There’s a new generation of plastic surgery patients getting facelifts. But patients in their 30s to 50s aren’t looking for a dramatic overhaul. Enter the “quiet facelift,” the latest buzzworthy term to describe a subtle, youth-preserving approach tailored to younger patients.
Featured Experts
- Raman C. Mahabir, MD is a board-certified plastic surgeon based in Tuscon, AZ
- Lee Ann M. Klausner, MD is a board-certified plastic surgeon based in New York
- Kimberly J. Lee, MD is a board-certified plastic surgeon based in Beverly Hills, CA
- Daniel J. Liebertz, MD is a board-certified plastic surgeon based in Kirkland, WA
What Is a “Quiet Facelift?”
“The quiet facelift is a more subtle, less dramatic version of the traditional facelift, gaining popularity as younger patients seek facial rejuvenation to prevent rather than correct signs of aging later in life,” explains Beverly Hills, CA plastic surgeon Kimberly Lee, MD.
The goal for a quiet facelift is not necessarily to take years off a patient but to preserve how they look now.
“In the past, the average age for getting a facelift was in the 50s or 60s, when patients sought more dramatic changes to address visible signs of aging,” Dr. Lee explains. “However, there has been a shift, with patients in their late 30s and 40s opting for facelifts to preserve their youthful appearance and prevent signs of aging. These patients aren’t looking for drastic changes, but rather more natural, subtle results.”
To accomplish those results, Tuscon, AZ plastic surgeon Raman C. Mahabir explains that a comprehensive approach is necessary. From pre-surgery preparation and post-operation care to in-surgery technique, an undetectable result requires a body ready for surgery, a surgeon who can place incisions with an artistic eye, and a care plan to make healing speedy. “With this holistic, integrative approach, we’ve been able to get people back to their normal lives very quickly after facial rejuvenation surgery,” Dr. Mahabir says. “When done intentionally and thoroughly, we can give a patient a very nice, natural and authentic facial rejuvenation while still looking like themselves, while getting them back in the public eye very quickly after surgery.”
Refreshed, Natural and Undetectable
“Patients today want to look better, not different,” explains New York facial plastic surgeon Lee Ann M. Klausner, MD.
Alongside shifting expectations, practitioners have refined their techniques.
“A quiet facelift is really the facelift that leaves the patient looking and feeling rejuvenated,” explains Dr. Mahabir. “It corrects the issues that patients want corrected, but at the same time, the changes are subtle and wouldn’t be noticed by most. The recovery time is often very short. That means people can be back out in public very quickly, without obvious signs of a surgical procedure.”
Who Is the “Quiet Facelift” For?
“The quiet facelift is designed to enhance your features in an undetectable way—lifting and rejuvenating the face without the obvious signs of surgery,” says Dr. Lee. “This modern approach addresses early signs of aging, particularly sagging skin in the lower face, to maintain a youthful, refreshed look.”
Because the goal here is a refreshed look, not a dramatic change, quiet facelifts tend to be most successful on younger patients.
“The most common age for a quiet facelift is going to be in the 35 to 50-year range,” Dr. Mahabir explains. “During this phase, patients start to see some facial aging, but it’s fairly minor. That means the correction does not need to be dramatic or severe. For these patients, we can give them a very natural, soft correction with minimal downtime. As people grow older, over 50, they start to have age-related changes that are still correctable and still something that we can give them a very nice and natural result with, but the change is more dramatic.”
Quiet Facelift vs. Mini-Facelift
According to Dr. Mahabir, the quiet facelift and the mini-facelift are just trendy terms that refer to the same thing. “A mini facelift, like a quiet facelift, can include the lower face, neck cheeks, or even the eyelids,” Dr. Mahabir says. “All of this can be done in ways that minimize the downtime and recovery. And more importantly, minimize the visibility to other people.”
Similarly to the quiet facelift, the average age for a mini-lift is also getting younger. “The age of my average mini-lift patient has been getting younger over the last few years,” explains Kirkland, WA facial plastic surgeon Daniel J. Liebertz, MD. “Traditionally, mini lifts were being performed on people in their mid-to-early 50s, but now most of my mini lift patients are in their 40s.”
And just like the mini-facelift, the quiet facelift is really about customizing procedure plans for the patient. “They may or may not include a deep plane technique, and they are flexible in their design, catering to the patient’s main concerns,” Dr. Klausner explains.
