Facelifts and mini facelifts are surgical procedures that aim to give people more youthful appearances. Gravity's pull, heredity, personal habits and sun exposure all can age a person's face, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Both a facelift and a mini facelift can treat sagging facial muscles to create a more defined and attractive appearance. Neither type of lift, however, will make wrinkles go away. Results from these procedures, according to the Mayo Clinic, range from dramatic to very subtle, depending on a person's appearance of aging prior to the procedure.
Function
During a facelift, loose and sagging skin along the lower jaw line and neck is removed. This makes the face's bottom two-thirds look more rested and youthful. Scars from the facelift are hidden under a person's chin and behind her ears. With a mini facelift, also called a neck lift, a small incision is made under the chin, excess skin and fat are removed and neck muscles are tightened. There's also a smaller version of the neck lift, called submentoplasty, in which a surgeon tightens neck muscles through a small incision that aligns with the neck's contours, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Considerations
Candidates for a facelift, according to the Mayo Clinic, may have a jaw line that is not well defined along with extra skin in the area, or jowls; have extra fat tissue and loose skin in the neck area; and/or have deep creases from the corners of the mouth to the nose. A mini facelift is best for people who experience frequent fluctuations in weight and also are overweight. The submentoplasty is recommended for people who are close to their ideal weight but have a moderate amount of fat and/or loose skin in the neck area.
Time Frame
A mini facelift can take 45 minutes to three hours. It is an outpatient procedure. A full facelift takes three to five hours, with the patient usually able to go home the day after surgery, according to the Mayo Clinic. A general anesthesia is used in both procedures. A mini facelift will last many years if the patient keeps his weight stable, while a full facelift usually lasts five to seven years, according to the clinic.
Recovery
With a full facelift, patients will likely have bruising for about three weeks along with swelling that can last a month to six weeks or longer. Skin is likely to feel tight, dry, tender and numb immediately following the facelift. The patient can return to work in two to four weeks and is allowed to exercise after a month to five weeks.
People who have a mini facelift will have some swelling and bruising, but will be able to return to work and start exercising again after a week. They may need to wear a neck compression garment for up to a week after surgery to address swelling.
Discomfort following either procedure is considered "moderate" by the Mayo Clinic, which advises prescription pain medicine for a full facelift and either acetaminophen or prescription painkillers for the mini facelift.
Risks
According to the Mayo Clinic, mini lift risks include up to six weeks of swelling or bruising that can be visible on the front of the neck; bleeding; "dimpling" that does not look natural; and numbness or weakness in areas of the chin and mouth, which can be temporary or permanent.
Full facelift risks include numbness in the ear or face; paralysis of these areas; infection, weakness or numbness in the eyebrow and mouth corner areas, which can last from weeks to months or even become permanent; skin discoloration; changes along the hairline or hair loss; fluid or blood under the skin; blood clots in the lungs or veins; and scars that heal poorly, which occurs most often among smokers.
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