a mini or “S” facelift does not allow your surgeon to provide the higher level of muscle and skin tightening seen in a SMAS facelift or a Deep Plane facelift. Therefore, it’s for people who are starting to show their age. It’s not for those with greater amounts of sagging skin, deeper lines and wrinkles, a double chin, or a “turkey neck.”
What kind of results will a mini lift provide and how long will they last?
The good results from a mini facelift will often last from 3-7 years. During that time, you’ll enjoy a younger, more attractive look – in areas like your cheeks, jawline and lower face that are actually treated by your procedure. Because the mini lift is limited in scope, other areas like your neck will show their age.
In contrast, a full facelift will treat much more of your facial aging. Even a SMAS facelift, with its limited results, will lift your cheeks and smooth your neck, nasolabial folds, deep lines, and wrinkles while eliminating marionette lines.
You’ll see even better results if you have a high-quality Deep Plane Facelift. If done well this procedure can “roll back the years” better than any other type of facelift. For details please read, “A Better, Safer Facelift Smooths Nasolabial Folds and Marionette Lines that Others Can’t.”
Our experience with the Deep Plane facelift at STC Plastic Surgery has really been outstanding. In an improvement from SMAS facelifts, patient satisfaction rates for Deep Plane facelifts have been extremely high. Many are amazed that this procedure has done so much for them. Deep Plane facelift patients rarely complain because they look so good. The Mayo Clinic states that, on average, results from a full facelift will last 10 years. Good skin care can extend this, particularly if you follow the proven advice outlined in “Facelift Before and After – How Long Do Facelifts Last?”
Will getting a Mini Lift vs. a full facelift save you money?
If you’re in your 40s or early 50s and have minor to moderate jowls and loose skin around your mouth, with no double chin or turkey neck, a mini lift will save you money versus a full facelift. This is not because a mini lift is a better value. It’s just that a good way to economize is to only have procedures that you really need. It makes little sense to pay for a facelift that corrects problems you do not yet have. In Southern California, where I practice, a mini facelift costs around $8,000 to $10,000.
But if you’re older than 55, or have any of these – neck aging, marionette lines, deeper lines and wrinkles, sagging cheeks, or noticeable nasolabial folds – you will get substantially better results from a full facelift. Facelifts run from $11,000 to $14,000 in my area.
The best way to save money is to get the right procedure from the right surgeon. The United States has many excellent plastic and facial plastic surgeons. Some are “surgeons to the stars” and charge accordingly. Others may be just as skilled but can charge less. Those who practice in areas with higher costs have to charge more for their services. Those of us who operate in areas that are not so expensive can charge less. There are other ways that highly skilled and experienced board-certified specialists can provide outstanding results at affordable rates without cutting corners. Many of these are highlighted in “How to Make a $16,000 Beverly Hills-Quality Facelift Cost Much Less.”
Be smart about saving money on a facelift
Smart people are often value shoppers. They strive to get the greatest value for their investment. When it comes to facelifts, that means getting the procedure that truly helps you look younger and more attractive at an affordable rate. Saving a few thousand dollars on a lower cost procedure isn’t much of a saving if you don’t truly improve your appearance.
English writer, philosopher and art critic John Ruskin famously wrote:
It’s unwise to pay too much, but it’s worse to pay too little. When you pay too much, you lose a little money – that’s all. When you pay too little, you sometimes lose everything, because the thing you bought was incapable of doing the thing it was bought to do. The common law of business balance prohibits paying a little and getting a lot – it can’t be done. If you deal with the lowest bidder, it is well to add something for the risk you run, and if you do that you will have enough to pay for something better.
Across the US, there are board-certified facial plastic surgeons with lots of experience who can give you outstanding results at a reasonable price. That’s real value in facial plastic surgery. If you’re looking for a facelift in Inland Empire, California, come see me at STC Plastic Surgery in Ontario. I’ll be glad to show you what I mean.
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