Facelift.
Restoration, not transformation. The result we work toward is a rested, ten-years-earlier version of you — not a different person.
What a facelift actually is, in our hands.
A facelift is the structural repositioning of the deeper tissues of the face — the SMAS layer, the cheek fat pads, the platysma muscle in the neck — not just a tightening of the skin. The skin is the last thing we tighten, after the support layer beneath it has been put back where it belongs. Operations that pull skin alone produce that recognizable, flattened, "done" look that ages poorly and reads wrong. We do not do that operation. The work we do reads as a face that has been rested and recovered, not lifted.
Incisions are placed along the hairline above the temple, in front of the ear following its natural contour, and behind the ear into the hairline. In the right hands they heal to fine lines that are difficult to find even on close inspection within a year. The mid-face, jawline, and neck are addressed in a single operation; we do not perform a separate "mid-facelift" or "mini-lift" that addresses one zone in isolation, because the face does not age in isolated zones. The deep tissue is repositioned, the platysma is tightened where the neck has lost its angle, and only then is excess skin removed.
Restoration, not transformation. The patient should look like a rested, ten-years-earlier version of themselves — not like someone different. The face people knew should still be the face they recognize.Aesmax
This page is about the surgical answer. The non-surgical answer, when it is appropriate, is on the HIFU page elsewhere on this site — ultrasound is the early-stage option for laxity that is not yet structural. We will tell you, in consultation, which conversation you are in. A facelift is not a HIFU upgrade and HIFU is not a small facelift; they address different stages of the same problem, and the right one is the one that fits where you actually are.
The procedure in numbers.
From the day of surgery to the final result.
Day one to two
You wake in your hospital room with light dressings around the head and a small drain in the neck if one was used. Discomfort is moderate — less than patients expect — and well-controlled with oral medication. The face feels tight rather than painful. We see you the morning after surgery before discharge, usually after a single overnight stay.
Hospital → home
Days three to ten
Bruising is at its peak in the first week and then clears noticeably. Sutures around the ear are removed at day seven to ten. Patients sleep with the head elevated and avoid bending forward. Most discomfort is gone by the end of the first week; what remains is the visual aspect — bruising and swelling that is unmistakeably a recovering face, not a finished result.
Sutures out, bruising peaks
Weeks two to four
Most patients return to social life between weeks two and four. Residual bruising covers with concealer; tightness across the cheek and neck is still present but no longer visible to others. By week four most patients are comfortable in any setting. Strenuous exercise waits another two to three weeks; nothing that risks impact to the face for six.
Back to social life
Months one to three
Swelling resolves progressively each week. Numbness in front of the ears and in the cheeks — a normal consequence of the dissection — persists at this stage and gradually returns over the following months. The face is starting to look like the face the operation was meant to produce, though it is still settling.
Swelling resolves
The result settles
Between months six and twelve the deep tissue work has fully settled, sensation has largely returned, and scars have matured to fine lines hidden in the hairline and along the natural contour of the ear. We see you at one week, one month, three months, six months, and twelve months. Photographs at the twelve-month visit are how we judge a result, not how we judge it at three weeks.
Final result, scars mature
The questions we hear most often.
Will I look "done"?
If we have done our job, no — you should look rested, not operated on. The give-away signs of bad facelifts (over-tightened skin, distorted earlobes, an unnatural pull at the corners of the mouth) come from operations that lift skin without addressing the deeper tissues. Our approach repositions the support layer beneath the skin first; the skin itself is the last thing we touch, and we touch it lightly. People should say you look well, not that you look different.
Should I have a facelift, or HIFU?
Different stages of the same problem. HIFU (focused ultrasound, non-surgical) is the right answer for early-to-moderate skin laxity in patients who are not yet candidates for surgery. A facelift is the right answer when the deeper tissue has descended and skin tightening alone will not return the face to where you want it. We will tell you, honestly, which conversation you are in. Patients who would do better with HIFU we send to HIFU; patients who would do better with surgery we tell so directly.
Where will the scars be?
Hidden along the hairline above the temple, following the natural contour in front of the ear, and into the hairline behind the ear. Closed in fine layers and almost always invisible at conversational distance within a year. We are particularly careful with the position of the earlobe and the hairline above the temple — the two places where a poorly-placed facelift incision is permanently visible.
How long will the result last?
A facelift does not stop aging — it produces a state from which you continue to age. Most patients keep the visible benefit for ten to twelve years; some longer, depending on skin quality, weight stability, sun exposure, and lifestyle. Maintenance with non-surgical treatments such as HIFU between years can extend the apparent benefit. We will discuss what realistic longevity looks like for you, specifically.
What about the numbness people mention?
Some numbness in front of the ear and across the cheek is normal in the first weeks to months — a consequence of the deep dissection. It returns gradually, almost always fully, over six to twelve months. A small area of permanent reduced sensation immediately in front of the ear is possible but uncommon; we discuss this candidly in consultation.
How soon can I fly home if I am coming from abroad?
We ask international patients to plan ten to fourteen days in Istanbul. We see you the morning after surgery, again at three to four days, again at seven to ten days for suture removal, and once more before you fly. Long-haul flights are safe from day ten; we will write any documentation airlines need.
Can I see results from your previous patients?
Yes — the gallery on this site shows cases under explicit patient consent, and we can share additional comparable cases on request, privately. We do not publish photographs without patient permission, and we will not share other patients’ photographs by WhatsApp without first asking them.
Önceki hastalardan fotoğraflar.
Facelift before-and-after pairs are photographed at the six- and twelve-month follow-ups and processed for KVKK compliance before publication. They will appear here — not stock images, not ours.
The best version of this conversation happens across a table.