If you've had a facelift, which type did you have and why?

[JackOrMeryl]

I'm thinking of having a facelift in a couple of years. My menopause has started (still have periods every now and again) so I'm waiting for my periods to stop and then get it done (as advised by a couple of surgeons I have spoken to).

There are so many different types of facelift around (deep plane, lower face & neck, ponytail, etc) so I'm looking for first-hand feedback of what people have had done, why, and whether they are happy with the results. I know it's a very individual decision but I'm looking for a starting point. Thanks!

This is something I’m also contemplating in a few years! There is a poster on here who’s had one and shared some very helpful accounts of her experience previously - I think her username is wagsandclaws? I’m currently lurking in a Facebook group called UK and abroad facelifts which is super helpful for hearing about experiences, good surgeons, costs etc. One thing I have learnt from that group is that filler and threads are a bad idea if you want a facelift one day - threads in particular - so would avoid either of those.

Yes, I heard that too. And I'd rather save the money and go all out with a facelift to be honest.

My dermatologist says the only facelift worth spending money on is a deep plane facelift as anything else will only last 5 to 10 years, so not worth the investment. However at £20K plus for a deep plane facelift I’ll be passing.

I can afford the price tag - I just want to find out more from people who had different types done. You never know whether a surgeon is pushing a particular type for their own reasons.

I’m curious about this too as I always thought that it was probably better in the long run to just get a great facelift than spend lots of time and money on fillers and threads. I’m still a few years away from wanting to go ahead with it but I always imagined I would go to one of the top UK surgeons e.g. Rajiv Grover or Dominic Bray etc. But now I hear that facelifts with them can cost closer to 100K which is a lot more than I expected. Not sure if that is 100% true or not - just read in a newspaper article recently. So I will probably look elsewhere - recommendations welcome :)

I had a facelift and lower and upper blepharoplasty in 2017 carried out by Alex Karidis. He operates at the Hospital of St John and St Elizabeth in St John's Wood, London. I chose him because I knew someone else who had used him.

I remain very happy with his work as the results are natural and I didn't have any problems after the operation. I will say that the recovery is brutal, especially the first few days, but he was very honest with me about that before I decided to go ahead.

I wouldn't recommend a mini facelift, thread facelift or having the procedure under a local anaesthetic. I'm pretty sure that my procedures took over 3 hours and there's no way I would have wanted to be aware of what was happening.

Since the facelift the only 'help' I have had is Botox in the '11s' once every 9 months. I get that locally from a nurse.

I'm happy to answer questions about my experience.

@LilyRose88

Thanks for sharing. How were the scars afterwards - are they still visible or have they faded completely?
A friend of mine had a facelift a few years ago and she is still terribly conscious of the scars by her ears even though they are pretty much invisible even when you look really closely. She did tell quite a lot of people she was having it done however and I think they did stare at her scars initially while they were healing which is probably what made her conscious of them.
The length of the healing process does concern me a bit I think.

@LivesinLondon2000 My scars are not noticeable at all. If you pull my ears forward and look closely you can probably see them but they don't show in everyday life at all. I've just ran my fingers over the back of my ears (not something anyone has ever done in real life 😂) and I can't feel my scars.
Nobody has ever guessed that I have had a facelift and I always get told how young I look for my age. I just smile and say that my parents passed down their good genes!

I had a deep plane lower face and neck lift last November. It's so subtle and perfect, scars hidden and incredibly natural. I had a brilliant surgeon in London, not cheap at 15k. Best thing I've ever done.

For the love of god don’t go abroad for the procedure to try and save money! So many horror stories and the NHS then has to pick up the pieces

@DirrrtyMartini - would you mind sharing the name of your surgeon?

I'll PM you.

I had a deep plane face and neck lift (plus fat transfer, upper eyes, lip lift, brow lift and breast lift and implant) in Turkey 6 months ago. Not for the faint hearted but I did my research and the surgeon was excellent. No regrets. It’s healed well and I look refreshed without looking massively different.
The price of my surgery would have been off the scale in this country. I paid £11K and that included 10 nights in a 5* hotel.

Thanks @LilyRose88
I’ve looked at Alex Karidis’ before and after photos on his website and they do indeed look very natural. Good to hear that your experience was so positive, I will definitely consider him in the future

I had a full face lift, neck lift, and upper & lower bleph, last October. I have a thread on here (with pics) following my journey. I'll find a link and post it underneath this post.

Things I found out :

Do not have things like filler or threads if you ever want a face lift, as it makes the area under the surface of the skin bumpy and unstable, and therefore much harder to do a facelift. Thankfully, I had never had these.

Do not opt for a mini facelift - it's a waste of time and money.

Do not have a necklift without a facelift - it will look uneven.

It's now almost 4 months since my procedure, and I am back to normal. Slight tightness in my neck. Scars are minimal.

I had mine under local, it was quite brutal, but worth it. The adrenaline in the injections gave me restless legs for 24 hours, which meant zero sleep on the first night. Pain from the neck and facelift was awful for about 30 hours. I had to go to A&E to get a strong painkiller (clinic recommended paracetamol which didn't touch the sides). But by day 3, I just got better and better every day.

I was 53 when I had it done, I'm 54 now. It's weird, as I don't think it's made me look loads younger. I'd say it's maybe shaved 10 years off, but I look so much more refreshed, so you can still tell I'm a mature lady, but one you would think had aged way better than I really did. If that makes sense!!

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/style_and_beauty/4921781-does-anyone-want-to-come-on-my-upper-and-lower-bleph-and-necklift-journey-with-me?page=16&reply=131327504

I'd say £15K is cheap - who did you go to?

Yes would be good to know who did it for 15k?

@DirrrtyMartini please can you share the details of your surgeon?

Looks like we'll never find out!

Bit disappointed to read that the twilight anesthesia option isnt recommended!

Just reviving this thread to ask DirrrtyMartini which surgeon you used.
I’m in the North West and have been researching for ages.
I think a deep plane facelift is what I would go with and I just wanted to know who in London did it for 15K.
My aesthetic doctor told me Dominic Bray is at least £50K plus.
Thanks!!

Yes name of London surgeon for 15k would be good? X

@DirrrtyMartini yes please do send me the deets as well

I messaged DirrrtyMartini and asked for the place she had it done. And juts got a very rude message back saying it was rude of me to have not posted on mumnet before and to ask her for the place she had her work done, then she told me to do my own research.

Well that was lovely.

Have I missed a rule? Are we supposed to make posts before we ask questions?.