Truth about how long facelifts really last: Inside the invasive surgery with a shelf life

Everywhere from Hollywood to Manhattan’s Upper East Side, it seems like both women and men are going all-in on the facelift. 

But somewhere between Kris Jenner’s facelift and your aunt’s one-and-done surgery, the truth about how long these procedures actually hold up seems to have gotten lost in the process.

The pricey procedure, sometimes costing over $100,000, is meant to make patients look younger, as it removes or repositions skin and muscle to improve signs of aging in the face and neck areas.

Although the facelift is nothing new, it’s definitely become a topic that’s less taboo to discuss over dinner with friends. Even celebrities are now sharing the names of their own surgeons and exactly what they’ve had done. 

Last year, Kardashian matriarch Kris Jenner, 70, went viral after she debuted her new visage, done by famed plastic surgeon Dr Steven M Levine – dubbed the ‘facelift maestro’ – to achieve her noticeably refreshed look.

Denise Richards, 55, also followed suit, undergoing a dramatic lift by Beverly Hills surgeon Dr Ben Talei last year, along with a temporal brow lift, upper blepharoplasty, lip lift and fat grafting.

But while some onlookers are hailing these facelifts as an ultimate miracle, it’s important to understand just how long their results are likely to last, especially if you’re considering going under the knife any time soon.

And, hint: it won’t last forever.

‘A facelift typically lasts 10 years, and often longer,’ New York City-based plastic surgeon Dr Ira Savetsky, who has performed many celebrity face lifts, told the Daily Mail.

‘It doesn’t stop aging—it resets the tissues to a more youthful position, while gravity, collagen loss, skin laxity and volume changes continue over time,’ Dr Savetsky explained.

He said that although facelifts are meant for a ‘long-term’ and ‘durable improvement,’ it’s not a ‘permanent result,’  

‘There is no specific expiration date,’ he said.

Dr David Shafer, of Manhattan’s Shafer Clinic Fifth Avenue, agreed that a facelift can ‘reset the aging clock,’ but it won’t stop you from aging.

‘A good rule of thumb is that a facelift rejuvenates your appearance by about 10 years,’ Dr Shafer told the Daily Mail.

‘Results depend on technique, age, skin quality, lifestyle and continued maintenance treatments,’ the plastic surgeon said. 

So, although your facelift may not look impeccably intact when you’re 80, it can still provide a dramatic difference in your appearance. 

Dr Shafer also explained that facelift procedures are becoming more and more sophisticated as time goes on.

Now, many procedures include structural tissue rearrangement, volume replacement, bio stimulation with PRP/PRF, and energy-based resurfacing, he said. 

However, it’s definitely not uncommon for results of a facelift to change over time.

‘It is normal,’ Dr Shafer told the Daily Mail.

‘As the tissues settle and patients continue to age, the appearance will evolve,’ he said.

Because of this, many patients will opt for maintenance treatments, like Botox, filler and even ‘metabolic interventions’ like GLP-1s.

‘The goal is for those changes to occur gradually and naturally,’ Dr Savetsky explained.

But at the end of the day, some still may be left unhappy with their facelift procedure – as it was rumored that Jenner herself was, something she later debunked. 

However, if you are feeling this way, Dr Savetsky warned not to ‘rush’ into getting another procedure.  

‘First, give your face adequate time to heal, then discuss your concerns openly with your surgeon,’ he told the Daily Mail.

‘If you’re still not satisfied, seek a second opinion from a board-certified plastic surgeon experienced in facelift and revision surgery,’ he said.

‘They can help determine whether the issue is correctable and what the safest options are.’