Not every facelift patient needs a full facelift. For many men and women, the visible signs of aging are concentrated in the lower third of the face and neck — sagging jowls, deepening marionette lines, smile lines that no longer return to neutral, loose neck skin, and softening of the once-defined jawline. The eyes and brows still look refreshed and alert. The midface still has reasonable volume. What ages the face is everything below the cheekbones. For these patients, the lower facelift is a precisely targeted procedure that addresses the lower face and neck without the broader scope, longer recovery, or higher cost of a comprehensive facelift. Done well, it produces dramatic, natural-looking results with a faster recovery — and for many patients, it pushes back the timeline for a full facelift by a meaningful number of years.

Dr. John Anastasatos performs lower facelift surgery at his Beverly Hills practice with the surgical refinement and aesthetic judgment that excellent lower facelift outcomes require. Dr. Anastasatos was profiled by the Beverly Hills Courier in a feature titled “Anastasatos turns Body Restoration into art form” — a profile reflecting his reputation specifically for refined aesthetic surgical work. He has presented at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Grand Rounds on advanced surgical techniques, and has practiced cosmetic plastic surgery in Beverly Hills since 2007, with over two decades of experience refining the techniques that distinguish an excellent lower facelift from an obvious one. 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), and named by The Luxe Insider as one of the Top 10 Plastic Surgeons in the World.

What Is a Lower Facelift?

A lower facelift is a focused surgical procedure that addresses the lower third of the face and the upper neck — without involving the brow, midface, or eyelid areas that a comprehensive facelift would also address. The procedure is sometimes called a “lower face and neck lift” because the lower face and neck are anatomically continuous and almost always need to be addressed together for the most natural-looking result.

Lower facelift candidates are typically patients in their forties, fifties, or early sixties who:

• Still have good upper-face and midface volume and skin quality
• Feel confident about their eyes, brows, and overall midface
• Are bothered by jowls, marionette lines, and lower-face sagging
• Have neck laxity that has not responded to non-surgical treatments
• Want meaningful surgical improvement without the scope of a full facelift

For older patients with broader facial aging changes — significant midface descent, brow ptosis, eyelid hooding — a full facelift combined with eyelid surgery and brow lift is usually the appropriate procedure. The lower facelift is specifically for patients whose aging is concentrated below the cheekbones.

What a Lower Facelift Addresses

The lower facelift simultaneously addresses several specific anatomical changes that produce lower-face aging:

• Jowl Formation: Skin and soft tissue along the jawline lose firmness, creating the visible jowls that soften the once-defined jaw.
• Marionette Lines: The vertical lines running from the corners of the mouth down toward the jaw — sometimes called “puppet lines” — that deepen as supporting tissues descend.
• Nasolabial Folds: The lines running from the corners of the nose to the corners of the mouth that deepen with age.
• Loss of Jaw Definition: The crisp jawline of youth softens as tissue accumulates and skin elasticity decreases.
• Neck Skin Laxity: The neck skin loses elasticity, often producing platysmal banding (“turkey neck”) and visible loose skin under the chin.
• Submental Fullness: Fat accumulation under the chin that contributes to a “double chin” appearance can be addressed through chin liposuction performed during the lower facelift.

For most lower facelift patients, addressing all of these changes simultaneously produces a unified, balanced result rather than a partial improvement.

The Surgical Approach

Dr. Anastasatos’s lower facelift technique is designed around two principles: meaningful, lasting tissue repositioning, and precise hairline preservation.

Tissue Repositioning, Not Just Skin Tightening

A lower facelift that simply tightens the surface skin will not produce a natural or lasting result. The lower facelift performed at Dr. Anastasatos’s practice repositions the deeper soft tissues of the lower face and neck — the SMAS layer (superficial musculoaponeurotic system) — to restore the underlying structural support that gravity and time have displaced. Skin is then re-draped over the repositioned tissue without tension, eliminating the “pulled” appearance that signals an obvious facelift.

Hairline Preservation

Incisions are placed strategically to avoid distorting the natural hairline. The temple incision follows the hairline rather than cutting through hair-bearing scalp; the ear incision is concealed in natural ear creases and behind the tragus; the post-auricular incision follows the posterior ear crease. Distorting the natural hairline is one of the most common signs of a poorly executed lower facelift, and it cannot be undone. Patients over 55 actually heal with less prominent scarring than younger patients, because aging skin produces less aggressive scar tissue during healing.

Concurrent Procedures

Many lower facelift patients benefit from concurrent procedures performed in the same operative session: chin liposuction for submental fullness, fat transfer for volume restoration in the lower face, lip lift for upper lip refinement, and earlobe correction. The combined approach produces unified, harmonious results in a single coordinated recovery period.

“The lower facelift fills an important gap for patients who don’t yet need or want a comprehensive facelift but have meaningful lower-face aging that no non-surgical treatment is going to fix. The art of this procedure is producing a result that looks completely natural — not a face that has been pulled back at the jawline, but a face that simply looks like a younger version of itself. That comes from repositioning deep tissue, preserving the hairline, and respecting the patient’s natural anatomy.” — Dr. John Anastasatos

Recovery and Results

Recovery from a lower facelift is typically faster than from a comprehensive facelift because the surgical scope is narrower:

• Initial recovery: Visible bruising and swelling resolve over 2-3 weeks
• Return to private daily activities: Most patients are comfortable within 7-10 days
• Return to work: Most patients return to work within 2-3 weeks depending on their role
• Final settling: Continued refinement over 3-6 months as tissues fully settle

Results from a properly performed lower facelift typically last 8-12 years before patients consider revision or progression to a more comprehensive facelift. The face continues to age naturally after the procedure, but the surgical improvement remains evident long-term.

Frequently Asked Questions About Lower Facelift Surgery

How is a lower facelift different from a mini facelift?

The terminology varies by surgeon, but generally a “mini facelift” addresses early-stage facial laxity in younger patients with limited dissection, while a “lower facelift” is a more substantial procedure that addresses moderate-to-significant lower-face and neck aging through deeper tissue work. Dr. Anastasatos discusses the right procedure for your specific anatomy during consultation.

Can a lower facelift address my neck?

Yes. The lower facelift typically includes the upper neck — the area below the chin and along the upper neckline. For patients with more significant neck laxity, a dedicated neck lift can be combined with the lower facelift in the same operative session for a more comprehensive lower-face-and-neck result.

Is the lower facelift painful?

Most patients describe the immediate post-operative discomfort as moderate and well-controlled with prescribed medications. Significant pain is uncommon. Tightness, tingling, and numbness around the incision sites are normal and resolve over weeks to months as healing completes.

What anesthesia is used?

Lower facelift can be performed under general anesthesia or under local anesthesia with sedation, depending on patient preference and the extent of the planned procedure. Dr. Anastasatos discusses anesthesia options during consultation, including the local-only approach for medically appropriate candidates.

Can the lower facelift be combined with eyelid surgery?

Yes. Many patients combine lower facelift with blepharoplasty (eyelid surgery) and/or endoscopic brow lift in a single coordinated operation for harmonious upper-and-lower face rejuvenation. The combined recovery is similar to single-procedure recovery rather than sequential.

Will the result look natural?

When the surgical technique focuses on deep tissue repositioning rather than skin tightening, and when incisions preserve the natural hairline, the lower facelift result looks completely natural. Patients consistently report that friends and family notice they look refreshed and well-rested without identifying surgery as the cause.

Why Choose Dr. Anastasatos for Lower Facelift Surgery

• Beverly Hills Courier “Body Restoration Art Form” Feature: Profile reflecting refined aesthetic surgical reputation specifically relevant to the precision lower facelift requires.
• Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Grand Rounds Presenter: Teaching credentials at one of the leading medical institutions in Southern California.
• 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.
• Deep Tissue Repositioning Technique: SMAS-based approach producing lasting, natural-looking results rather than surface skin tightening.
• Hairline-Preserving Surgical Philosophy: Incision approach designed specifically to avoid hairline distortion.
• Comprehensive Facelift Spectrum Available: When lower facelift is not the right answer, the full range of facelift options — mini, deep plane, MACS/SMAS, percutaneous, fat transfer, and revision — is available with the same surgeon.
• Top 10 International Recognition: Named by The Luxe Insider as one of the Top 10 Plastic Surgeons in the World.

Schedule Your Lower Facelift Consultation in Beverly Hills

If your eyes and brows still feel youthful but your jowls, smile lines, and neck have started to show your age, a lower facelift may be the precisely targeted procedure that produces the meaningful improvement you want without the broader scope of a comprehensive facelift. 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 anatomy and outlining the right surgical approach for your goals. Contact us at Los Angeles Plastic Surgery to schedule your lower facelift consultation with Dr. Anastasatos.