HIGH-SMAS FACELIFT

All surgical procedures aimed at lasting rejuvenation of the face and neck are referred to as facelifts. Modern facelifts tighten not just the skin, but also the SMAS (Superficial Musculoaponeurotic System).

Every High‑SMAS Facelift is preceded by a detailed examination and comprehensive photo documentation. The precise approach is customized and planned individually to ensure optimal results.

The procedure is performed as an inpatient surgery under general anesthesia. 

The incision follows the hairline or is hidden in the hair, continues around the ear in the natural crease, behind the tragus, around the earlobe, and into the hairline at the nape.

This discreet placement elegantly minimizes the visibility of future scars. The SMAS is then separated and lifted. Finally, excess skin is removed.

A High‑SMAS Facelift is often combined with brow lift, lower eyelid tightening, and sometimes upper eyelid tightening. Depending on the extent of the corrections desired, the surgery takes between four and six hours.

High-SMAS and Deep-Plane Facelifts are similar in terms of incision, but differ as only the High-SMAS technique separates the skin from the underlying muscle layer.

By separately preparing skin and underlying muscles, High-SMAS allows tightening in different directions. In a Deep-Plane Facelift, skin and facial muscles are lifted as one unit.

The High-SMAS Facelift is different from classic facelifts by tightening not only the superficial skin but also deeper structures like muscles and connective tissue (SMAS). This modern aesthetic facial surgery method achieves a much more natural and longer-lasting result since the tension is in deeper tissue layers, not the skin. Advantages include visibly rejuvenated appearance, barely noticeable scars, and a harmonious, durable result, unlike a traditional facelift.

A midface-lift is a method of tightening the midface. The midface is the triangular area from the chin tip up to the lower edge of the eye sockets and includes the front cheek areas.

A mini-lift is a tightening of the facial skin to lift sagging cheeks. Unlike modern facelift techniques, this procedure does not address the deep tissue, resulting in a tension that does not last, and scarring may become obvious as the skin continues to age. Mini-lift is therefore only suitable for mild skin laxity and is not a permanent alternative to the classic facelift.

When performed with experience, expertise, and a modern method, a facelift result can last 10 to 15 years. Genetics, diet, and especially UV exposure and nicotine play a big role, so precise predictions cannot be universally made.

The first stitches are removed after seven days, the last ones between seven and ten days after surgery.

Wound drains are usually removed with the first stitches – that is, seven days after the facelift.

As with any surgical procedure, there may be postoperative bleeding, bruising, wound healing disorders, and infections. To avoid injury to facial nerves, facelifts should always be performed by an experienced, board-certified plastic & aesthetic surgeon familiar with facial anatomy.

On the forehead and temples, facelift scars run either within the hair or along the hairline. Around the ears, they follow the natural ear curves, pass behind the tragus, along the earlobe, and extend into the hairline at the back of the neck.

After a facelift, you’ll be socially presentable again after about three weeks. Bruising will no longer be visible and all swelling will have subsided. Numbness and slight scar redness can last up to three months, and firmness of the face can last up to six months after surgery.

A facelift is always done under inpatient conditions. Hospital stay is one to two days.

Facelifts following the High‑SMAS method are particularly demanding technically compared to conventional facelifts. Only a few plastic & aesthetic surgeons have the necessary training and experience to perform them.

With a facial rejuvenation facelift, the neck should be included to avoid an obvious difference between the face and neck.

Results of isolated neck liposuction are usually unsatisfactory. Neck fat under the skin decreases with age, but deeper fat (under the neck muscles) tends to increase. Since only fat directly under the skin can be removed by liposuction, this alone rarely leads to neck rejuvenation.

Every neck lift includes detailed evaluation and photo documentation. It must be determined whether, in addition to loose skin and muscles, the salivary glands are enlarged.

The procedure is performed as an inpatient under sedation or general anesthesia. Depending on your findings, the neck lift may include reduction of deep neck fat and enlarged salivary glands. Finally, the muscle in the center front of the neck and the skin behind the ear are tightened.

A neck lift is ideally only performed in combination with a facelift, except for a thick, full neck even in young people. To rejuvenate the face, both face and neck should always be considered as one unit.

Since facial aging varies individually, a facelift may be considered before the age of 40.

If previous surgeries were performed carefully, it is possible to repeat a facelift two to three times.

No other method achieves the results of a quality facelift. 

The cost can only be determined after a thorough examination of your face and neck. A non-binding consultation, including a photo analysis, takes about 60 minutes.