Facelift (Rhytidectomy)

Surgical facelift (rhytidectomy) on the Sunshine Coast QLD to address facial ageing including jowling, mid-face descent, deep nasolabial folds, and neck laxity. SMAS-layer tightening techniques restore youthful facial contours with natural-looking, long-lasting results. Performed under general anaesthesia by a FRACS-qualified plastic surgeon. Can be combined with necklift, blepharoplasty, or fat grafting.

Facelift surgery at Sunshine Coast Plastic Surgery addresses the structural and superficial changes of facial ageing that non-surgical treatments cannot fully correct: descent of the mid-face causing deep nasolabial folds and flattened cheeks, jowling from ptosis of the lateral face and loss of jawline definition, platysmal banding and skin laxity in the neck, and the overall loss of the smooth triangular facial contour associated with youth. The procedure is performed under general anaesthesia, with incisions placed in the natural hairline creases in front of and behind the ear, extending into the scalp for concealment. The key to natural and lasting facelift outcomes is repositioning the SMAS (Superficial Muscular Aponeurotic System) — the fibromuscular layer below the skin that connects the superficial facial muscles — by lifting it in a more vertical direction rather than pulling the skin horizontally, which produces the stigmatised 'windswept' result of older facelift techniques. SMAS-based techniques performed at the Sunshine Coast include the SMASectomy (excision of a strip of SMAS) and SMAS plication (folding and suturing the SMAS without excision) for standard cases; and deep plane techniques that release the key facial ligaments to allow the mid-face fat compartments to be physically repositioned for patients with significant mid-face descent. A concurrent necklift — using a separate submental incision to address neck skin laxity, platysmal banding, and submental fat — is commonly performed at the same operative session. Blepharoplasty (eyelid surgery) and fat grafting to restore facial volume can also be combined. Recovery follows a predictable course: swelling and bruising peak at five to seven days and resolve progressively over two to four weeks; sutures are removed at seven to ten days; social presentability returns at two to three weeks; and the final refined result is visible at three to six months. Results from SMAS-based facelifts in Queensland and Australia typically last eight to twelve years. Patients from Brisbane and across Southeast Queensland travel to Sunshine Coast specialist practices for facelift consultations.