Facelift (Rhytidectomy)

Facelift (rhytidectomy) performed by board-certified Northwestern University plastic surgeons at the Streeterville campus to address jowling, mid-face descent, deep nasolabial folds, and neck laxity. The procedure repositions the SMAS layer and re-drapes skin through incisions placed at the hairline and around the ear. Local sedation or general anesthesia with an approximately 24-hour hospital stay for more extensive cases. Neck lifts, brow lifts, and blepharoplasty are frequently combined in the same surgical session.

Facelift surgery at Northwestern Plastic Surgery addresses the anatomical changes of facial ageing through a SMAS-based repositioning technique performed by attending plastic surgeons who also hold academic appointments at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. A full rhytidectomy targets the convergence of tissue descent, skin laxity, and volume redistribution that produces jowling along the jawline, deepened nasolabial folds from mid-face ptosis, and neck banding from platysmal muscle laxity. The surgeon elevates and repositions the Superficial Musculo-Aponeurotic System — the fascial layer beneath the skin — superiorly and posteriorly to restore structural support before re-draping and removing redundant skin. This approach produces a natural, durable result by correcting the underlying tissue displacement rather than relying on skin tension alone. Incisions are placed within or adjacent to the hairline at the temples, in the natural crease anterior to the ear, and posteriorly behind the ear to minimise visible scarring. Northwestern's published price range of $3,800 to $21,000 reflects the wide variation between a limited mini-facelift performed under local anesthesia with sedation and an extended SMAS facelift combined with neck lift and ancillary procedures under general anesthesia with an overnight hospital stay. The practice also offers cheek lifts (mid-face lift) and isolated neck lifts (platysmaplasty with or without submental liposuction) for patients whose ageing is anatomically localised. Combination with upper or lower blepharoplasty, or temporal brow lift, is common. The academic setting provides access to the full perioperative infrastructure of Northwestern Memorial Hospital, including board-certified anaesthesiologists, intensive monitoring, and inpatient recovery facilities when clinically indicated.