SMAS Facelift

1. Understanding Your Goals

• Your priorities: The consultation starts with what you would like to change, what matters most to you and what you hope surgery will achieve.

2. Clinical Assessment

• Clinical assessment: Dr Mercer assesses anatomy, tissue quality, asymmetry, scars and any factors that may affect the operation or healing.

3. Options, Limits & Planning

• Options and limits: Suitable surgical options, likely scars, trade-offs and realistic outcomes are discussed rather than assuming that surgery is the right answer.
• Planning: If you choose to proceed, clinical photography, measurements and a personalised operative plan are completed before a surgery date is confirmed.

Before surgery

• Facial assessment: Cheek position, jowls, skin quality, neck laxity and previous procedures are assessed together.
• Nicotine: Complete nicotine cessation is required for the interval advised by your surgeon.
• Planning: Arrange two to three weeks away from major social commitments and organise a responsible adult for the first 24–48 hours.

Anaesthesia

• General anaesthetic: SMAS facelift surgery is usually performed under general anaesthesia.

Facelift

• Incisions: Scars are planned around the temporal hairline and natural contours of the ear.
• SMAS: The deeper SMAS layer is lifted, folded, tightened or repositioned according to technique and anatomy.
• Skin: Skin is redraped without excessive tension and any excess is trimmed.
• Neck: Selected neck work can be incorporated when required.

Week 1

• Appearance: Swelling and bruising are significant and the face can feel tight or numb.

Weeks 2–3

• Social recovery: Most patients begin returning to work and public life as bruising fades.

Weeks 4–6

• Exercise: Exercise resumes progressively after review.

3–12 months

• Final settling: Residual swelling resolves and incisions continue to mature.

First 2 weeks

• Elevation: Sleep with your head elevated and avoid bending, heavy lifting and pressure on the face.
• Incisions: Attend scheduled reviews for dressings and suture removal.

Weeks 3–6

• Activity: Return gradually to work, exercise and normal grooming as swelling decreases.
• Scar care: Begin scar treatment when incisions are fully healed.

Early review

• What happens: The team checks wounds, swelling, comfort and any dressings during the first postoperative period.

1–2 weeks

• What happens: Incisions and early healing are reviewed; sutures or dressings are removed when appropriate and activity guidance is updated.

6 weeks

• What happens: Dr Mercer reviews recovery, scars and return to exercise, and checks that healing is progressing as expected.

3–6 months

• What happens: Progress photographs may be taken as swelling settles and scars continue to mature.

Around 1 year

• What happens: A longer-term review can be used to assess the mature result once tissues and scars have fully settled.