Facelift Surgery in Sydney

On this page

What is a facelift? | How a facelift is planned | Facelift options compared | Revision facelift | Choosing a surgeon | Cost in Sydney | Recovery | Risks and complications

What Is a Facelift?

A facelift, also called a rhytidectomy or meloplasty, is an operation that repositions descended tissue of the midface, jowls, jawline and neck and redrapes the overlying skin. It treats structural descent: the movement of facial fat, the SMAS layer and the retaining ligaments that occurs with age. It does not stop ageing.

The face ages in layers, and each changes at a different rate. Skin loses elasticity, facial fat redistributes and loses volume, the SMAS (superficial musculoaponeurotic system) descends, the retaining ligaments that anchor soft tissue to the facial skeleton lengthen, and the platysma muscle in the neck separates into bands. A facelift works on the deeper layers that have descended, not on the skin alone.

A facelift may be considered for:

• Jowls and loss of definition along the jawline.
• Descent of the cheek (malar) fat pad and a deepening nasolabial fold.
• Tissue that has descended around the marionette lines.
• Neck laxity, platysmal bands and fullness under the chin, treated by the neck component.

A facelift does not treat the brow, the eyelids, the upper lip or lost facial volume, and it does not change fine lines or skin texture. The brow, eyelids, lip and volume are treated by a brow lift, upper blepharoplasty or lower blepharoplasty, an upper lip lift and facial fat grafting, any of which can be performed in the same operation.

How Dr Turner Plans a Facelift

Every facelift Dr Turner performs for the jowls, jawline and neck is a deep plane facelift. The dissection works beneath the SMAS and releases selected retaining ligaments, so the skin, fat and SMAS are repositioned together as one composite unit rather than held by tension in the skin. Planning then comes down to three decisions:

1. How the neck is treated. Every deep plane facelift includes a lateral neck lift, suspending the platysma at the side of the neck. A standard neck lift adds a repair of the platysma at the front of the neck through a small incision under the chin, and a deep neck lift also treats subplatysmal fat, the digastric muscles and the submandibular glands where they contribute.
2. What is combined. A brow lift, eyelid surgery, an upper lip lift or facial fat grafting can be performed in the same operation. With all of them, the operation is the Vertical Restore Facelift.
3. Whether a smaller operation suits. For younger patients whose changes sit mainly in the brow, temples and upper midface, the endoscopic ponytail facelift may be an alternative, using small incisions within the hairline and no incisions around the ear.

The facelift incision runs in front of and behind the ear and along the temporal and occipital hairlines, with a small incision under the chin added when the front of the neck is treated.

These decisions follow from the assessment at consultation, which considers:

• Midface descent and the depth of the nasolabial fold.
• The pattern of jowling, and whether descent is mainly lateral or more vertical.
• Neck findings: platysmal bands, fullness under the chin, the cervicomental angle and the position of the hyoid bone.
• Skin quality and elasticity, which influence how redraped tissue settles.
• General health, body mass index, weight stability and smoking or nicotine use, which affect anaesthetic safety and wound healing.
• Previous facial surgery or treatments.
• The recovery time available.

Two patients of a similar age can need quite different operations once these findings are weighed.

Facelift Options Compared

Apart from the endoscopic ponytail facelift, the options below are configurations of the same deep plane technique. They differ in the incisions, the neck procedure, what is combined, and the time in theatre and recovery. Which is appropriate for an individual patient is decided at consultation.

Theatre times shown are for women; surgery for men is scheduled with an additional 30 minutes. Times and recovery ranges are indicative, and individual healing varies. All surgery carries risk, and what is and is not achievable for your anatomy is discussed at consultation.

Deep Plane Facelift

The technique behind every facelift Dr Turner performs for the jowls, jawline and neck. Working beneath the SMAS, selected retaining ligaments are released so the SMAS, malar fat pad and skin are repositioned as one composite unit, with a lateral neck lift included. The technique page covers how it is performed, who may be suitable and how the neck options compare.

→ Deep Plane Facelift

Short Scar Facelift

The deep plane facelift with lateral neck lift, through a limited incision in front of and behind the ear and without an incision under the chin. It may be considered for jowls and lower-face descent where there are no platysmal bands or significant fullness under the chin.

→ Short Scar Facelift

Lower Facelift

The short scar facelift with a standard neck lift added through a small incision under the chin, so the jowls, jawline and front of the neck are treated together. It may be considered where jowling is accompanied by platysmal bands or fullness under the chin.

→ Lower Facelift

Vertical Restore Facelift

A deep plane face and neck lift combined in one operation with a brow lift, upper and lower eyelid surgery, an upper lip lift and facial fat grafting, as assessment indicates. It may be discussed where changes extend across several facial zones, as an alternative to separate operations.

→ Vertical Restore Facelift

Ponytail Facelift

An endoscopic lift of the brow, temples and upper midface through small incisions within the hairline, with no incisions around the ear. It may suit younger patients with early changes, and is not appropriate where there is established jowling, neck laxity or excess skin.

→ Ponytail Facelift

Male Facelift

Men have thicker, beard-bearing skin and a higher risk of bleeding after surgery, so incision placement, blood pressure management and the neck plan are adapted. Surgery for men is scheduled with an additional 30 minutes of theatre time.

→ Male Facelift

SMAS Facelift

A SMAS facelift tightens the SMAS layer itself, by folding it (plication) or removing a strip of it (SMASectomy) and re-suspending it, with the skin lifted separately. A deep plane facelift instead works beneath the SMAS and moves the skin, fat and SMAS together. Dr Turner does not perform SMAS facelifts; the comparison page explains how the two techniques differ, for patients comparing techniques or quotes.

→ SMAS Facelift vs Deep Plane Facelift

Photographs of Dr Turner’s own Sydney facelift patients, taken under consistent lighting, angle and framing and published with patient consent, can be viewed in the facelift before and after gallery. Results shown are individual and are not a prediction of outcome.

Revision Facelift

A revision facelift is a different undertaking from a first facelift, and patients researching it are usually starting from a different place: an outcome from a previous operation that has not met expectations.

Revision surgery may involve residual jowling, recurrent neck laxity, earlobe distortion, visible or migrated scars, hairline displacement, and over- or under-correction. Tissue planes altered by the earlier operation make the surgery more technically demanding, and the approach is determined by what was done the first time rather than selected from a standard set.

Surgical time is variable and often longer than an equivalent first operation, and recovery may also be longer. Planning includes review of any available operative notes from the first surgery, careful pre-operative photography, and a direct discussion of what revision can and cannot change. Not every change after a previous facelift can be reversed, and that assessment is made at consultation.

→ Revision Facelift

Choosing a Facelift Surgeon in Sydney

Facelift surgery is a substantial operation, and the most useful check before booking a consultation is who will perform it.

The title now means something. Since the National Law was amended, only a practitioner with specialist registration in surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology, or ophthalmology may use the title “surgeon”, including “cosmetic surgeon”. A separate cosmetic surgery endorsement is being introduced as a pathway for doctors who are not specialist surgeons; it does not confer the title “surgeon”.

Check the register. Any practitioner’s registration and specialty can be confirmed at no cost on the AHPRA register at ahpra.gov.au. Look for specialist registration in surgery with a field of specialty practice of plastic surgery.

Dr Scott J Turner is a Specialist Plastic Surgeon, AHPRA registration MED0001654827. He was awarded Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (FRACS) in 2013, and completed his MBBS and Master of Surgery at the University of Sydney, followed by specific training in deep plane facelift technique.

Ask where the surgery is performed. Facelift surgery under general anaesthesia should be carried out in an accredited hospital, not an office-based facility. Hospital credentialling is an independent check: the hospital assesses a surgeon’s qualifications, scope of practice and outcomes before granting operating privileges, and reviews them periodically. Dr Turner holds privileges at Bondi Junction Private Hospital, Delmar Private Hospital in Dee Why, and East Sydney Private Hospital.

Questions worth asking at consultation. Which technique does the surgeon use, and why? How is the neck assessed and treated? How often do they operate? Who performs the surgery, and who provides after-hours care if a complication arises? How are results that do not meet expectations managed?

Understand the pathway. A referral from your GP or another registered medical practitioner is required before your first consultation. Two consultations with Dr Turner are required before surgery, the first of which can be by video and the second in person, and a seven-day cooling-off period applies before surgery can be booked or a deposit paid. Dr Turner screens for psychological factors such as body dysmorphic disorder and refers for further assessment where indicated.

Further guidance on assessing a surgeon is set out in choosing your surgeon.

Facelift Cost in Sydney

A facelift with Dr Turner starts from $33,300 all-inclusive for surgery in Sydney: a deep plane facelift with lateral neck lift, about 4 hours in theatre. The fee covers the surgeon, specialist anaesthetist, private hospital and scheduled post-operative reviews.

Fees reflect theatre time, surgical complexity and the procedures combined, up to $65,471 for a full Vertical Restore Facelift with every component. Surgery for men is scheduled with an additional 30 minutes of theatre time, so a male facelift starts from $37,463. Revision facelift surgery is quoted after consultation.

Medicare and private health insurance do not cover facelift surgery performed for facial ageing. The $450 consultation fee, travel and accommodation are separate, and a written, itemised quote is provided after assessment.

The facelift cost page sets out the fee for every combination of procedures, with a fee calculator and what to check when comparing quotes.

Facelift Recovery Timeline

Recovery progresses in stages. Individual healing varies with age, general health, the procedures performed and adherence to post-operative instructions. The timeline below applies to the deep plane options; the ponytail facelift and the Vertical Restore Facelift differ, as noted after it.

• First 24 to 48 hours. An overnight hospital stay. Drains, if used, are removed within this period. Mild to moderate discomfort is managed with prescribed analgesia, and the head is kept elevated.
• Days 3 to 7. Swelling and bruising build and peak, with a review at day 3. Light walking is encouraged; bending, lifting and strenuous activity are avoided.
• Days 7 to 14. Sutures are removed in stages from the day 7 review. Swelling begins to settle, and many patients feel ready for short outings.
• Weeks 2 to 3. Many patients return to desk-based work. Bruising is fading but may still be visible, and mineral makeup can be used to camouflage residual discolouration.
• Weeks 4 to 6. Visible bruising usually resolves. Light exercise such as walking and gentle gym work can begin around week 4 with surgeon approval.
• Month 3. Most of the swelling has settled.
• Months 6 to 12. Final tissue settling and scar maturation.

After a ponytail facelift, patients go home the same day or after one night, and many return to desk-based work within one to two weeks. After a Vertical Restore Facelift, recovery is longer, typically three to four weeks away from work and social commitments. The facelift recovery guide covers each stage in more detail.

Patients from outside Sydney. Dr Turner also consults in Canberra, Newcastle and Brisbane, and surgery is performed in Sydney. Patients travelling from interstate or regional NSW are advised to stay in Sydney for 7 to 10 days after surgery, which covers the day 3 and day 7 reviews, and the practice can suggest accommodation near the clinic. Travel planning is covered on the out-of-town patients page.

Facelift Risks and Complications

All surgery carries risk. Facelift-specific complications discussed at consultation include:

• Haematoma. A collection of blood beneath the skin, most common in the first 24 hours. May require return to theatre for evacuation.
• Facial nerve injury. Temporary or, less commonly, permanent weakness of the muscles of facial expression. The risk relates to the depth of dissection and the anatomy of the individual patient.
• Wound healing complications. Particularly increased in patients who smoke or use nicotine in any form, including vapes, or who have poorly controlled medical conditions.
• Infection. Uncommon in clean facial surgery but possible.
• Scarring. Incisions heal over months and most scars fade and become difficult to see. Hypertrophic or keloid scarring is uncommon but possible.
• Asymmetry. No two sides of any face are identical before surgery, and minor asymmetry may persist afterwards.
• Hair loss near incisions. Usually temporary.
• Sensory changes. Numbness around the ears and cheeks is normal in the early post-operative period and typically lessens over months.

Risk is reduced by stopping smoking and nicotine, optimising general health, careful surgical technique, an accredited hospital setting and structured follow-up. Detailed risk discussion is part of every consultation. Further information is on the risks and complications page, and the facelift scars and numbness after facelift surgery guides cover those topics in detail.

Related Guides

• Procedures often combined with a facelift: Brow Lift, Upper Blepharoplasty, Lower Blepharoplasty, Lip Lift Surgery, Facial Fat Transfer, Neck Lift and Deep Neck Lift
• Cost and recovery: Facelift Cost, Facelift Recovery: Week-by-Week Guide and Deep Plane Facelift Recovery Timeline
• Reading more: Is a Deep Plane Facelift Worth It? and What Is an Extended Deep Plane Facelift?
• Regulation: Cosmetic surgery regulations in Australia
• About: Dr Scott J Turner, Specialist Plastic Surgeon