Facelift: what it improves, which technique is chosen and what the post-operative period is like

A facelift, or rhytidectomy, is the surgery that repositions and tightens the tissues of the face and neck to soften the visible signs of ageing. Here we go over what it treats and what it doesn't, what types of facelift there are, who can consider one, what the operation is like and what recovery feels like, so that the consultation helps you decide calmly.

Before going further, bear in mind that a facelift does not turn you into a different person or stop ageing, and that the first few weeks show: there is swelling and bruising. If you are looking for information about your city, there is our guide to facelift in Barcelona.

What does a facelift treat?

According to the ASPS website, consulted in October 2026, a facelift improves sagging skin on the face, the fold that runs from the nose to the corner of the mouth, fat that has dropped or disappeared, the cheek sagging towards the jaw, and loose skin and fat on the neck, the so-called "double chin" or "turkey neck". Among the causes of these changes, the same source names increasingly thin skin, loss of fat in the face, gravity, sun, smoking, heredity and stress.

SECPRE, the Spanish scientific society for the specialty, sums it up like this: it cannot stop the process, but it can improve the most visible signs by tightening the muscles, removing excess fat and redistributing the skin of the face and neck.

Types of facelift

The surgeon chooses according to the degree of sagging, the area that concerns you most and the condition of your skin. The full or cervicofacial facelift treats the cheek, jaw and neck; the mini facelift, with shorter incisions, is kept for mild sagging; the neck lift focuses on the jaw and the double chin; the forehead lift raises drooping eyebrows (there is a guide to the brow lift), and the deep plane facelift performs the full facelift at a deeper level.

Who might consider a facelift?

For SECPRE, it suits women and men whose face and neck are starting to sag but whose skin still has some elasticity. At EGOS the usual age range is 40 to 65. The ASPS also asks that you be in good health, not smoke and have realistic expectations.

Before setting a date

The surgeon reviews your health before suggesting a date. As for smoking, at EGOS we ask you to stop smoking and vaping four to six weeks before the operation and not to start again until the same time has passed. If you smoke, say so from the first visit.

What about treatments that don't involve surgery?

It is a common question. The ASPS answers that a facelift can only be achieved with surgery: minimally invasive treatments do not reach the same effect, although they can postpone the need for an operation and reinforce what surgery achieves. In the consultation, the surgeon tells you whether one or the other is right for you.

The first consultation

At the first consultation the surgeon reviews your health and your medication, measures and photographs your face and proposes a plan. If you have short hair, SECPRE recommends letting it grow before the operation: that way you will cover the incisions while they heal.

The operation, step by step

At EGOS general anaesthesia is the usual choice, although in some cases the operation is done under sedation and local anaesthesia, and it lasts three to five hours, depending on its extent. The incisions are hidden in the hair and in the folds of the ear; the skin is lifted, the muscles are tightened, excess fat is removed and the skin is redraped, trimming the excess. Finally, the incisions are closed and a dressing is applied.

Facelift recovery: the Clínica EGOS timeframes

You are discharged the same day or the next. At first you sleep with your head raised and apply cold, and swelling and bruising are normal. The stitches come out between the fifth and the tenth day, social life usually resumes at two weeks, and strenuous physical exertion waits at least four. Full recovery takes fifteen to thirty days, and the final result can be seen at three to six months, once the inflammation subsides. The scars lie along the hairline and around the ear, and can be hidden with your hairstyle while they mature. We describe the first days at home in more detail in what a facelift involves.

Results: what to expect and how long they last

The change appears as the swelling and bruising go down; SECPRE warns that it is not immediate. How long it lasts depends on you: the ASPS advises protecting your skin from the sun every day and leading a healthy life to prolong the result.

Combining a facelift with other operations

The ASPS mentions eyelid surgery and the brow lift as operations that can be done at the same time, and SECPRE adds that it is sometimes combined with a rhinoplasty. At EGOS it is also combined with facial fat transfer, which restores volume using your own fat. If what bothers you most is your eyelids, there is our page on blepharoplasty; if it is the fat under your chin, the one on double chin liposuction. Each added surgery lengthens the time in theatre; what is added is something you decide with the surgeon.

Is it covered by Spanish social security?

For cosmetic purposes, no. SECPRE points out that the facelift is not among the services provided by Spanish social security, in line with Royal Decree 1030/2006, which excludes purely cosmetic surgery from public healthcare.

Facelift quote: what it includes and what it depends on

The price of your facelift is set after the assessment, because it changes with the type of operation, the anaesthesia, any additional surgery and the time in theatre. The NHS sums up that it varies a great deal from one clinic to another and according to how extensive the procedure is. Once we have seen you, the quote is given in writing. If you are comparing quotes, check that they refer to the same type of facelift.

Who will operate on you?

The EGOS plastic surgery team is made up of registered surgeons. They include Dr Santiago Elvira i Barberà (registration no. 49756) and Dr Tiago Gomes Rodrígues (registration no. 44844); one of them examines you at the first consultation and proposes the technique. Before you book a date, ask to be told in writing who will operate on you, with their medical registration number, and at which centre.