Where Are Facelift Scars Located — and How Do Surgeons Make Them Nearly Invisible?
February 19, 2026 | Uncategorized
Facelifts are powerful procedures that turn back the clock — restoring youthful contour,
shape, and volume to the face. But to do that well, we need incisions. Those incisions
allow us to access the deeper tissue planes where the real lifting happens. The key is
knowing exactly where to place them, and using specific techniques to make them as
inconspicuous as possible.
Here are the five strategies I rely on:
- The Pretrichal Incision at the Hairline
When placing the incision along the temporal hairline, I cut through the first hair follicle
at the hairline’s edge — and I do it at an angle so that hair actually grows through the
scar. I also make this incision wavy, mimicking the natural irregularity of the hairline
itself. Both of these things together make it remarkably hard to detect. - The Pre-Auricular Incision at the Upper Ear
At the upper half of the ear, I place the incision just in front of the root of the helix,
maintaining a consistent width equal to the helix itself. This creates a continuous,
natural-looking border from the superior helix down to the root — nothing looks
interrupted or out of place. - The Intertragal Incision
For most patients, I use an intertragal incision — meaning the incision runs along the
transition between the front-facing surface of the tragus and the posterior hidden portion
behind it. This keeps the scar tucked along a natural boundary that the eye simply
doesn’t notice. But placement alone isn’t enough. I also remove a small amount of fat
beneath the skin in the pretragal hollow, which restores the natural contour of that area.
Preserving that subtle depression is what makes the tragus look like a tragus — not like
something was done there. - Preserving the Earlobe Crease
I leave about 1mm of skin around the incisura lobularis — that little notch at the base of
the earlobe. This preserves the natural crease so it still exists in the final result. It’s a
small detail that makes a big difference in how natural everything looks. - The Postauricular Incision Behind the Ear
The transmastoid incision — the one that runs behind the ear — gets placed as high as
the skin will comfortably tolerate without tension. Higher placement keeps it hidden and
reduces the risk of the scar migrating downward over time.
These five decisions define not just where the scars live, but how they’re executed.
Done well, most patients are genuinely surprised by how little there is to see — and
that’s exactly the point.
Author – Dr. Adam Weinfeld, M.D., Austin, Texas, Facial Aesthetic Plastic Surgery