The face is the most personal canvas in plastic surgery — and the facelift is the single procedure that addresses it most comprehensively. Done well, a facelift restores the way a person looked five to fifteen years ago without altering who they fundamentally are. Done poorly, the result is the opposite of what every patient actually wants: a tight, pulled, surprised, “operated-on” appearance that announces itself before the patient says a word. The difference between those two outcomes is not luck. It is surgical philosophy, technical mastery, and the kind of refined aesthetic judgment that only develops over years of focused work on the face. The facelift is genuinely the epitome of cosmetic plastic surgery — it requires more from the surgeon than almost any other procedure, and rewards meticulous execution with results that can last for decades.

Dr. John Anastasatos performs facelift surgery at his Beverly Hills practice with the most directly relevant academic credentials in the specialty. Dr. Anastasatos has been an invited lecturer at the Royal Society of Medicine in London on advanced facelift techniques — including the deep plane facelift — and has been invited to return as a featured speaker in 2026, peer-recognition rarely held by any plastic surgeon in the world. He completed his plastic surgery training under Dr. Luis Vasconez at the University of Alabama at Birmingham — one of history’s foremost plastic surgeons and the inventor of the endoscopic brow lift, whose tutelage shaped Dr. Anastasatos’s understanding of the midface, malar fat pad, jowls, facial anatomy, and neck anatomy. He was profiled by the Beverly Hills Courier in a feature titled “Anastasatos turns Body Restoration into art form,” reflecting his reputation specifically for refined aesthetic surgical work. He is a Top Los Angeles plastic surgeon, board certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons (FACS), a member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) and American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS), with over two decades of facelift expertise in Beverly Hills, and named by The Luxe Insider as one of the Top 10 Plastic Surgeons in the World.

Understanding Facelift Surgery

Facelift surgery — formally called rhytidectomy — comes from the Greek words “rhytid” (wrinkle) and “ectomy” (to remove). In its most basic technical definition, the procedure removes wrinkles and re-drapes the skin of the face and neck. But Dr. Anastasatos sees the procedure as something significantly more than wrinkle removal: a true facelift makes the face younger, brightens the patient’s overall presence, and restores the architectural structure of the face that age has displaced. It is facial architecture, not skin tightening — the study of the deeper facial structures and their proper restoration in an aesthetically pleasing, naturally youthful manner.

The successful outcome of any facelift begins with detailed, accurate communication between patient and surgeon, before any incision is made. What separates one plastic surgeon from another is not just training and skill — it is aesthetic judgment, artistic sensibility, and cultural foundation. Dr. Anastasatos brings all three to every consultation, and to every operation.

Types of Facelift Procedures

Patients are unique, and so are the procedures appropriate for them at different stages of facial aging. Dr. Anastasatos performs the full range of facelift options:

Younger patients may begin with thread, liquid, or mini facelift options in their late thirties or early forties, graduating to comprehensive facelift procedures in their fifties and beyond. Not sure which type of facelift is right for you? Click here for guidance on choosing the right facelift approach.

What a Facelift Addresses

A comprehensive facelift simultaneously addresses several specific anatomical changes that produce the signs of facial aging:

• Descent of the Malar Fat Pad: The cheek fat pad that gives the youthful midface its lifted appearance descends with age, contributing to a heavier lower face and flatter midface.
• Nasolabial Folds: The “smile lines” running from the nose to the corner of the mouth deepen as supporting structures descend.
• Jowl Formation: Skin and soft tissue along the jawline lose firmness, creating visible jowls.
• Nasojugal Folds: The folds and lines under the eyes deepen as the cheek descends away from the lower eyelid.
• Loss of Jaw Definition: The crisp jawline of youth softens as tissue accumulates and skin elasticity decreases.
• Neck Laxity: The same descending forces affect the area below the chin, producing platysmal banding and “turkey neck.”

Proper midface elevation — repositioning the malar fat pad and lifting the descended midface tissues — is the foundation of an excellent facelift result. It creates cheek fullness, removes sagging jowls, and improves both the nasojugal and nasolabial folds simultaneously. Most facelift patients also benefit from concurrent eyelid surgery for harmonious upper-and-mid-face rejuvenation.

Areas Addressed in a Comprehensive Facelift

The Forehead

With age, the distance between the hairline and brows increases. Receding hairlines and thinning hair compound the visual length of the forehead. The endoscopic forehead lift — Dr. Anastasatos’s preferred approach in most patients — uses three small (~2 cm) incisions in the hair-bearing scalp with a camera-guided endoscope to elevate the forehead and shorten its visual length. For patients with very long foreheads, an open forehead lift with an incision along the hairline can shorten the forehead more dramatically — and heals very well, particularly in patients over 60.

The Brows

The brows descend with age — beginning around age 28 in women and around age 35 in men. Endoscopic brow lift performed alongside the facelift restores brow position. In women, the high point of the brow ideally corresponds to the level of the mid-pupil for an aesthetic arch; the lateral brow is often lifted more than the medial. Asymmetric brow descent can be corrected by lifting one side more than the other through a combined endoscopic and open technique.

The Glabellar Area (Frown Lines)

The vertical and horizontal frown lines between the brows are caused by the corrugator and procerus muscles. During endoscopic brow lift, the strength of these muscles can be selectively weakened — smoothing the skin and reducing the deep frown wrinkles permanently.

The Nose

The nose elongates with age, the tip becomes droopier and wider, and nasal skin thickens. During endoscopic brow lift, Dr. Anastasatos can lift and reposition the nasal soft tissues without any visible nasal incision. A concurrent tip rhinoplasty during facelift can further refine age-related nose changes.

The Eyes and Periorbital Area

The periorbital area — eyes, eyelids, brows, and the soft tissues around them — is the most critical area for a beautiful, rejuvenated face. Patients sometimes worry that facelift or eyelid surgery will change their eye shape; this concern is largely unfounded. Eye shape is only changed by canthopexy (suturing the upper and lower lid corners), which is rarely performed. The brow lift is the primary operation that “opens up” the eyes; combined with blepharoplasty, the periorbital rejuvenation is often the most visibly transformative element of the facelift result.

The Mouth

Several specific changes occur around the mouth with age: the upper lip (white lip) lengthens, the red lips lose volume, and the corners of the mouth orient downward. A lip lift performed during facelift can shorten the upper lip and lift the mouth corners, restoring a more youthful, fuller mouth.

The Ears

Earlobes elongate and descend with age — particularly in patients who have worn heavy earrings for decades. During facelift, Dr. Anastasatos often reduces the earlobes and suspends the ears in a slightly higher, more youthful position.

“I owe my understanding of midface architecture, malar fat pad anatomy, and the endoscopic brow lift to Dr. Luis Vasconez, who shaped my approach to face-lifting at UAB. The principle he taught me — and that has guided every facelift I have performed since — is that the deeper structures of the face dictate the result. A facelift that only tightens skin will not produce a natural outcome. A facelift that addresses the malar fat pad, the deeper soft tissue, and the architectural foundations of the face produces results that age gracefully and look genuinely younger, not stretched.” — Dr. John Anastasatos

Common Patient Considerations

Facelift Scars and Hairline Preservation

Facelift scars are the most common patient concern, and rightly so. An important biological reality: scars on the face and neck heal significantly better than scars elsewhere on the body, because the face and neck have unusually rich blood supply. Properly placed and meticulously closed facelift incisions become almost invisible once healed.

Dr. Anastasatos’s incision philosophy is built around hairline preservation. The temple incision is placed along the hairline rather than within the hair-bearing scalp, preserving the natural sideburn. The ear incision is concealed in natural ear creases and behind the tragus. The post-auricular incision follows the posterior ear crease and, if extended for neck-lift access, follows the occipital hairline rather than cutting across hair-bearing scalp. Distorting the natural hairline cannot be undone, and it is one of the most common signs of a poorly-executed facelift.

Patients over 55 actually heal better and produce less prominent scars — because aging skin produces less aggressive scar tissue during healing.

Male Facelift Considerations

Male facelift requires specific technical adjustments. Men have a beard-bearing region on the cheeks separated from the ears by a strip of non-hair-bearing skin. Standard facelift technique can pull beard-bearing skin onto the ear and tragus — both unaesthetic and a daily complication for shaving. Dr. Anastasatos addresses this by respecting the sideburn orientation and using a more vertical lift vector rather than lateral toward the ear, producing better scars and more natural outcomes for male patients.

Will I Lose Hair?

When incisions are carefully placed along the hairline rather than within hair-bearing scalp, no hair loss occurs. Bald spots after facelift are a sign of incision placement that cut through hair-bearing tissue.

Revision and Secondary Facelifts

Revision facelifts — second or third procedures — are not inherently more dangerous than primary facelifts, though the operation may take longer to address prior scar tissue. The most important consideration in a revision facelift is again hairline preservation. The actual aesthetic problem in most revisions is not skin laxity but rather residual or recurrent jowl formation — the result of standard SMAS facelift techniques that fail to elevate and support the malar fat pad and midface. The midface continues descending while the lateral face appears tighter, producing the “lateral sweep” appearance that signals to observers that a facelift was performed. Proper malar fat pad elevation and midface rejuvenation is essential to any excellent facelift, and especially to revision facelifts.

Volume Augmentation and Fat Transfer

Aging produces both skin laxity and volume loss. The proper approach is rarely to remove tissue volume — it is often to add volume through fat transfer or hyaluronic acid filler. Stem cell therapy in the face has emerging applications. The right combination of volume restoration alongside surgical lift produces the most natural and lasting result.

Skin Care Before and After Facelift

Before surgery: Dr. Anastasatos recommends a normal, nutritionally diverse diet; avoiding Vitamin E (which can cause increased bleeding); and supplementing with Vitamins A and C (which promote healing). Chemical peels and laser treatments should be avoided in the weeks before surgery to preserve skin durability.

After surgery: A custom-prepared moisturizing and anti-inflammatory cream regimen, formulated by Dr. Anastasatos at a compounding pharmacy, supports optimal healing. Chemical peels and laser treatments can typically resume 3-6 months after facelift surgery.

Frequently Asked Questions About Facelift Surgery

How long do facelift results last?

A properly performed comprehensive facelift can take 10-15 years off a patient’s appearance, with results lasting a decade or longer. The face continues to age naturally after the procedure, but most patients enjoy the meaningful improvement for many years before considering revision or additional procedures.

What is the recovery like?

Most patients return to private daily activities within 10-14 days. Visible bruising and swelling resolve over 3-4 weeks, though subtle residual swelling can persist for several months as tissues fully settle. Most patients return to work and social activities within three weeks, depending on the extent of the procedure and personal comfort.

What is the right age for a facelift?

There is no single “right” age. Most patients pursue facelift in their fifties or sixties, but younger patients with early signs of facial descent may benefit from less invasive options like the percutaneous facelift, mini facelift, or thread lift. Older patients also have excellent outcomes — and as noted above, often heal with less prominent scarring than younger patients.

Can the facelift be combined with other procedures?

Yes. Dr. Anastasatos frequently combines facelift with blepharoplasty (eyelid surgery), endoscopic brow lift, neck lift, fat transfer, and lip lift in a single coordinated operation — producing comprehensive, harmonious facial rejuvenation in a single recovery period.

What anesthesia is used for facelift?

Most facelifts are performed under general anesthesia, though some lower facelift and percutaneous facelift procedures can be performed under local anesthesia with sedation. The right anesthetic approach depends on the extent of the procedure and the patient’s medical situation.

Will I be able to see immediate results?

Yes — though the immediate result is masked by swelling and bruising during the first few weeks. The genuine result emerges over 4-6 weeks as swelling resolves, with continued refinement over 3-6 months. Final settling is complete by approximately one year post-procedure.

Why Choose Dr. Anastasatos for Facelift Surgery

• Royal Society of Medicine London Advanced Facelift Lecturer: International peer-recognition on advanced facelift techniques including the deep plane facelift, with invited 2026 return as featured speaker — a credential rarely held by any plastic surgeon in the world.
• Trained by Dr. Luis Vasconez at UAB: Foundational training under one of history’s foremost plastic surgeons and the inventor of the endoscopic brow lift.
• Beverly Hills Courier “Body Restoration Art Form” Feature: Profile reflecting refined aesthetic surgical reputation.
• Two Decades of Beverly Hills Practice: Sustained experience in facelift surgery since 2007.
• Board-Certified, FACS, ASPS, and ASAPS: Certification by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and full membership in the specialty’s most respected peer societies.
• Comprehensive Facelift Spectrum: Mini, percutaneous, lower, deep plane, MACS/SMAS, thread, liquid, fat transfer, and revision facelift options matched precisely to patient anatomy and goals.
• Hairline-Preserving Surgical Philosophy: Incision approach designed specifically to avoid the hairline distortion that signals an obvious facelift result.
• Top 10 International Recognition: Named by The Luxe Insider as one of the Top 10 Plastic Surgeons in the World.

Facelift Cost in Beverly Hills

The final facelift cost depends on the specific procedure, the patient’s anatomy, and whether the facelift is combined with other procedures (neck lift, eyelid surgery, brow lift, etc.). Combined procedures are priced separately. A typical facelift patient at Dr. Anastasatos’s Beverly Hills practice can expect to pay in the $14,500 to $19,900 range, with the final cost outlined precisely during consultation.

Dr. Anastasatos welcomes patients from across California, including:

Schedule Your Facelift Consultation in Beverly Hills

A facelift represents an investment of significant time, money, and emotional energy — and the difference between an excellent result and a disappointing one comes down to choosing a surgeon whose training, experience, and aesthetic judgment match the importance of the procedure. Dr. Anastasatos welcomes patients to the Beverly Hills office at 436 North Bedford Drive, Suite 202, Beverly Hills, CA 90210, for a private consultation evaluating your specific facial anatomy and outlining the right facelift approach for you. Visit the facial cosmetic plastic surgery procedures page to explore related procedures, or contact us at Los Angeles Plastic Surgery to schedule your facelift consultation with Dr. Anastasatos.