An expertly performed facelift typically lasts 10 to 15 years, though results vary based on your skin quality, facial anatomy, and how the procedure addresses the deeper structural layers of the face. If you are researching whether you’re ready for a facelift, you are likely one step closer to your new rejuvenated look. And with this decision-making process comes a number of questions you’ve likely been thinking about—specifically, what procedure will give you the best results and how long will the new youthful look really last?
Facelifts have evolved over the past years, achieving a deeper, long-lasting correction. In this blog, I will discuss the types of commonly used techniques, including those I use at my Columbus, Ohio, practice. I’ll also explain the other complementary treatments I recommend to maintain and enhance your fresh, new look.
How Facial Structure Influences the Facelift Technique
When talking about types of facelifts, we have to go beyond “skin deep.” I often compare the facial anatomy to an onion—layers of important structures. The skin is like the outer layer and just covers the deeper, more important layers.
For a facelift to be long-lasting, the layer under the skin—the muscle layer—must be addressed. This is the important structure to lift—and usually, the vector for this lift is straight up, while the skin is pulled obliquely towards the ear to hide the incision in the crease there.
What Causes Facial Aging?
Facial aging is caused by the loosening of the skin envelope (mostly from sun damage). Underneath the skin, the muscle layer weakens, and the fatty pockets that once gave the face its youthful volume begin to shrink. Ironically, this is one of the only places on the body where fat diminishes when we want it to stay put!
The final component of the aging process goes all the way to the facial bones—as these also change and shrink, making the structures above them shrink and cave in. So, all of these must be addressed when it comes to rejuvenating the aging face.
What Does a Facelift Do?
A facelift lifts the underlying muscle layer and removes excess skin, delivering the structural correction, not just skin tightening, that gives results their staying power. The types of facelift procedures, including full facelift, mini facelift, and my signature SmartLift, can seem overwhelming to patients researching this, given the variety of techniques and approaches. The two crucial concepts in moving the muscle layer up and then removing some of the skin layer are: moving the muscle layer up and removing some of the skin layer.
The technical details on how this is done are not the key aspect for the patient. After all, do you ask the pilot how she will fly the airplane? At what airspeed? At what altitude? These details you leave to the flight crew, just as the details of the facelift are beyond a blog post. Suffice it to say that the safe trip is the goal, and viewing some before-and-after facelift patient photos is an important step.
What Does Skin Resurfacing Do?
Laser skin resurfacing smooths the fine surface wrinkles that a facelift isn’t designed to correct, since a facelift addresses the muscle and skin layers rather than these superficial lines. Resurfacing or sanding down these very fine lines can be approached in a number of ways—from a chemical peel to a laser peel to dermabrasion. Each of these modalities has unique pros and cons, such as limiting downtime with a trade-off of a more conservative change. There are some dermal wrinkles, such as those around the lips, that usually require multiple modalities to treat completely.
Do Fillers Affect How Long a Facelift Lasts?
Dermal fillers can delay the need for a facelift by temporarily restoring volume to areas such as the cheeks, nasolabial folds, and lips. However, they don’t address the muscle laxity and excess skin that ultimately drive facial aging, so they can only “buy time,” not extend the results of a facelift once you’ve had one.
Fillers work best as a complement before or after surgery: used beforehand, they can delay the need for a facelift; used afterward, they help maintain and enhance results between the initial surgery and any future touch-up. I talk more about knowing when it’s time for facelift surgery in a related post, since that’s usually the point at which patients start asking this question.
What Is the Best Face Tightening Procedure?
There’s no single “best” face tightening procedure. Instead, the right choice depends on which facial layers need to be addressed and how long-lasting a result you’re looking for. Understanding this helps shed light on why a facelift, fillers, and skin resurfacing each play a different role rather than serve as competing options. The best recommendation is to prioritize your goals, then seek out a board-certified plastic surgeon who specializes in this type of case.
Ready to Explore Your Facial Rejuvenation Options?
Of course, this is just an overview of the topics you will discuss with my A-team and me at my plastic surgery practice in Columbus, Ohio. You can request a consultation using our online form or call us at (614) 569-2649. We hope to see you soon and help you on this journey!
This blog post was originally published in December 2020 and updated in July 2026.
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