What Is a Facelift (Rhytidectomy)?
A facelift (rhytidectomy) is the gold-standard surgical procedure for addressing moderate to significant facial ageing. It tightens the underlying facial muscles and connective tissue (SMAS layer), removes excess skin, and repositions descended facial fat compartments — reversing the visible signs of time while maintaining a natural, rested appearance rather than an "operated" look.
At FitAndFit Clinic, our facelift surgeons specialise in the deep-plane and composite facelift techniques, which are widely regarded as producing the most natural and long-lasting results — moving the face as a unit rather than just pulling the skin.
What Does a Facelift Address?
- Jowls: Descent of cheek fat creating sagging along the jawline
- Nasolabial folds: Deep lines from the nose to the corners of the mouth
- Marionette lines: Lines from the corners of the mouth downward
- Midface descent: Loss of cheek volume and position ("flat midface")
- Neck laxity: Loose skin and platysma banding in the neck (often combined with neck lift)
- Overall facial deflation and descent
Facelift Techniques
- SMAS plication / SMASectomy: Traditional technique tightening the SMAS layer; good results with lower complexity.
- SMAS flap (composite) facelift: The SMAS and overlying fat are elevated and repositioned together for a more thorough rejuvenation.
- Deep-plane facelift: The gold standard for severe ageing; the deep facial plane is released allowing comprehensive repositioning of descended facial structures with longer-lasting results.
- Mini facelift: For early to moderate jowling and neck laxity; shorter scars, quicker recovery — suitable for patients in their 40s and early 50s.
What a Facelift Cannot Do
A facelift addresses sagging and descended tissues but does not replace lost volume (treated with fat transfer or fillers), resurface the skin (treated with laser or chemical peel), or address brow ptosis (treated with brow lift). Our surgeons frequently recommend a combination approach — facelift plus fat grafting plus skin resurfacing — for comprehensive facial rejuvenation.
Facelift Recovery
A facelift is performed under general anaesthesia with a hospital stay of 1–2 nights. Drainage tubes are removed within 24–48 hours. Most patients are comfortable being seen in public within 2–3 weeks. Final results, once swelling has fully resolved, are visible at approximately 3–6 months. Results typically last 8–12 years.
Facelift in Turkey: FitAndFit Clinic
Choosing facelift surgery in Turkey at FitAndFit Clinic gives international patients access to deep-plane and composite technique specialists at 50–70% below comparable private hospital costs in the UK, Germany, and France — with full pre- and post-operative support and English, German, and Spanish-speaking care teams.