What is the difference between a facelift and a neck lift?

A facelift treats the mid and lower face, the cheeks and the jowls. A neck lift treats the area below the jawline: the neck skin, the platysma and the fat under the chin. Most facelifts at our practice are face and neck lifts, because the jowls and the neck age as one unit; a neck lift alone suits a neck that changed under a steady jawline.

Can other procedures be combined with a facelift?

Yes. A facelift is often combined with an eyelid lift, a brow lift or fat grafting to the cheeks, planned as one surgery with one anesthesia and one recovery and quoted together. On its own, fat transfer to the face is performed by Dr. Cat and quoted at your consultation; a lip lift or buccal fat removal is planned at the consultation when it fits.

How long does a facelift take?

A face and neck lift takes about four to six hours under general anesthesia, depending on the plan: whether the neck, an eyelid lift or fat grafting is included. It is performed with a board-certified anesthesiologist in the practice's accredited surgery center, and you spend the first night with a nurse or a responsible adult, never alone.

How long does a facelift last?

A facelift lasts about eight to fifteen years. It resets the clock by roughly a decade, and although the face keeps aging, you continue to look younger than you would have without the surgery. Genetics, sun exposure, weight stability and skin care decide where in that range your result falls.

Will a facelift look pulled or fake?

No, not when it is done as a face and neck lift. The pulled, windswept look comes from skin lifted without the tissue beneath it. Our facial plastic surgeon repositions the SMAS layer so it carries the tension, lays the skin back over the new contour and trims the excess without pulling. The practice's standard is that every patient looks like themselves, just more refreshed.

What is the difference between a mini facelift and a full facelift?

A mini facelift uses shorter incisions in front of the ear, lifts the lower cheek and jawline and leaves the neck alone, so it suits early, mild jowling with good skin elasticity and has a shorter recovery. A full facelift is a face and neck lift that repositions the SMAS from the cheeks to the neck and lasts longer; the consultation settles which one your face needs.

What is the difference between a SMAS facelift and a deep plane facelift?

Both are real facelifts that work on the SMAS through the same incisions; the difference is whether the SMAS is tightened from above or lifted from below as one layer with the skin. Our facial plastic surgeon uses the deep plane approach for most face and neck lifts, so the two carry the same fee, and the choice is made on your anatomy at the consultation.

How painful is a facelift, and what is the recovery like?

Most facelift patients describe tightness and pressure rather than pain, controlled with the medication you are sent home with. You wear a light compression dressing for the first days, any drain comes out within a day or two and the stitches at about one week, and most patients are back at a desk at about day 10 to 14 and exercising at four to six weeks.

Will I have visible scars after a facelift?

Facelift scars are nearly invisible within a few months and fade to a thin line that is hard to find within about a year. The incisions sit inside the folds of the ear and along the hairline, the deep layers are closed so the skin carries no tension, and silicone scar care starts at two weeks.

Are there any non-surgical alternatives to a facelift?

Yes, for mild laxity, and none of them lifts descended tissue. ThermiSmooth Face firms mildly loose skin with radiofrequency over a course of sessions, filler along the jawline hides an early jowl for about a year, and Botox in the platysma softens its downward pull for three to four months. Once jowls and a loose neck have formed, only a facelift moves the tissue back.

Facelift in Beverly Hills | Dr. Cat Plastic Surgery

Q: How much does a facelift cost in Beverly Hills?

A facelift in Beverly Hills at Dr. Cat Plastic Surgery is our facial plastic surgeon's fee of $45,500 to $65,500 for a face and neck lift, with the operating room and anesthesia quoted at the consultation, so the written quote is one figure. A mini facelift and a neck lift alone are quoted at the consultation; the $500 consultation fee is credited toward surgery.

Q: Who performs the facelift at Dr. Cat Plastic Surgery?

The facelift at Dr. Cat Plastic Surgery is performed by our board-certified facial plastic surgeon, a colleague Dr. Cat Begovic has worked alongside for more than a decade, in the practice's QUAD A accredited surgery center on Rodeo Drive with a board-certified anesthesiologist. Your consultation is with him, in person or by private video consultation, and every quote is written and itemized.

Facelift in Beverly Hills

Rhytidectomy (a face and neck lift that repositions the SMAS layer beneath the skin) performed by our board-certified facial plastic surgeon at Dr. Cat Plastic Surgery, the Beverly Hills practice of Dr. Cat Begovic, MD, FACS, board-certified plastic surgeon

A facelift (rhytidectomy) lifts the cheeks, the jawline and the neck by repositioning the SMAS, the layer of muscle and connective tissue that carries the jowls, rather than pulling the skin alone. At Dr. Cat Plastic Surgery the facelift is performed by our board-certified facial plastic surgeon, a colleague Dr. Cat Begovic has worked alongside for more than a decade, as a face and neck lift with incisions hidden along the hairline and around the ears, the deep layer carrying the tension, and skin that is laid back over the new contour and never over-pulled, so patients look like themselves, just more refreshed.

Our facial plastic surgeon's fee for a face and neck lift is $45,500 to $65,500; the operating room and anesthesia are quoted with it at the consultation, so your written quote is one figure. Surgeon's fees are typical ranges: a more complex case can cost more, and your fee is set at your consultation and is final only in your written quote. The surgery takes about four to six hours under general anesthesia with a board-certified anesthesiologist in the practice's QUAD A accredited surgery center on Rodeo Drive, and most patients are back at a desk in about ten to fourteen days.

15-minute Patient Concierge call, no obligation. The consultation with our facial plastic surgeon is $500, credited toward your surgery.

Medically reviewed by Dr. Cat Begovic, MD, FACS

Board-certified plastic surgeon, trained in both head and neck surgery and plastic and reconstructive surgery. Harvard-educated, UCLA trained. Updated October 3, 2026

What makes a facelift at Dr. Cat Plastic Surgery different

The details behind a face that looks like itself, just more refreshed.

A face and neck lift, not a skin liftThe SMAS, the layer that carries the jowls and the neck, is repositioned so the deep layer carries the tension and the skin is laid back without pulling.

A surgeon whose practice is facial surgeryOur board-certified facial plastic surgeon has operated alongside Dr. Cat for more than a decade; the operation is chosen on your anatomy at the consultation, not on the name of a technique.

Never over-pulledThe excess skin is trimmed without tension, so there is no tight, windswept look. Dr. Cat's standard for the practice: every patient looks like themselves, just more refreshed.

An anesthesiologist, an accredited facility, a nurseA board-certified anesthesiologist for the whole case in the practice's QUAD A accredited surgery center, and the first night watched by a nurse or a caregiver.

What is a facelift?

Rhytidectomy, the medical term for a facelift, is surgery for the changes of the lower face and neck that skin care and injectables can no longer manage: jowls, deep nasolabial folds, loose skin of the face and neck, and cheeks that have lost their position. The tissue that sags into the jowls is the same tissue that loosens under the chin, which is why the facelift at our practice is a face and neck lift: the SMAS (superficial musculoaponeurotic system) is repositioned so the cheeks, the jawline and the neck move up together, then the skin is laid back and the excess trimmed without pulling. Our page on sagging jowls explains why nothing applied to the skin can move that tissue back.

What a facelift treats

Sagging jowls and a jawline that has lost its line
Loose skin of the face and neck, including the skin left after significant weight loss
Deep nasolabial folds and the marionette lines beside them
Cheeks that have slid down and flattened, with fat grafting when the face is hollow as well as loose
Platysmal bands and loose skin under the chin, treated in the same surgery

Who is a good candidate for a facelift?

Most facelift patients are in their late 40s to 60s, at the point where jowls, deep folds and a loose neck have moved past what skin care and injectables can manage. The short test: if the problem is tissue that has moved rather than skin texture or lost volume alone, a facelift is the operation. Our pages on turkey neck and the double chin cover the neck.

You may be a good candidate if

Jowls, deep folds or loose skin along the jawline and neck that filler and Botox no longer disguise
Skin that has lost tone with age, sun or weight loss but still has enough elasticity to redrape
A significant weight loss that has been stable for several months, with loose skin left behind
Good overall health, with your blood pressure controlled
No nicotine for at least four weeks before and after surgery, longer depending on your smoking history
Realistic expectations: a refreshed version of yourself, not a different face

Not yet, or a different plan, if

Jowls in your 20s or 30s: usually a full lower cheek, a short chin, weight changes or bulky masseters rather than descent, and chin projection, filler or weight stability do more than a lift
Heavy upper lids or under-eye bags are the main complaint: they do not move with a facelift; an eyelid lift is the operation
Only the neck has changed: loose skin, bands or fat under a jawline that still holds may need a neck lift alone
Your weight is still changing, or a recent weight loss has not settled
Uncontrolled blood pressure, blood thinners that cannot be paused, or nicotine you cannot stop: the causes of a hematoma and of skin that does not heal
Mild laxity with no real descent: ThermiSmooth Face or filler may be the right step first, and the consultation will say so

Types of facelift

Face and neck lift

The operation most facelift patients have. Through incisions that follow the hairline and run around the ear, the surgeon lifts the skin, repositions the SMAS beneath it so the deep layer carries the tension, then joins the facelift incisions to the neck lift incision and lifts the face and neck as one unit, tightening the platysma through a short incision under the chin. About four to six hours; our facial plastic surgeon's fee $45,500 to $65,500.

Deep plane facelift

A deep plane facelift lifts the skin and the SMAS together as one thick layer, releasing the ligaments that tether the cheek and the jowl to the bone; it suits moderate to advanced jowling and is the approach our facial plastic surgeon uses for most face and neck lifts, which is why the two carry the same fee. Whether the SMAS is tightened from above or lifted from below is decided on your anatomy at the consultation, not on the name of a technique.

Mini facelift

A mini facelift uses shorter incisions in front of the ear, lifts the lower cheek and jawline, and leaves the neck alone. It suits early, mild jowling with good skin elasticity and a neck that is still holding, with a shorter recovery; it does not buy a lifted neck, a corrected platysma band, or a result that lasts as long as a full lift. If a mini is enough, the consultation will say so; it is quoted at the consultation.

Revision facelift

A revision facelift corrects a previous facelift by any surgeon: a pulled or windswept look, an earlobe drawn down, a hairline moved up, jowls that returned early, or a neck that was never addressed. Our facial plastic surgeon's fee is $60,000 to $75,000 for a revision face and neck lift and $40,000 to $60,000 for a revision facelift without the neck; a revision consultation is $1,500.

How the facelift is done

Our board-certified facial plastic surgeon completed his training in facial plastic and reconstructive surgery and has operated alongside Dr. Cat for more than a decade. These are the steps of a face and neck lift, and the details that keep a face looking like itself.

The incisions: along the hairline and around the ear

The markings are drawn with you sitting upright, because a neck marked lying flat lifts in the wrong direction. The incisions follow the hairline and run around the ear: inside the tragus, under the earlobe and into the hairline behind the ear, where hair and the folds of the ear hide them. When the neck is part of the plan, a short incision in the crease under the chin gives access to the platysma and, if there is fat under the chin, to conservative liposuction, which comes first.

The lift: SMAS, not skin

The surgeon lifts the skin, then repositions the SMAS beneath it, moving the cheek fat back up over the cheekbone and the jowl back above the jawline, and secures it there so the deep layer carries the tension. In the neck, the separated edges of the platysma are brought back together in the midline through the chin incision and tightened. The skin is then laid back over the new contour and the excess trimmed without pulling, which keeps a face from looking tight, windswept or operated on.

The closure and the scars

The deep layers are closed so the skin closure carries no tension, and the incision line is closed with fine sutures inside the folds of the ear and along the hairline, which is why facelift scars are nearly invisible within a few months and hard to find within about a year. Scar care starts at the two-week visit with silicone strips, then a scar gel; our facelift scar guide follows the scar from the first week to a year.

Anesthesia, the facility and the first night

A face and neck lift is performed under general anesthesia with a board-certified anesthesiologist for the whole case, in the practice's QUAD A accredited surgery center on Rodeo Drive. A light dressing goes on, sometimes with a small drain for a day or two, and the first night is spent with a nurse or a responsible adult, never alone, because that is when a hematoma would declare itself.

Combining a facelift with other procedures

Facelift with neck lift

A neck lift (lower rhytidectomy) treats the area below the jawline: the neck skin, the platysma muscle and the fat under the chin. A facelift treats the mid and lower face: the cheeks, the folds and the jowls. When the aging is confined to the neck, a neck lift alone is the operation, quoted at the consultation; our neck lift cost guide covers it. When jowls have formed, a neck lift alone leaves a tight neck under a sagging jawline, which is why most neck lift patients have a face and neck lift.

Facelift with eyelid lift or brow lift

Heavy upper lids and under-eye bags do not move with a facelift, so an eyelid lift is often planned in the same surgery and quoted with it. A brow that has dropped and pushes skin into the lid is a brow lift. Our page on hooded eyes explains how to tell which you need.

Facelift with fat grafting

When the face is hollow as well as loose, fat transfer to the face is added in the same surgery: your own fat, placed in the cheeks and the hollow in front of the jowl. On its own, fat transfer to the face is performed by Dr. Cat and quoted at your consultation; added to a facelift it is quoted with the lift. A lip lift or buccal fat removal is planned at the consultation when it fits.

Facelift recovery timeline

Here is what recovery looks like for most face and neck lift patients. For the long version, read our facelift recovery timeline, week by week.

The night of surgeryYou wake with a light compression dressing around your head and neck and, sometimes, a small drain in place, then spend the first night with a nurse or a responsible adult, who watches the first hours, gives your medication and helps you walk that evening.
The first weekSwelling and bruising peak in the first two or three days and start to fade. Any drain comes out within a day or two and the stitches at about seven days, at your visits with our facial plastic surgeon; the neck feels tight for several weeks as the tissue settles.
Two weeksThe dressing is off and silicone scar care starts. Most patients are presentable with makeup, back at a desk at about day 10 to 14 and at social events at two to three weeks; walking and a stationary bike can start. Out-of-town patients stay until they are cleared to fly.
Four to six weeksVigorous exercise resumes once you are cleared. Most of the swelling has settled, the incisions are flat and fading, and silicone gel continues.
Three to six monthsThe contour shows: a defined jawline, a clean angle under the chin and scars that are nearly invisible. Deep swelling after a deep plane lift takes the longer end of that range to settle.
One yearThe scars have faded to a thin line that is hard to find. A well-performed facelift holds for about eight to fifteen years while aging continues from the new baseline.

Risks and safety

Every surgery carries risk, and a face and neck lift is a long operation on the most visible part of you. Here is what can happen and how the practice reduces it.

What can go wrong

A hematoma, a collection of blood under the lifted skin, most often in the first night; a spike in blood pressure is the commonest cause
Infection at an incision or around a drain
Delayed healing behind the ear, or loss of part of the lifted skin when its blood supply fails, most often in smokers
A scar that heals wider, raised or darker, a scar in front of the ear, an earlobe pulled downward or a hairline moved up
Injury to a branch of the facial nerve that changes how you smile: rare, and usually temporary
A pulled, windswept look from skin lifted without the tissue beneath it, asymmetry, or residual loose skin that may need a touch-up
Anesthesia risks, which the board-certified anesthesiologist reviews with you before surgery

How the practice reduces these risks

Careful patient selection: nicotine stopped, blood pressure controlled, blood thinners reviewed, a stable weight, and a full medical history
Medical clearance and lab work for every patient, and a pre-operative appointment covering the medications, supplements and alcohol to avoid for two weeks before surgery
Surgery in a QUAD A accredited facility with a board-certified anesthesiologist for the whole case
A surgeon whose practice is facial surgery, a lift carried by the deep layer, skin trimmed without pulling, and incisions inside the folds of the ear and along the hairline
Gentle technique with minimal bleeding and bruising, and a compression dressing for the first days
The first night with a nurse or a caregiver who watches for a hematoma, then follow-up visits through the first weeks and months

How much does a facelift cost in Beverly Hills?

Our facial plastic surgeon's fee for a face and neck lift is $45,500 to $65,500, and for a revision face and neck lift, after a previous facelift by any surgeon, $60,000 to $75,000; a revision facelift without the neck is $40,000 to $60,000. Those are surgeon's fees: the operating room and anesthesia are quoted with them at the consultation, so your written quote is one figure, and it moves with what is combined. A mini facelift and a neck lift on its own are quoted at the consultation; an eyelid lift, fat grafting or a brow lift added to the plan is set in your quote. Every quote is itemized, from the surgeon's fee and the anesthesiologist to your follow-up visits, with no second invoice after surgery.

The price reflects what is behind it: a surgeon whose practice is facial surgery, a board-certified anesthesiologist, an accredited facility and a nurse for the first night. For context, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons puts the national average surgeon's fee for a facelift at $11,395, before anesthesia, the operating room and follow-up. Please do not fall for cheap or fast plastic surgery: a facelift at a fraction of this price is usually a skin-only lift, and revising it costs more than the original surgery would have done well. Our facelift cost guide explains what a quote is made of and the questions to ask any surgeon.

Consultation fee and financing

A consultation is $500, or $1,500 for a revision consultation, credited in full toward your surgery. To pay over time, the practice partners with Cherry, its primary financing partner, and also accepts CareCredit and Alphaeon Credit; see financing and payment plans. A facelift is cosmetic surgery and is not covered by insurance; the office does not bill insurance, but can give you the paperwork after surgery if you want to submit a claim.

Your consultation

It starts with a free 15-minute discovery call with our Patient Concierge, who answers your first questions and books your consultation with our facial plastic surgeon: in person on Rodeo Drive or, for out-of-town patients, by private video consultation through OnPatient, the HIPAA-secure patient portal. He examines the elasticity of your skin, the bone structure of the jaw and chin, how far the cheek fat has descended, the tone of the platysma and the neck, reviews your medical history and medications, and looks at photographs of similar patients with you. Then he tells you plainly which operation your face needs, and you leave with an itemized written quote.

Like yourself, just more refreshed

I want every patient to look like themselves, just more refreshed. Facelifts at our practice are performed by our board-certified facial plastic surgeon, a colleague I have worked alongside for more than a decade, and they are held to the standard I hold every surgery here to: a plan made on your own anatomy, incisions you cannot find, and a face that is never over-pulled.

Dr. Cat Begovic, MD, FACSBoard-certified plastic surgeon, Beverly Hills

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Ready to look like yourself, just more refreshed?

A face and neck lift by our board-certified facial plastic surgeon, with a board-certified anesthesiologist in the practice's accredited surgery center on Rodeo Drive, incisions you cannot find and no pulled look. It starts with a free 15-minute discovery call.