Our patients come to us for a facelift consultation for a variety of reasons. Some people have noticed their cheeks losing fullness, some feel their under-eye area looks hollow, while others recognize deeper lines between their nose and mouth. If any of these resonate with you, a mid-face lift may be the solution you’ve been looking for. This procedure is a targeted facial rejuvenation procedure that addresses one of the earliest and most visible signs of aging.
We’re sure there are plenty of questions about this procedure, starting with what it actually is. Below you’ll find our guide to everything you need to know about the mid-face lift, including what it is, how it works, who makes a good candidate, and what to expect from recovery.
What Is a Mid-Face Lift?
A mid-face lift is also called a cheek lift or malar lift, and it’s a surgical procedure designed to restore volume and lift to the central part of your face. This region spans from your lower eyelids down to the corners of your mouth, including your cheeks, nasolabial folds (also called your “smile lines”), and the area beneath your eyes.
Unlike a traditional facelift, which primarily targets your lower face and neck, a mid-face lift focuses specifically on lifting and repositioning the soft tissue and fat pads in your cheek area. These are areas that often descend with age.
How Does Our Mid-Face Age?
To understand why a mid-face lift is effective, it helps to understand how our mid-faces change over time. As we age, several things happen simultaneously in our mid-face regions. The fat pads that give youthful cheeks that fullness we often refer to begin to shift downward due to gravity and weakened ligaments. At the same time, our faces naturally lose fat and collagen, causing cheeks to appear more flat and hollow. As this tissue descends, smile lines become more pronounced, and the transition between our lower eyelids and cheeks becomes more defined.
These changes can make a person look older or more fatigued than they feel. What most people don’t realize is they often begin as early as our mid-30s and 40s.
How Is a Mid-Face Lift Performed?
A mid-face lift is performed under general anesthesia and takes around one to two hours. There are several approaches your plastic surgeon may use depending on your anatomy and goals, all of which we discuss with you during your consultation.
- The temporal (hairline) approach: Your surgeon will make incisions within your hairline near your temples, allowing them to lift your cheek tissue upward and reattach it at a higher position.
- The lower eyelid (transconjunctival) approach: This involves incisions hidden inside your lower eyelid or just below your lash line. It’s often combined with lower blepharoplasty (eyelid surgery) for even more rejuvenation of your eye and cheek area.
- The endoscopic approach: This approach uses a small camera and specialized instruments that are inserted through tiny incisions to reposition deeper facial structures. The benefit is that there is minimal surface disruption.
Your surgeon will weigh a number of factors when deciding on which approach is best for you, including your facial anatomy, degree of aging, skin elasticity, and your personal goals.
What to Expect With Your Mid-Face Lift Recovery
Recovery from a mid-face lift is usually more manageable than that of a full facelift, but don’t sleep on the patience and care required to ensure proper healing and results.
During the first week, you’ll experience swelling, bruising, and tightness. It’s best to rest at home, keeping your head elevated and applying cold compresses as directed by your surgeon. By weeks two and three, you’ll start to see swelling subside and many people find resuming light activities comfortable and a nice return to normalcy.
Here’s where patience comes into play. Between one and three months post-surgery, the final results become increasingly visible as residual swelling fades and your mid-face takes on its newly lifted and naturally refreshed appearance. Most patients enjoy their results for five to ten years, although the duration of your results depend on skin quality, lifestyle habits, and how you continue to age naturally.
Mid-Face Lift vs. Other Procedures
By now you may be wondering how a mid-face lift compares to other facial procedures. Our team is always willing to answer all of your questions, but here are some initial differences to get you started. A full facelift addresses your lower face, jowls, and neck in addition to your mid-face. Dermal fillers offer a much less invasive option and can add volume to your cheeks, but they don’t address the underlying tissue descent that causes sagging. Fat transfer is another option that can restore lost volume, but like fillers, it does not lift descended tissue. While fillers and fat transfer are sometimes performed alongside a mid-face lift for optimal contouring results, it’s the surgical approach to a mid-face lift that gets to the root of it.
Why Choose a Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon?
Choosing a board-certified plastic surgeon with experience in facial rejuvenation is essential to achieving safe, natural-looking results. Our team is dedicated to taking the time to evaluate your facial structure, discuss your concerns, review your medical history, and present a personalized treatment plan. If you’re ready to explore whether a mid-face lift is right for you, schedule a consultation with our team today.