Before we discuss how much does a male facelift cost, let’s describe the type of facelifts that work best for men. Traditionally, two main types of facelifts that include:
- Skin only, minimal facelift
- The gold standard extended SMAS dual plane facelift
The first involves lifting the facial and neck skin and underlying soft tissue and fat combined with a purse string or plication tightening of the muscle lining, called the SMAS.
In contrast, the second involves a dual plane lifting of the skin layer as above but also lifting of a second deeper muscle lining called the SMAS.
Lifting and tightening of the SMAS, called imbrication, is superior to the purse-string (plication) tightening of the SMAS. Several advantages are observed following SMAS imbrication (#2) over SMAS plication (#1), and these include:
- Ability to partially hoist the skin with the SMAS layer
- Avoids tension on the facial skin layer
- Improve the appearance of incision lines
- Achieve a natural facelift appearance
These advantages of the extended SMAS facelift are critical in males who are intrinsically more reserved about undergoing cosmetic surgery and want their facelift to look natural and their faces refreshed vs. changed. Avoiding tension on the skin flap makes the facelift appear more natural, even early post-surgery. It also has been show to have more lasting effects.
This priority is further accentuated by the fact that men wear their hair short, so they do not have the luxury of hiding their incision lines under their hair. As a result, avoiding the tension of the incision lines ensures an optimized incision.
The only discernable disadvantage of the extended SMAS facelift over the skin-only facelift is that it does require general anesthesia. General anesthesia is a superior mode of sedation when compared to local anesthesia. Still, it does require that the surgery be performed in a certified operating room with the presence of an operating room staff and an anesthesiologist. General anesthesia makes a male facelift cost higher than if it’s done under local, twilight anesthesia.
Male Facelift Cost
So how much does a facelift cost? Anywhere from $14,000 -$18,000, depending on where you live, your age, and the complexity of your facial anatomy. The male facelift total cost should be considered all-inclusive to include the surgeon’s fee, anesthesia fee, operating room fee, and postoperative garments. Pain medications and pre-operative testing would be separate but generally modest in cost.
The male facelift, extended dual plane SMAS takes longer to perform as it is a more complete surgery. For example, the ultimate facelift cost also considers the higher complexity of lifting the SMAS. The male facelift requires a more skilled facial surgeon adept at lifting the SMAS and calibrating the additional weight of the thicker male skin vs. female. This care is essential as lifting the SMAS risks unveiling facial nerves that must be preserved and kept intact.
Recovery Time Factors Into Male Facelift Cost
Although not a hard surgery cost, your recovery should be considered when determining the ultimate cost of your surgery. If you do not have time off coming at work or you are your own boss, you will need to plan at least two weeks before returning to work.
Of course, every patient is different, and some people heal faster or slower than others. Healing and some swelling continue for 4-6 weeks, but most men are presentable after two weeks.
If you are your own boss or your time off work is not paid, factoring in that time away from work to the cost of your surgery is wise.
What’s Next?
Most men interview more than one surgeon and get a range of quotes. You also want to get a feel for the surgeons you interview and ensure the one you chose is the kind of person you want to do your surgery with and is excellent at performing facelifts on men and you. Here are examples of male facelift before and after photos.
After all, this relationship will last several months, and you want to know you are in good hands from beginning to end.
We have talented, experienced surgeons that have trained to the SMAS deep plane facelift with the best in their field and who have performed male facelifts for several years. Click here to schedule a consultation with one of our male facelift experts.
