SMAS Facelift London

SMAS Facelift surgery is performed under general anaesthetic which means most Facelift surgeries at 111 Harley St. are performed in one of our partnering hospitals which are located on Harley Street as well as Chelsea, and Battersea.

Once you’re asleep, after the anaesthesia has been administered by our Head Anaesthetist, Hish, you can expect Dr Yannis to then begin making the initial incisions. Typically, a Facelift surgery can be split up into the following categories:

1. Incision making to reveal the muscles beneath

2. Repositioning and elevation of the SMAS

3. Removing of excess skin

4. Closing the incisions

Once all the above steps are complete, Dr Yannis will then move to the next side. Typically, this procedure can take around 2-3 hours. You’ll wake up once the surgery is over and rest in a private room – in the care of our expert team. When you feel up to it, you can then return home or, depending on Dr Yannis’ wishes, you may need to stay overnight.

We always advise our patients to have a loved one or friend come and collect them from to hospital as you may be feeling groggy after the surgery.

Around a week later, you’ll have your first post-op appointment with our Surgical Nurse or Surgical Theatre Practitioner. In these appointments, our Surgical Team will clean the area and remove any stitches and these post-ops can continue weekly depending on your healing progress.

Generally, Facelift scars are visible but they do gradually fade in the months after the procedure. Below is an image of what you can expect a typical Facelift recovery to look like.

The type of scarring can also depend on the technique the surgeon uses and the neatness of the stitching. Often Dr Yannis prefers to use a peri-audial stitch, meaning that the incision created is in the crease between the ear and the cheek, and extends behind the ear. In terms of neatness, many of Dr Yannis patients comment on how neat his stitches are.

To improve the appearance of the scars, we also give our patients Dr Yannis’ Dramatic Healing Serum which inspired the creation of his skincare brand, 111SKIN. The Healing Serum can be used on scars morning and night and will help reduce inflammation and leave the skin looking flawless.

Alongside the Dramatic Healing Serum, we also provide bespoke aftercare programs to enhance your post-op appearance. This includes undergoing LED Light Therapy, which is when you sit under mixed, low-level lights to accelerate the closure of dermal wounds.

Additionally, to LED treatments, we have an abundance of Non-Surgical Treatments that can further enhance your Facelift results and assist your recovery. Lymphatic massage is one of them. Endermologie is a painless, relaxing treatment that involves our Surgical Nurse Zuzana, massaging the face with a motorized roller specially designed to mobilise fluid in the body to reduce swelling and tone, firm and smooth the face post-op.

Dr Yannis highly recommends the Deep Plane Facelift for longevity. The Deep Plane Facelift works on a deeper level than a SMAS Facelift and where the SMAS Facelift lasts around 10-15 years, the Deep Plane Facelift can last around 15-20 years.

Whenever choosing a Harley Street clinic you expect the best. Our clinic is an embodiment of the expertise and aesthetic advancements and technologies you would expect on Harley Street, but with a welcoming environment to match. Our team, who have recently been shortlisted for ‘Best Clinic Team’, are not cold or clinical. In addition to being highly professional and experienced, they are extremely personable and friendly to help put you at ease as we know best that surgery is nothing to be taken lightly!

Of course! Natural looking Facelifts are Dr Yannis’ speciality. Looking pulled or stretched are words used to describe a badly performed Facelift so it’s key to go to a reputable surgeon to ensure you no adverse effects occur.

With Dr Yannis’ expertise he will give you results that ensure you still look like yourself, just a younger, refreshed version of you!

As a Facelift tightens the skin, a Facelift can help acne scars – especially sunken, rolling scars or indented ones – as it may help smooth the skin and overall improve the skin’s texture and pitted-ness.

Your surgeon will confirm this. However, a Facelift is not the procedure we would typically advise for acne. We have a range of resurfacing laser treatments, or Chemical Peels or Microneedling treatments which can help acne much more effectively than a Facelift would.

Definitely! Reducing wrinkles, deep nasolabial folds and furrows is one of the biggest benefits of a Facelift.

After a Facelift, the skin will be firmer and tauter, so expect any wrinkles, fine lines and jowling to be greatly reduced.

A lot of people want to know if a Facelift lasts forever, and the answer is no. Unfortunately, even after a Facelift your skin is still affected by time and gravity, and while a Facelift will temporarily slow the signs of ageing down, they typically last anywhere between 10-20 years depending on the technique used and the person’s individual lifestyle factors.

This is because the repositioning of the muscles using sutures gradually gets weakened through muscle movements and facial expressions.

If you are noticing the effects of your Facelift becoming less pronounced as they once were, a secondary Facelift can restore the originally effects of your first one.