Facelift

Dr. Olivier Deigni performs facelift surgery (rhytidectomy) at his Houston practice to address jowling, mid-face descent, deep nasolabial folds, and neck laxity that develop with age. Facelift surgery at the practice involves repositioning the SMAS (superficial muscular aponeurotic system) layer — the deep facial soft tissue — rather than relying solely on skin tightening, producing results that appear natural and age-appropriate rather than over-pulled. Neck lift is frequently combined in the same session to address platysmal banding and submental fullness, and fat transfer can be added to restore facial volume lost to the ageing process.

Facelift surgery at Deigni Plastic Surgery in Houston is performed with a focus on anatomically grounded, SMAS-based tissue repositioning that delivers facial rejuvenation that reads as a refreshed, rested appearance rather than the wind-blown or over-tightened look that results from skin-only techniques. Dr. Olivier Deigni's double-fellowship training — including a dedicated aesthetic surgery fellowship under the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery's endorsed program — provides the technical foundation to work in the deep plane of the face safely and precisely, where the greatest and longest-lasting rejuvenation can be achieved. The SMAS (superficial muscular aponeurotic system) is a fibromuscular layer that connects facial muscles to the overlying skin and descends with age, pulling the cheeks, jowls, and neck with it. SMAS-based facelift techniques release, reposition, and re-suspend this layer to its youthful position — restoring the cheek highlight and mid-face fullness that characterise a younger facial silhouette — before the overlying skin is re-draped with minimal tension. This division of roles between the deep and superficial layers is the key to producing scars that are fine, low-tension, and positioned discreetly within or immediately adjacent to natural contours around the ear, temple hairline, and posterior scalp. Neck lift is performed concurrently in the majority of facelift cases at Deigni Plastic Surgery to address platysmal banding — the vertical cords in the neck that become prominent with age — via platysmaplasty (suturing the medial edges of the platysma muscle together at the midline), along with direct removal or conservative liposuction of submental fat. Combined facelift and neck lift produces a cohesive rejuvenation of the lower face and neck as a single anatomical unit. Facial fat transfer, using purified fat harvested from the abdomen or flanks, can be added to restore deflation in the temples, cheeks, and perioral region — addressing the volume loss component of facial ageing that cannot be corrected by lifting alone. The full recovery process after facelift surgery spans two to four weeks before most social visibility, with residual swelling settling over three to four months. All facelift procedures at Deigni Plastic Surgery Houston are performed under general anaesthesia at a hospital-grade affiliated facility.