Why Brisbane Patients Consult Dr Turner for Revision
Suitability for revision is determined in consultation, not from a website. What can be stated here:
- FRACS Specialist Plastic Surgeon — AHPRA registration MED0001654827, verifiable on the public register. Revision work through scarred tissue planes, altered blood supply and modified nerve anatomy is where the depth of accredited plastic surgical training is particularly relevant.
- Both consultations with Dr Turner personally — not a patient representative or clinical coordinator. A minimum of two consultations is required, with a GP referral before the first and the psychological evaluation mandatory for all cosmetic surgery patients in Australia.
- Prior records reviewed in planning — operative reports, photographs and treatment history are examined before the surgical plan is finalised; consultation can still proceed on clinical examination if records are unavailable.
- A frank assessment — if revision is not the appropriate option for your findings, Dr Turner will say so and discuss alternatives, including no surgery.
- Accredited Sydney private hospitals — surgery with Dr Turner’s established anaesthetic and theatre team, overnight admission standard.
- Local Brisbane follow-up — including the more involved scar-care program revision often requires, coordinated through Herstellen Clinic in Spring Hill.
Queensland’s 7-day cooling-off period applies between the final consultation and surgery.
Why Patients Seek Revision Assessment
Brisbane and South East Queensland patients arrive at revision consultation from different starting points. Some have recurrent ageing changes — often 8 to 15 years after a primary facelift that achieved its planned result. Others have persistent findings from incomplete correction, such as neck laxity or jowling the original surgery did not address. A smaller group present with anatomical distortion caused by previous surgery, and volume-related findings — over-resection, hollowing, or changes from cumulative non-surgical treatments — are increasingly common. Reasons typically include:
- Recurrent jowling or neck laxity, often years after the original operation
- Residual neck concerns not addressed by the previous procedure
- Widened or visible scars, or hairline and sideburn distortion from previous incision placement
- Earlobe distortion or pixie ear — the lobe pulled downward and forward by skin tension
- A tight, pulled or windswept appearance from horizontal skin tension
- Asymmetry, contour irregularity or hollowing after surgery or cumulative non-surgical treatments
- Concerns after thread lifts, fillers or energy-device treatments that have altered tissue planes
Many findings patients describe as “facelift failure” turn out to be neck-related — sometimes the right operation is a revision neck lift or deep neck lift rather than facelift revision. Others are best served by standalone scar revision, earlobe reconstruction, blepharoplasty or an endoscopic brow lift. Determining which option, if any, is appropriate is what the consultation is for. For comprehensive technical detail on Dr Turner’s revision approach, see the revision facelift procedure page.
Why Revision Is More Complex Than Primary Facelift
The differences are anatomical, not cosmetic. Tissue planes have been operated through and scar unpredictably, slowing the operation and increasing the precision required. The skin’s blood supply has been partially divided by the previous surgery, narrowing the safety margin — one reason nicotine cessation is absolutely non-negotiable for revision. Skin that has already been redraped and trimmed has less mobility to be repositioned again, a real limit on what revision can achieve. Existing scars constrain the available access points, and facial nerve branches can sit less predictably in previously dissected tissue.
For these reasons, revision planning requires more time, more documentation and a more cautious discussion of what can and cannot be changed. Existing scars cannot always be eliminated, and skin removed at the original operation cannot be replaced. The aim of consultation is to establish what is surgically possible and whether the likely benefit justifies the risk.
Is It Right for You?
You may be assessed as a candidate if you:
- Have had previous facelift or neck lift surgery, generally more than 12 months ago
- Present with specific anatomical findings or unresolved concerns after the original surgery
- Are in good general health and suitable for further general anaesthesia
- Are a non-smoker, or willing to cease all nicotine products (including vapes and replacement products) for at least 6 weeks before and after surgery
- Have a stable body weight and realistic expectations about what revision can and cannot achieve
- Are willing to engage with the required consultation process, psychological evaluation and cooling-off period
Most revision patients are between 50 and 75, though chronological age does not determine candidacy. Where the previous operation was a less extensive SMAS or skin-only procedure, a deep plane facelift is sometimes the appropriate revision technique; in other cases SMAS technique is preferred, because deep plane dissection through previously operated tissue carries higher technical risk than dissection through unoperated planes. Multi-zone findings may warrant vertical restore planning.
The Brisbane Revision Pathway
Consultation, records review and follow-up stay local; only the surgery itself requires travel. For revision, planning is more involved and the Sydney stay slightly longer than for primary facelift.
- First consultation in Spring Hill — Dr Turner consults at Herstellen Clinic, 490 Boundary Street, Spring Hill. Facial and neck assessment, scar examination, medical history and discussion of the previous surgery. A GP referral is required before this appointment. Bring what you can: the operative report from your previous facelift, pre-operative photographs, a history of non-surgical treatments (fillers, threads, RF or HIFU — these affect tissue planes), and any notes about complications.
- Records review and second consultation — previous records are reviewed where available, then surgical options, risks, the written itemised quote and consent are covered at the second consultation. Both consultations are with Dr Turner personally. The psychological evaluation required for all Australian cosmetic surgery patients and Queensland’s 7-day cooling-off period both apply before booking.
- Surgery in Sydney — revision facelift under general anaesthesia at an accredited private hospital with Dr Turner’s established team. Overnight admission is standard.
- First review in Sydney, then home — the initial review occurs within the first few days. Revision patients typically stay in Sydney 7 to 10 days before being cleared to fly home.
- Routine follow-up in Brisbane — wound checks, suture care and the more involved scar program revision often requires — taping, silicone and, where appropriate, light-based therapies — coordinated through Herstellen Clinic by Dr Turner and the Herstellen team.
Revision Facelift Cost Brisbane
Revision facelift generally costs more than primary facelift because it requires longer operating time, more detailed pre-operative planning and management of scarred tissue planes. Because revision is highly anatomy-dependent and the operative scope varies significantly between patients — from standalone earlobe reconstruction through to combined face and neck revision — a flat price range can be misleading, so pricing is quoted individually.
A written itemised quote is provided after consultation, once Dr Turner has reviewed your anatomy, previous surgical history and the proposed plan. Cosmetic revision facelift is not eligible for Medicare or private health insurance rebates. For broader context, see plastic surgery prices.
Surgical Technique
Operating time and complexity vary with the findings, the original technique and the position and quality of existing scars. Where indicated, Dr Turner uses deep plane and extended SMAS techniques to re-suspend the deeper structural layers rather than relying on skin tension that has already been applied once before. Existing scars are re-used or repositioned where possible, keeping additional scarring to a minimum. Depending on the findings, surgery may include strategic scar revision, targeted ligament release, hairline and sideburn revision, earlobe reconstruction for pixie ear, concurrent revision neck procedures, or adjunctive facial fat transfer.
Recovery
Revision recovery follows the same phases as primary facelift but each can take slightly longer, because the tissues have been operated on before and contain scar tissue. Most patients stay overnight after surgery, with swelling and bruising sometimes persisting longer than after a primary procedure; sutures and drains come out at the Sydney review within the first week.
Desk-based work generally resumes at two to three weeks and social activities at three to four weeks, with more demanding exercise from four to six weeks once confirmed at follow-up. Firmness and altered sensation may take longer to settle than after first-time surgery, and subtle swelling continues clearing over 3 to 6 months. Scar care — taping, silicone, and light-based therapies where appropriate — runs through Herstellen Clinic in Brisbane, and Queensland’s UV exposure makes sun protection through scar maturation particularly relevant. For week-by-week detail, see the facelift recovery time Brisbane blog.
Risks and Complications
Revision facelift generally carries a slightly elevated risk of wound-healing issues and altered nerve function compared with first-time surgery, because the tissues, blood supply and tissue planes have all been modified by prior operations. Expected and temporary: swelling, bruising, discomfort, numbness and tightness — all of which may persist longer than after primary surgery. Specific risks include haematoma, wound healing delay, hypertrophic or widened scarring (revision scars can behave less predictably), temporary nerve disturbance (dissection near facial nerve branches is more complex in operated tissue), permanent nerve injury (rare but recognised), skin necrosis (significantly higher in smokers, and notably higher in revision than primary surgery), infection, asymmetry that may not be fully correctable where skeletal anatomy contributes, and result limitations — revision may not deliver a result equivalent to what a primary facelift in unoperated tissue would have achieved.
Dr Turner discusses all relevant risks at consultation as they relate to your anatomy, the original surgery and your health history. Broader information: risks and complications of cosmetic surgery.
About Dr Scott J Turner
Dr Scott J Turner (FRACS, AHPRA MED0001654827) is a Sydney Specialist Plastic Surgeon focused on cosmetic plastic surgery of the face, nose and body. Specialist Plastic Surgeon is a protected medical title in Australia, requiring a minimum of 12 years of medical and surgical training including an accredited plastic and reconstructive surgery programme and Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons — distinct from the broader term “cosmetic surgeon,” which does not require that training. Revision facelift is a more specialised area of practice than primary surgery: it demands experience working through scarred planes, altered blood supply and modified nerve anatomy, which is where that training depth is particularly relevant. Primary surgical practice is in Sydney at Bondi Junction and Manly, with Brisbane consultations at Herstellen Clinic, Spring Hill.
Frequently Asked Questions About Revision Facelift in Brisbane
What is revision facelift surgery?
Revision facelift refers to a second or subsequent facelift performed after previous facelift or neck lift surgery. It may be considered for recurrent ageing changes, residual concerns from incomplete correction, scar issues, earlobe distortion such as pixie ear, asymmetry or other findings related to the previous surgical result. Suitability depends on examination, prior records and overall health.
Is a secondary facelift the same as a revision facelift?
“Revision facelift” and “secondary facelift” are generally used interchangeably. A related but distinct term, “second facelift,” usually describes surgery performed many years after a successful primary facelift to re-suspend tissues that have descended again with continued ageing. The clinical question for a second facelift is about ageing; for a revision, it is about the outcome of the prior operation — and in practice, many patients present with elements of both.
How long should I wait before a revision facelift?
In most cases revision is not assessed until tissues have fully healed and swelling has settled, typically at least 12 months after the previous operation. The waiting period gives scar tissue and tissue planes time to mature, which improves the accuracy of surgical planning. Earlier assessment may occasionally be considered for specific findings, but it is the exception rather than the rule.
Can a revision facelift correct pixie ear?
Pixie ear — earlobe distortion where the lobe is pulled downward and forward by skin tension from a previous facelift — may be assessed at revision consultation. Whether and to what extent it can be addressed depends on existing scar position, skin tension, tissue quality and the previous technique. Earlobe reconstruction is sometimes performed as a standalone procedure under local anaesthesia, or as part of a broader revision where additional findings warrant it.
What records should I bring to my Brisbane consultation?
The more information about your previous surgery, the more accurate the planning. Useful materials include the operative report (technique used, depth of dissection, findings noted), pre-operative photographs from before the original facelift, a documented history of non-surgical treatments such as fillers, biostimulators, threads or energy-device treatments, and any notes from your previous surgeon about complications. If records cannot be obtained, the consultation proceeds on clinical examination of your anatomy and existing scars.
How much does a revision facelift cost in Brisbane?
Revision generally costs more than primary facelift because it requires longer operating time, more detailed planning and management of scarred tissue planes. Because the operative scope varies significantly between patients, pricing is quoted individually rather than as a flat range — a detailed itemised quote is provided after consultation once the surgical plan is determined. Cosmetic revision facelift is not eligible for Medicare or private health insurance rebates.
Book a Brisbane Consultation
If you have had previous facelift or neck lift surgery and would like an assessment with Dr Turner, request a consultation at Herstellen Clinic in Spring Hill using the enquiry form below, call the practice, or use the contact page. The team responds within one business day to arrange your appointment — remember a GP referral is required before the first consultation. Both consultations are with Dr Turner personally.
Herstellen Clinic — 490 Boundary Street, Spring Hill QLD 4000 Phone: 1300 437 758 · Email: [email protected] Hours: Monday – Friday, 9am – 5pm
Request a Brisbane consultation
A minimum of two consultations is required before surgery. Queensland’s 7-day cooling-off period applies to all cosmetic surgical procedures. Compliant before-and-after imagery is shown at consultation, with the facelift gallery available for visual reference.
Related Brisbane Procedures
- Deep Plane Facelift Brisbane — sometimes the appropriate revision technique after a less extensive original operation
- SMAS Facelift Brisbane — sometimes preferred in revision where deep plane dissection carries higher technical risk
- Neck Lift Brisbane — many “facelift failure” findings are neck-related
- Deep Neck Lift Brisbane — deeper subplatysmal contributors to residual neck concerns
- Blepharoplasty Brisbane — eyelid concerns alongside or instead of revision
- Endoscopic Brow Lift Brisbane — upper-face findings alongside revision considerations
