How Long Does a Facelift Last & Are Secondary Facelifts Safe?

So, you got a facelift and loved your results but now your age is coming through again? As they say, nothing lasts forever. Unfortunately, this goes for the results of your facelift too. Although most people can enjoy their facelift results for about 10 years, sun damage, genetics, and a host of other conditions can gradually cause aging to overtake your revitalized look.

When that happens, people often ask us if it’s safe to have another facelift. We’ll answer that question in this blog post and discuss your options for keeping your appearance fresh and more youthful-looking.

Getting a Second Facelift

For those looking into a secondary procedure, a 2013 report released in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery confirmed that patients can achieve the facelift results they’re after with a low complication rate.

The report showed that, on average, men and women had a second surgery after a decade. Some good news is that much less comprehensive surgical plans were effective. Less surgery, less recovery. Who wouldn’t love that? Better news: Complications were reduced by 5%. Less complications equal more satisfaction! The results of these secondary procedures also showed sustained results. Of the few patients that had a third procedure, an average of 7.5 years passed between the second and third procedures.

Taking a Comprehensive Approach to Facial Aging

At Center for Plastic Surgery, we believe that exceptional results are dependent on the right surgical plan. That’s why we often use the FACE360 concept, a comprehensive evaluation during your consultation that gives you time to meet with your plastic surgeon as well as aesthetics and skincare specialists. Working in tandem, we can advise you on the surgical and nonsurgical treatments that can help you achieve your goals—and potentially preserve your facelift results.

With any extensive procedure, one should be able to achieve the results they are looking for and for those results to last. Genetics and lifestyle choices can have a great impact on initial results and on how long they last. We love that with these new positive responses by the professional community of surgeons, our patients can now feel confident in pursuing a secondary procedure with better results and reduced surgical risk. You can learn more about facelift safety and common facelift myths in our related blog post.

Getting Started

If you are considering your first or a follow-up facelift procedure, we welcome you to discuss your goals. We work with patients from all over the country and world, including those around the Washington, DC area. You can visit us at either our Annandale, VA, practice or, if more convenient for you, in Chevy Chase, MD. To get started, use our online form to [consultation]request a consultation[/consultation] or call us at [phone].