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A facelift — rhytidectomy, in clinical language — repositions the deep tissues of the midface and neck that descend with time, and removes the excess skin that follows. It is the most effective operation for restoring a rested, ten-to-fifteen-years-younger appearance to the face, with a result that must look natural — never pulled, never "done".

Modern facelift surgery does not tighten the skin: it repositions the deep structural layer (the SMAS and the plane beneath it). Pulling skin alone is what produced the taut, unnatural faces of the 1980s and 1990s magazines — and it is exactly what the informed patient does not want. Bringing the deep plane back into position restores volume to the cheeks and definition to the jawline without surface tension. The result is that you look rested, not redone.

Who facelift is suitable for

The ideal candidate presents a jawline that has lost definition (jowls), loose neck skin, loss of cheek volume, and midface descent. The patients we operate on are typically between 45 and 68, in good health, non-smokers at the time of surgery, with realistic expectations about what surgery can and cannot change.

The most common indications are jawline descent with loss of oval definition, loose skin and visible platysmal banding in the neck, flattening of the midface and deepening of the nasolabial folds, and the realistic expectation of looking rested, not becoming a different person.

A facelift does not improve the surface quality of the skin — tone, pigmentation, sun damage — and for that you need lasers or chemical peels, which we can plan alongside. It does not change bone structure. It restores position and proportion, nothing more and nothing less.

The techniques we use

Deep-plane facelift

Our preferred technique in most cases. The deep plane, beneath the SMAS, is released and repositioned as a unit: the result recovers midface volume and redefines the jawline in a way that is durable and natural. Incisions run around the ear, inside the hairline and behind the auricle, so they are practically invisible once mature.

This is the technique that makes the difference versus the "pulled" results people fear. It requires specialist experience — it is not a procedure you improvise — and is the reason informed patients look for clinics that actually perform it, not clinics that only name it in their marketing.

SMAS facelift

A more conservative dissection that still works on the structural layer, without going into the deep plane. Appropriate for patients with moderate laxity and for anyone who prefers a shorter recovery. Excellent result in the right cases, but less powerful than deep-plane when descent is advanced.

Mini facelift / short-scar lift

Shorter incisions, reduced dissection, faster recovery — but the operation only addresses the jawline and lower face. A good choice for patients in their mid-40s with early laxity and a neck still in order. It does not replace a full facelift when the neck is involved: in that case we say honestly "a mini isn't enough for you".

Neck lift

A dedicated operation on the neck, which can be performed as part of a full facelift or as an isolated procedure. It addresses platysmal banding, submental fat and loose neck skin. In many patients over 55, the neck is the area that "tells" age before the face — and a neck lift resolves exactly that.

The surgery, step by step

The facelift is performed under general anaesthesia in a JCI-accredited hospital, with a dedicated anaesthesiologist present throughout. Duration is three to five hours depending on extent. One overnight stay in hospital is standard.

Incisions are placed inside the hairline, around the ear and behind the auricle — concealed once healed, even if you wear your hair up. The deep structural layer is released, repositioned and fixed with permanent sutures. Excess skin is trimmed without tension — no "pulled" effect, which is the visible signature of a badly done facelift. Small drains are placed for the first 24–48 hours.

Recovery

Weeks 1–2

Significant swelling and bruising peak on days three to four, then resolve progressively. Light compression garment for most of the day in the first week. You sleep with the head elevated. Soreness is moderate — less than most patients expect.

Weeks 2–3

Most patients feel presentable in public by week two, with makeup covering residual bruising. Sutures around the ear are removed between day seven and ten. Many patients return to professional environments in week three — a meeting with good makeup and hair covering the ears, and nobody notices.

Weeks 3–6

Swelling continues to resolve. Sensation returns gradually to normal. Scars are still pink and in maturation.

Months 3–12

Scars mature to fine white lines. The definitive result is visible around month six and continues to refine over the first year.

Risks and realistic expectations

Honest risks: haematoma (the most frequent early complication, requiring prompt management), temporary weakness of the facial mimic nerves, alterations in ear and cheek sensation, and rarely asymmetry or modification of the hairline. Results typically last ten to fifteen years; the face continues to age naturally after surgery.

A facelift does not stop time. It moves it backwards. What you buy is a good decade where you look better than you otherwise would.

Why Istanbul versus other destinations

Experience in the deep-plane technique is a specialist skill — not something you learn by reading a protocol. Our senior plastic surgeons perform facelifts at this level with the volume and discipline needed to do them well. Combined with the ecosystem — JCI-accredited hospitals, experienced anaesthesia, quality recovery logistics — Istanbul offers international-standard facelifts at roughly a third of the price of London, New York or Sydney.

Dr. Mustafa Ekrem Güleş approves every patient clinically before surgery. The surgeon responsible for your case is introduced at your initial consultation and follows you from start to finish.

Why not the €2,500 facelift

On facelift, the rock-bottom price leaves visible marks on the face — literally. A clinic offering a "mini facelift" at €2,500 often performs a skin-only excision with suturing, without touching the structural plane. Result: at six months the face is sagging again, or worse — the surface "pulled" effect you wanted to avoid. On the neck, low-cost clinics often do nothing at all — and the neck is what tells age before the face.

What you pay for with us is verifiable: deep-plane technique (or well-executed SMAS when that is the right choice for you), dedicated anaesthesiologist throughout, JCI-accredited hospital, neck included where needed, follow-up at 3, 6 and 12 months via WhatsApp in English. On the face of a woman who has been considering this surgery for years, those differences show up as naturalness of result and durability over time.

Compared to the other end of the market — US facelift at $15–25K, Beverly Hills or Manhattan deep-plane at $40–75K, UK private at £10–20K, Australia at AU$20–35K — you are not giving up standards. You are paying the difference between Turkish operating costs and Western ones, on the same technique and the same grade of hospital.

English-speaking team — discreet, same language throughout

Our team replies in English on WhatsApp, phone and email. We understand that a facelift is an intimate operation: you want discretion, you want to know exactly what will happen, and you want to feel understood. From the first quote to the twelve-month check-up, you always speak to someone who understands your language and remembers your case.

Request your free quote — discreetly, same day. Our team replies in UK/IE business hours and in a second window covering US Eastern through Australian morning.