Home · Procedures · Facelift in Turkey
Facelift in Turkey, the process, the healing, and what I wish I’d known
A facelift isn't rejuvenation, it's tightening: it brings back contours that have dropped, cheeks, jawline, neck. It doesn't change the skin itself or your expression. Understand that beforehand and you'll be happy afterwards.
My connection to this surgeon
I was a patient of the specialist I refer you to. I was so convinced by his work that I chose to work with him. On site, his clinic team looks after you, English-speaking, from the airport to the last check-up. He speaks English himself; your consent conversation happens without an interpreter. For legal reasons I don't publish his name. You learn it later in the process, once you have signed a short agreement with me and your photos are in for his assessment.
What a facelift is
Through incisions along the hairline and around the ear, the skin and the underlying connective-tissue layer (SMAS) are tightened and repositioned; excess skin is removed. The neck is usually treated too. There are many variants, mini lift, SMAS lift, deep-plane lift, differing in depth and extent.
Often combined with eyelid surgery or fat grafting. Every combination lengthens the anaesthetic.
Who it suits, and who it doesn’t
Suitable usually from the mid-forties for dropped cheeks, jowls, a soft jawline and loose neck, in good health with stable weight.
Not: with nicotine (much higher risk of skin necrosis), with uncontrolled blood pressure, with clotting disorders, or if you expect to look twenty years younger.
The techniques in detail
Mini lift / S-lift
Short incision in front of the ear, tightening of skin and superficial tissue. For early sagging, usually from the early forties. Shorter recovery, shorter longevity, no effect on the neck.
SMAS lift
The standard. The connective-tissue layer under the skin (SMAS) is tightened and re-anchored; the skin is laid over it without tension. More natural than a skin-only lift, lasts far longer, no “pulled” look when done well.
Deep-plane lift
The SMAS is released deeper and moved as a unit with the skin. Most effective for the mid-face and nasolabial folds, technically the most demanding approach with the highest nerve risk. Only with very experienced surgeons.
With neck lift
Almost always part of a full facelift: platysma repair, fat removal under the chin. Without the neck the result looks unbalanced.
With eyelids, brow, fat grafting
Common combinations. Fat grafting fills hollow cheeks and temples; eyelid surgery and brow lift address the upper face. Every combination lengthens the anaesthetic.
What a facelift can’t do
It doesn’t improve skin quality, wrinkles, pigmentation and pores remain. Lasers and peels do that, often as a complement. It doesn’t make you twenty years younger; realistically contours look five to ten years younger. And it doesn’t last forever: the face keeps ageing, from a better starting point.
The right time
- Usually between the mid-forties and mid-sixties, when contours have dropped but skin still has elasticity.
- Blood pressure controlled, haematoma is the commonest complication.
- Smoke-free for at least four weeks before and after. With nicotine, skin behind the ear can die; no reputable surgeon operates on smokers without a stop.
- Three weeks free of social commitments arranged.
Nerves, scars, hair
Branches of the facial nerve run through the operating field; temporary weakness of one side occurs, permanent weakness is rare. Scars sit in the hairline and around the ear; the earlobe shape can change (“pixie ear”). Hair at the incisions falls out temporarily. An experienced surgeon minimises all three, nobody can exclude them.
The process in Turkey
Before you travel
Blood tests, blood pressure controlled, stop smoking, no blood thinners. Get your hair cut before, not after.
Arrival
The day before surgery.
Surgery day
Consent, markings, general anaesthetic or sedation, three to five hours. One night with drains.
Days 1-7
Head bandage, swelling, bruising, numbness. Head elevated. Drains out early, stitches at five to ten days.
Clearance and flight home
Usually after about a week, and only once the surgeon clears you.
Healing week by week
The part clinic websites cover in one sentence, and the most important.
Swelling and bruising, tightness, numb cheeks and ears. Soft food, head up.
Stitches out, bruises change colour. Concealable with make-up and hair.
Presentable. Residual swelling, numbness persists.
Exercise once cleared.
Final result. Scars fade, sensation returns.
Scars mature.
What nobody likes to say
- Numbness of cheeks and ears can last months.
- In week one you won't want to look at yourself.
- Hair can temporarily fall out along the incisions.
- It doesn't last forever, the face keeps ageing, from a better starting point.
- With nicotine, skin behind the ear can die. No reputable surgeon operates on smokers without a stop of several weeks.
Risks
General surgical risks: bleeding, infection, delayed wound healing, blood clots (DVT and pulmonary embolism), anaesthetic complications. Procedure-specific: haematoma (the commonest early complication), skin necrosis especially behind the ear, injury to facial nerve branches with temporary or rarely permanent weakness, asymmetry, visible scars, hair loss at incisions, altered earlobe, an “operated” look if over-tightened.
Two risks are particular to going abroad: combining several procedures under one long anaesthetic, and the flight home. Both belong in the surgeon’s consultation, not the quote. In full: Cosmetic surgery abroad.
Aftercare at home
Before you travel we sort out: who removes the stitches; which practice near you is willing to see you if something isn't right; which documents you bring home, operation report, material details, medication list; who you can reach at night. And we talk about what the NHS or HSE will and won't do after an elective procedure abroad: emergency care yes, corrections no.
What that looks like for women from the UK and Ireland is on the country pages.
What a quote should contain
I give no prices here. Not because I don’t know them, but because any figure without an examination is misleading, and because this site also serves countries where price advertising for cosmetic surgery is restricted. A reputable quote for a facelift is itemised by surgeon, anaesthetic, hospital stay, materials and aftercare, and it states what isn’t included. When two quotes differ widely, it’s almost always the surgeon’s experience, the materials, the hospital or the length of stay. I’ll walk you through the clinic’s actual quote line by line.
Common questions
How long does a facelift last?
About eight to ten years. The face keeps ageing from a better starting point.
SMAS or deep plane?
SMAS is the standard with a good balance of effect and risk. Deep plane is stronger in the mid-face, more demanding, and sensible only with very experienced surgeons.
Will the scars show?
They sit in the hairline and around the ear and are usually inconspicuous once healed.
When am I presentable?
After two to three weeks with make-up. The last swelling takes months.
How long in Turkey?
Usually one week. The surgeon clears the flight home.
Facelift or filler?
Filler fills, a facelift lifts. Once tissue has dropped, filling stops working.
How long is the face numb?
Weeks to months, in cheeks and ears. Sensation usually returns.
Will I look operated on?
Not with good SMAS technique. The pulled look comes from skin-only lifts with too much tension.
How long am I off work?
Two to three weeks, longer with combinations.
What does a facelift cost in Turkey?
It depends on technique, combination and surgeon. I give no figures.
Can a nerve be injured?
Temporary weakness occurs; permanent is rare. It belongs in the consent conversation.
From what age?
Usually from the mid-forties when contours have dropped. Age matters less than findings.
Let’s talk it through, without pressure
Twenty minutes, no obligation. We start by working out whether surgery is the right step for you at all, and whether now is the right time.
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This text does not replace a surgeon’s consent conversation. Timings are typical courses, not promises; yours may differ. Ivy Beside deliberately gives no prices and names no surgeons.