Common Facelift Questions — Austin Metropolitan Area
February 21, 2026 | Facelift
Here are the most common questions asked about facelifts in the Austin metropolitan
area in the last three months on Google.
Cost and Value
How much does a facelift cost in Austin?
Reliable data on facelift cost in Austin is difficult to obtain. Most surgeons do not list cost
on their website. Additionally, given that procedure options are customized for the
patient, it is difficult to provide a precise number over the internet. From market
research that I have been able to perform, an estimate for the cost in the Austin
metropolitan area for total all-in cost is between $20,000 and $50,000.
Does insurance cover a facelift?
No, insurance does not cover the cost of a facelift. Insurance covers procedures that
are considered medically indicated, meaning they solve a medical problem related to
function of the human body. A facelift is considered an entirely cosmetic procedure, and
therefore is not covered by insurance. Your insurance, however, may cover the cost of
some of the preoperative process such as visiting with your primary care doctor,
obtaining labs, and an EKG if required. Also, your insurance may cover prescription
medications associated with your procedure.
Is a facelift worth it?
This is an impossible question to truly answer. Ultimately a patient can decide both
before and after a facelift if it is going to be worth it, and if it was worth it. From my
perspective as a medical professional, I believe a facelift is definitely worth the cost and
the time for recovery. Facelifts provide a fundamental and long-lasting change. Facelifts
offer changes that cannot be obtained by lasers, fillers, toxins, or other superficial or
even deep skin treatments combined. Generally facelifts are performed with relatively
low risk and with higher reward. In that sense, facelifts are very much worth it.
Choosing a Surgeon
How do I find a board certified facelift surgeon in Austin?
First of all, we need to define what a facelift surgeon is. A facelift surgeon is a surgeon
who performs facelifts. Most of the surgeons performing facelifts are either board
certified Plastic Surgeons or board certified Facial Plastic Surgeons. It’s important to
recognize that there is nothing inherently more qualifying about someone being a Facial
Plastic Surgeon in comparison to being a board certified Plastic Surgeon. Said another
way, despite having the word facial in the title, Plastic Surgeons and Facial Plastic
Surgeons are equally qualified to perform facelifts. Plastic Surgeons undergo extensive
training for at least six years focused on both Facial Plastic Surgery and body plastic
surgery. In that sense, if you look at what Facial Plastic Surgeon means and you look at
the training of board certified Plastic Surgeons, what you will know is that board certified
Plastic Surgeons truly are facial aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, as well as having exposure
to surgery of the breast and body. This combination of a keen understanding of facial
anatomy, Facial Plastic Surgery techniques, and plastic surgical techniques for the
breast and body allows board certified Plastic Surgeons to have a broad experience in
cosmetic surgery with knowledge that creates synergy of innovation and experience to
deliver incredibly natural and transformational results. So in order to find a facelift
surgeon, seek surgeons that do facelifts, then verify what field they are board certified
in, and then recognize that there are different pathways to become a facelift surgeon.
Evaluate surgeons based on their experience, their training, their ability to listen to you
and interact with you well, and their pre- and postoperative results.
What questions should I ask before a facelift?
Some of this question is answered by the content above. Other questions to ask are:
how many years of experience do you have?
What is the difference between a plastic surgeon and a facial plastic surgeon?
A lot of this question is answered above. It’s worth emphasizing that there is nothing
particularly more qualifying about having the term Facial Plastic Surgeon in one’s title.
Facial Plastic Surgeons undergo an ears, nose, and throat residency for between five
and six years. Much of this time is spent learning about non-cosmetic procedures
associated with those anatomic regions. They do also get some exposure to cosmetic
surgery of the face. To be a Facial Plastic Surgeon they have to go on and do a one-
year fellowship focused on Facial Plastic Surgery, which again may be a mix of
cosmetic and reconstructive surgery, but definitely does give them exposure to facelift
surgery education. A board certified Plastic Surgeon is someone who did a six-year
residency in Plastic Surgery. That residency is one that focused on Facial Plastic
Surgery and body plastic surgery simultaneously, providing a synergy of experiences.
Some of that exposure will have been cosmetic surgery, also known as aesthetic
surgery. Some of that exposure will have been reconstructive surgery, both of the face
and of the body. Board certified Plastic Surgeons definitely have had significant
exposure and developed significant experience in facelift procedures by the end of their
Plastic Surgery residency. Depending on the training program, a Plastic Surgeon by the
end of their training may have had less, the same, or even more exposure to facelift
surgery than a person who completed an ears, nose, and throat residency, and then
went on to do a one-year Facial Plastic Surgery fellowship. Some board certified Plastic
Surgeons, such as myself, Adam Bryce Weinfeld, M.D. in Austin, Texas, went on to do
additional fellowship training in cosmetic surgery. For example, I did two six-month
fellowships that had a significant focus on facelift surgery. To help avoid confusion and
to help patients from underestimating the nature of my experience and training, I, like
many board certified Plastic Surgeons, have recently recognized the necessity to use
the term facial aesthetic Plastic Surgeon, so that patients have an accurate
understanding of our experience and expertise.
Procedure Differences
What is the difference between a mini facelift and a full facelift?
The difference between a mini facelift and a facelift is to some degree terminology.
Usually a mini facelift refers to a facelift with shorter scars. Sometimes it’s called a short
scar facelift. Usually the scars that are not performed in a mini facelift or in a short scar
facelift are those that go around the temple and those that extend behind the ear into
the posterior scalp hairline. A facelift proper, or perhaps traditional facelift, includes
those incisions. Those incisions and therefore scars are very much well worth it
because it gives better access to the facial anatomy and allows the deep plane or high
SMAS facelift to be performed with its greatest degree of power. I often urge patients
not to get hung up on terminology, but to focus on the results they desire. In most
circumstances, a facelift, or a traditional facelift, or a full facelift refers to a procedure
that offers the ability for a more comprehensive change.
What is a deep plane facelift?
A deep plane facelift is a facelift where a composite flap containing both skin, the malar
fat pad, and the SMAS or subcutaneous musculo aponeurotic system are maintained as
one tissue block and are entered at specific locations over the cheekbone and over the
jaw. There are many variations that are being performed now that actually make the
distinction between the high SMAS facelift and a deep plane facelift somewhat blurry.
What is a ponytail lift?
A ponytail lift is a facelift that is performed using an endoscope through smaller incisions
located in the scalp and behind the ear. It is part of a broader category of procedures
called an endoscopic facelift. Please refer to my recent blog for additional details.
What is a scarless facelift?
The first thing to know about a scarless facelift is that it is not actually scarless. A
scarless facelift does have less scars. But because there are incisions there are
ultimately scars. The key to a scarless facelift is that the scars are located in areas
where they are almost impossible to see. This strategy therefore creates a natural result
in patients who don’t need skin to be removed and just need reshaping of their face. In
my opinion, a better term for a scarless facelift is a hidden scar facelift or a hidden scar
endoscopic facelift.
Is an endoscopic facelift better than a traditional facelift?
Obviously the question about whether an endoscopic facelift is better than a traditional
facelift is one that is going to be different for every patient. The advantages of an
endoscopic facelift are that the scars are located in locations which are hidden quite
well and therefore, for practical purposes, are invisible. A scarless facelift is ideal for
patients who would benefit from the deep changes that occur with a traditional deep
plane or high SMAS facelift, but don’t have the excess skin that needs to be removed,
and therefore don’t need extensive incisions to remove the excess skin. So there is a
patient population — those who have aging faces with volume sinking down their face,
but don’t have excess skin. Many patients who are older, for example those who are in their late 40s, 50s, and 60s, will likely benefit from traditional facelifts, whereas patients
who are in their 30s and early to mid 40s are those who will benefit from both the
ponytail facelift, the scarless facelift, or the hidden scar endoscopic facelift, all of which
have significant overlaps and similarities.
Recovery
How long is facelift recovery?
There are multiple ways to think about recovery. One way to think about facelift
recovery is how long a patient will have discomfort. Interestingly enough, facelifts do not
have a lot of discomfort associated with them in most individuals. The maximal
timeframe for discomfort is at one, two, and three days. Another way to think about
facelift recovery is with regard to swelling and bruising. Swelling maximizes in the three
to five day timeframe and then starts to decrease relatively rapidly. Bruising may be
noted immediately and goes through a phase of being bluish to being yellowish over a
period of seven to ten days. Incisions can remain red for two to three weeks, but can be
hidden by makeup within one week in most instances. Patients can return to strenuous
physical exercise between two and four weeks depending on the specifics of their
procedure. Most people return to work at about two weeks, although some patients do
so even earlier and sometimes people need a longer recovery.
When can I go back to work after a facelift?
Return to work after a facelift is variable, depending on the procedure performed, the
amount of bruising and swelling, the patient’s concern about people knowing that they
had surgery, and the nature of the work. For desk jobs done remotely, patients can
return relatively quickly within a couple of days and certainly by a week. If a patient has
to go into the office, they could do so at day seven perhaps if they don’t mind people
knowing that they might have had a facelift. If they are in the public eye and don’t want
people to know that they had a facial plastic surgery procedure, they may care to wait
three to four weeks.
How long does swelling last after a facelift?
In a scientific sense, swelling lasts up to three months after a facelift. Swelling is also
called edema, and we know that in most surgeries some degree of edema can last
three months and, for example, on a rhinoplasty can last up to a full year. I think a better
answer to the question of how long swelling lasts after a facelift really relates to how
long a facelift patient looks like they’ve had a facelift. I give an answer to that above. But
in a practical sense, with regard to returning back to work and the ability for people to
know that they’ve had a facelift, I would say that that timeframe can be as short as one
week and in some patients up to three weeks.
Results
How long does a facelift last?
The question of how long a facelift lasts is another one of those questions that has a
non-definitive answer. I like to tell patients that a facelift turns back the clock, but doesn’tstop the clock. However, fortunately, not only does it turn back the clock, but it slows
down the clock. Patients often report that they feel like they look 10 to 15 and even in
some patients 20 years younger. So one way to think about it is that a facelift could last
somewhere between 10 and 20 years.
Will I look natural after a facelift?
After the initial phase of recovery, patients who have undergone a high-quality facelift by
a skilled facelift surgeon will look natural. The important thing is that the technique
should be performed in a way so as not to lift or pull the face, but to shape the face.
Adam Bryce Weinfeld’s Triax deep plane facelift is specifically designed to not just pull
or lift the tissues but to shape them as well. That’s an important thing, and it’s done in a
way that limits distortions around the ears and the hairline, and is also designed in a
way to create high-quality scars by reducing tension on the incision line.
Will people be able to tell I had a facelift?
I always tell patients that if I’ve done my job well, their friends and family should notice
that something has changed. One has to ask if the results from a facelift are so subtle
that no one knows that they had something done — was it even worth it at all? That’s
kind of a complex answer. A very general answer is that in most instances, after
someone has undergone the initial healing from a facelift, friends, family, and strangers
do not know that they’ve had a facelift.
Candidacy
Am I too young for a facelift?
It used to be that most people seeking facelifts were in their mid to late 50s up until their
80s and 90s, and I used to tell patients that somewhere in the late 50s was the sweet
spot for a facelift. However, now with improved techniques and a greater social
acceptance of facial aesthetic Plastic Surgery, many patients in their early to mid 40s
are seeking facelifts, and patients in their mid to late 30s are seeking endoscopic upper
facelifts and endoscopic facelifts.
Am I too old for a facelift?
The question of whether someone is too old to have a facelift obviously has a lot to do
with the patient themselves. There is definitely no age over which a patient cannot have
a facelift. If a patient is healthy and there are no contraindications to having surgery,
then a facelift can be performed independent of age. One important thing to mention,
however, is that sometimes patients who are in their 70s, 80s, and 90s have so much
extra skin and have poor elasticity of their skin that they can have some residual loose
skin after a face and neck lift procedure. Nonetheless, these patients who have had a
positive improvement, even with a small amount of loose skin after the facelift, tend to
be extremely happy. I myself have done facelifts on patients in their mid to late 80s
safely and with significant success, resulting in happy people.
Can men get facelifts?
Yes, men can have facelifts. There are some important considerations that need to bemade when performing a facelift on a man. The pattern of the incisions can be a little bit
different than those in women because of having beard hair, and the shape desired is
one that is different from females who seek to have increased femininity as part of their
facelift.
Combining Procedures
Should I get a brow lift at the same time as a facelift?
The question of whether someone should undergo a brow lift at the same time as a
facelift is an important one and one that I spend a lot of time discussing with patients
frequently. I like to explain to patients that a brow lift essentially is a facelift for the upper
third of the face. What people think of as a facelift traditionally is lifting the middle and
lower third of the face, and it almost always is combined with a neck lift, which obviously
addresses the neck. Facial aging does not occur in a way limited to the lower two thirds
of the face and the neck, so to create a comprehensive natural look, often a brow lift is
indicated. Not only that, the anatomy of the upper third of the face, i.e., the area where
the brow sits, is linked to the anatomy of the lower part of the face and the neck, and so
to address all of them together allows for a comprehensive, meaningful change that is
natural and long lasting.
Should I combine a facelift with a neck lift?
The answer to this question is yes. Many patients come in seeking a neck lift, and I
have to educate them about the fact that a facelift almost always has to be performed
along with a neck lift. The exception is the younger patient who has no facial aging, but
has a lot of bulk in their neck. Those are the rare examples of a patient who can
undergo an isolated neck lift. With regard to whether a patient having a facelift should
also have a neck lift, the answer to this is almost always yes. The facial tissues and the
neck tissues age at roughly the same period of time and therefore generally are better
treated together. Plus, there are some specific anatomic reasons with regard to how
procedures are performed and where incisions are placed that almost always makes it
important to perform a neck lift along with a facelift, so as to avoid an unnatural result, in
particular in the areas around the lower portion of the ear. To learn more about neck lifts visit the Dr. Weinfeld’s main Facelift and Neck lift Page.
Can I get eyelid surgery at the same time as a facelift?
Eyelid surgery definitely can be performed at the same time as a facelift, and this
combination is a very frequent one. Eyelid surgery can really enhance the results of a
facelift because having a younger face with less drooping skin, but having excess skin,
wrinkles, and bags in the eyelids can create a distracting look that appears unnatural. To learn more about eyelid surgery, visit Dr. Weinfeld’s main eyelid surgery page.
For more information on facelifts visit the Dr. Weinfeld’s Main Facelift Page.
Author – Dr. Adam Weinfeld, M.D., Board Certified Plastic Surgeon, Facial Aesthetic Plastic Surgeon with 17 years experience and additional fellowship training. For a consultation visit the contact page.