If you have unwanted sagging jowls and excess skin in your lower face, you may benefit from a mini facelift. As the name suggests, this surgical procedure isn’t as invasive as a full facelift, which can alter the appearance of your entire face.

A mini facelift can still help to reverse some of those inevitable signs of aging and appeals to many people for that reason; it’s the most common type of facelift procedure carried out. The cost is also another reason, with the mini facelift costing from $5,000 and up, while the full facelift will typically cost between $10,000 to $20,000. And a mini facelift can be carried out in just a few hours, often with just local anesthetic.

A consultation with a plastic surgeon is the first step for anyone considering one of these facelifts, followed by actually scheduling the procedure and you’ll need someone to drive you there and back. During the actual surgery, a series of incisions made in the skin allows the surgeon to lift tissue and sometimes muscle, remove excess skin and in just a few hours erase the lines and wrinkles that have accumulated on your face for several years. Because you’ll be somewhat groggy, arranging for a ride home from the surgery is a must.

You can expect to spend about a week recovering from your mini facelift, which is a lot preferable to the minimum two weeks of recovery time that a full facelift procedure calls for. However, you should expect to have some swelling, bruising and redness around the affected area which may linger for a few weeks, making it perhaps a challenge to return to work or your everyday routine. You may also experience a slight feeling of tightness in your skin, which is simply your body adjusting to tissues in different places. Some surgeons refer to the mini version of the facelift as a ‘weekend’ facelift, because of the speedier recovery time, although the name is clearly misleading.

Your surgeon, and we recommend this mini facelift Phoenix AZ surgeon, may ask you to return the following day for a follow up visit, just to assure you that all went well with the facelift, and you may be expected to attend other follow up sessions over the next few weeks. The sutures are typically removed about a week after the procedure. For about a week following the actual procedure, you won’t be able to take part in any activity that might be considered strenuous, including any exercise routine. In an effort to minimize any noticeable changes to your appearance, some surgeons recommend having another procedure carried out at the same time, including a brow lift, neck lift or the removal of puffy bags under the eyelids.

If your goal is to look more youthful, but you want to avoid any changes to your appearance that are too dramatic, a mini facelift may be the solution. It’s a relatively straightforward procedure, more affordable than the full facelift and won’t require you to be out pf work or away from your routine for as long.