Service
Facelift — tightening the face and neck
A facelift (facelifting) is an operation that tightens the skin and the tissue under the skin of the face and neck. Excess skin is removed, and the sagging structures beneath it are returned to a position closer to the one they had before they sagged.
What concerns does it address?
Who is it for?
A facelift is done for sagging skin and soft tissue in the lower third of the face and on the neck — with pronounced folds from the nose towards the corners of the mouth, a slack jawline and neck skin that folds.
How is it done?
A facelift involves more than tightening the skin: the deeper structures (SMAS) are moved back and fixed in their earlier position, the fat pads that have dropped are returned to place, excess fatty tissue on the neck is removed by liposuction, and the skin is finally laid over the reshaped base and its excess removed — without tension.
The incision starts in the hairline at the temple, runs down in the fold in front of the ear, curves under the earlobe and ends behind the ear, in the hairline or along its edge. On the neck, the muscle under the skin (platysma) is tightened and excess skin removed; part of the tension is transferred upwards. The groove beside the nose (nasolabial fold) is softened but deliberately not smoothed out completely — a face without it has no expression and no recognisable character. Nose correction is, as a rule, not done together with a facelift.
When is the procedure not suitable?
A facelift is an operation for mature age — for most people it makes sense after the age of forty-five to fifty, when the excess skin is real; before that, smaller corrections that delay it are better. Smoking is the single biggest risk here for the blood supply of the lifted skin: stop at least two months before, ideally six. With heart disease, blood pressure problems or diabetes, your condition is stabilised first, because this is an operation lasting several hours under general anaesthesia. The procedure is also not planned just before summer — sun exposure can affect how a fresh scar heals.
General reasons for postponing a procedure (pregnancy, breastfeeding, inflammation, a clotting disorder, smoking): When is a procedure postponed?
How do we prepare for the procedure?
Hair is not cut or dyed just before the procedure — the incisions run along the hairline and behind the ear, so your hair covers them afterwards. Photographs are taken from several angles.
Anaesthesia
Before a procedure under general or regional anaesthesia, you are seen by the anaesthetist, who works full time at the clinic; the same doctor is also present during the procedure. The anaesthetic assessment and the anaesthesia for larger operations are included in the price of the procedure. What happens before, during and after anaesthesia is described on the Anaesthesia page.
Recovery
You are under supervision until the drains are removed and the bandage taken off — three days for most people. Hair can be washed carefully from day five; lymphatic drainage of the face starts then too. Stitches are removed gradually from day six to day twelve. In the first summer after the procedure the sun is avoided, and high-factor protection is worn for a long time: the sun is what aged the face in the first place.
Procedures are grouped into four recovery profiles: A, outpatient (home straight away, no restrictions apart from dressing changes), B, minor procedure (home the same day or after one night, marks are visible for about a week), C, major procedure (one to two nights in the clinic, sick leave and planning in weeks) and D, functional procedure (sick leave and return to work). This procedure belongs to profile C. How long recovery takes and what it depends on is described on the Recovery after surgery page.
What can't the procedure do?
A facelift changes the position of skin and soft tissue. It does not change the quality and texture of the skin, does not remove lines around the eyes and does not restore lost volume.
Risks
Expected — numbness of the skin around the incisions, a feeling of tightness. Occasional — a collection of blood (haematoma) that is drained as soon as possible, longer-lasting swelling and bruising, temporary weakness of some facial muscles that recovers over weeks to months, asymmetry, a wider scar or a shifted hairline near the ear, changed sensation of the ear. Rare — death of part of the skin along the incision (almost only in smokers), lasting weakness of a branch of the facial nerve that needs correction, infection.
Expected, and rare but serious → Risks and complications: what is the course of healing, and what is a complication?
Price
| Service | Price |
|---|---|
| Facelift (full facelift) | €5,000–6,000 |
| Full SMAS facelift with upper and lower eyelid surgery (blepharoplasty) and facial fat transfer | €6,900–8,600 |
Specialist and team
Specialty: plastic, reconstructive and aesthetic surgery.
When the procedure is done under sedation or general anaesthesia, the anaesthesia is led by a specialist in anaesthesiology, resuscitation and intensive care who works full time at the clinic.
In the operating theatre, the surgeon is assisted by head nurse Martina Šereg, with the help of nurses Kristina Jurešić and Mateja Tomorad, and in recovery the care assistant Mirjana Kovačić is with you. Martina also looks after preparation, scheduling and contact after the procedure.
Who will operate is decided at the examination, based on the findings and the type of procedure. You know the name of the surgeon before the procedure and meet them at the examination.
What happens at the examination?
The first examination lasts 30 to 45 minutes on average. The surgeon examines the area you are concerned about, asks about illnesses, medicines, allergies and previous operations, and talks with you about what you expect. If the procedure is appropriate and likely to help, you receive a plan: which procedure is proposed, under which anaesthesia, what recovery looks like and what is included in the price. If the procedure is not needed or would not give you what you expect, you will hear that at the examination too.
What if the result is not as agreed?
The result of a procedure is assessed at a follow-up visit, once the swelling has gone down and the scar has matured, not in the first weeks. If it differs from what was agreed at the examination, the same surgeon carries out the correction.
→ Poliklinika Barbel's correction policy
In the same visit
- Facial fat transfer — tightening does not restore lost volume, so fat transfer is done in the same procedure.
- Eyelid surgery (blepharoplasty) — upper and lower eyelids are corrected in the same procedure, because they complete the result around the eye.
- Brow lift — the temple area and the outer end of the brow are lifted in the same procedure.
Frequently asked questions
How long does the result of a facelift last? The result of a good lift lasts about ten years for most people, often longer — the face keeps ageing, but from a new starting point. One lift is optimal in a lifetime; a second is possible, a third is rarely done.
Will I look “operated on”? The aim is not a new face but the one you had about ten years ago. A face that looks “windswept” and a smoothed-out groove beside the nose come from tightening the skin alone or from tightening too much.
What is a mini facelift and is it enough? A smaller lift, mostly of the skin of the lower face and neck, without work on the deeper layers. It suits a smaller amount of excess skin and a younger age; anyone who expects a big result from a small procedure will not be satisfied.
How much does the result depend on care after the procedure? The larger the procedure, the more it depends on it, but it always does. Healing takes weeks and months and happens almost entirely at home, so the instructions you receive when you go home, about the wound, physical activity and the scar, are part of the procedure, not a recommendation.
Who is with me if I stay overnight in the clinic after the procedure? You stay overnight when the doctor judges it necessary and this is agreed with you. You then spend the night in a room in the recovery unit, which has a bed, a television and a bathroom. A nurse is with you all night and a doctor is on call. The overnight stay and night care are included in the price of the procedure.
→ How long do you stay in the clinic after surgery?
Medical review: doctors of Poliklinika Barbel · October 2026.