Combining a Facelift With Other Procedures

A facelift repositions descended tissue and addresses skin laxity. It does not restore lost volume, it does not address eyelid skin, and it does not change what the brow is doing. That is why it is frequently planned alongside another procedure.

Facelift and neck lift

One of the most common pairings. A facelift addresses the mid-to-lower face — jowling, skin laxity, lines. A neck lift addresses the neck and the area under the chin.

What it adds:

• Addresses neck laxity that persists after a facelift performed alone.
• Produces a consistent transition between face and neck rather than an addressed face above an unaddressed neck.
• One recovery period rather than two.

Facelift and eyelid surgery

Combining a facelift with blepharoplasty addresses both the face and the eyelids. Blepharoplasty addresses the upper or lower eyelids by removing excess skin, fat and muscle.

What it adds:

• Addresses the eyelid skin and hooding that a facelift does not reach.
• Addresses lower lid changes that a facelift performed alone leaves untouched.

Facelift and brow lift

A brow lift addresses the upper third of the face, repositioning the brow and addressing forehead lines. Combined with a facelift this covers the face from forehead to neck.

What it adds:

• Repositions a descended brow, which changes how open the eye appears.
• Addresses the upper face so the result is consistent across the whole face rather than in the lower two-thirds only.

Facelift and lip augmentation

Lip augmentation using filler or fat transfer adds volume and addresses lines around the mouth.

What it adds:

• Restores volume in the lips, which is lost with age.
• Addresses fine lines around the mouth that a facelift does not fully address.

Facelift and rhinoplasty

Rhinoplasty reshapes the nose while a facelift addresses tissue descent and skin laxity.

What it adds:

• Addresses the nose alongside facial contour, where both are a concern.
• Combines two operations into one recovery period.

Facelift and fat grafting

Fat grafting harvests fat from another part of the body and injects it into areas of the face to restore volume.

What it adds:

• Restores volume in the cheeks, temples and lips. This is the most common gap in a facelift performed alone: lifting tissue does not replace tissue that is no longer there.
• Uses the patient’s own tissue rather than a manufactured product.

Facelift and botulinum toxin

A facelift addresses tissue descent and static change. Botulinum toxin addresses dynamic lines caused by repeated muscle activity.

What it adds:

• Addresses lines around the eyes, forehead and between the brows that are caused by muscle activity and therefore not corrected by lifting.
• Reduces the ongoing muscle activity that contributes to these lines.

Facelift and dermal fillers

Fillers restore volume in the cheeks, temples and lips where a facelift addresses position rather than volume.

What it adds:

• Restores volume in specific areas.
• Immediate result with limited downtime.

Facelift and cheek implants

For patients with flat or hollow mid-face contour, cheek implants add structural volume to the mid-face.

What it adds:

• Adds structural volume rather than soft tissue volume, which is a different problem from descent.
• A durable result compared with filler.

Facelift and chin augmentation

Chin implants or fat grafting can be used to increase chin projection.

What it adds:

• Addresses profile balance where the chin is under-projected.
• Improves the definition of the neck and jawline by providing more skeletal support beneath the repositioned soft tissue.

Planning

Which combination is appropriate depends on what is actually present. A facelift combined with fat grafting addresses descent and volume; a facelift combined with blepharoplasty addresses descent and eyelid skin. The starting point is identifying which of these problems you have.