Questions that come up before the first consultation
Twelve questions, answered the way they get answered in the room.
Age is a poor guide. What matters is whether the tissue has descended enough to be repositioned, and whether it is still mobile. Most patients are in their forties to sixties, but a face in its late thirties with genuine mid-face descent can be a better candidate than one in its fifties whose main change is volume loss.
If a lift would be invisible to anyone else, it is too early — and doing it then usually costs a second operation later.
Sometimes, but less often than patients expect. The jawline and the mid-face are mechanically linked: lifting the jaw without supporting the cheek above it tends to pull the mouth sideways. A localised approach is offered when the assessment shows the neighbouring areas are genuinely stable.
No, but it changes the plan. Threads can leave scar tissue in the plane that needs to be released, and long-standing filler can distort where the volume actually sits. Bring the dates, products and volumes — this is one of the few areas where an accurate history genuinely changes what is safe to do.
The planes are the same; the hairline, beard pattern and skin thickness are not. Incisions are placed so that sideburns are not displaced and no scar runs through a shaved area. Male skin is thicker and holds a lift differently, which is why the vectors are set slightly differently rather than copied.
General anaesthesia with a dedicated anaesthetist present for the whole procedure, plus local infiltration for bleeding control and post-operative comfort. The anaesthetist reviews you before surgery and remains responsible for monitoring until you are awake and stable.
Incisions sit in front of and behind the ear, continuing into the hairline behind the temple. Because the closure is suture-free and carries almost no tension, the scar usually matures as a fine line rather than a widened one. It is visible if the hair is worn up tightly for the first few months, which is worth planning for.
Most patients are comfortable in public at around ten to fourteen days, with hair down and light makeup. Swelling continues to settle for six to eight weeks, mostly around the jaw. Plan two weeks away from anything that requires you to look rested on camera.
Longer than a skin-only lift, because the suspended layer does not stretch the way skin does — but it is not permanent, and nobody who tells you otherwise is being straight with you. Ageing continues. What the deep-plane approach changes is the starting point and the rate of relapse, not the fact of it.
A written quotation is issued after the assessment, once the plan is fixed. It covers the surgical fee, anaesthesia, the theatre, dressings and the scheduled reviews. It does not cover travel, accommodation or medication after discharge. Nothing is payable at the assessment and no deposit is taken on the day.
Ten to fourteen days for most facial procedures: surgery, the first dressing check, and a review before you fly. The stitches do not need removing, which is what makes a shorter stay possible than with a conventional closure. Patients who live locally are reviewed at one month instead.
Partly. Wound checks and photographs can be reviewed remotely, and a local clinician can be engaged for anything that needs hands. The one-month and one-year reviews are the ones worth returning for if it is feasible; if it is not, that is discussed before surgery rather than after.
Tell the clinic as early as possible. Theatre time is reserved individually, so late changes affect another patient’s date rather than a queue. The specific terms are set out in the written quotation rather than left to a conversation.