Service
Mini facelift
A mini facelift is a smaller procedure than a facelift. It tightens the lower third of the face and the area along the jaw, through shorter incisions and with a shorter recovery.
What concerns does it address?
How does it differ from a facelift?
The difference is not in how “hard” the tightening is but in how much of the face is covered and how deep the work goes.
- Mini facelift — the lower third of the face and the jawline. Shorter incisions, shorter recovery.
- Facelift — the whole face and neck, with the deeper layers.
When the sagging has affected the whole face and neck, the procedure of choice is a facelift. Which procedure works on what, from those with no recovery time to surgery, is described on the Face tightening page.
What does a mini facelift not change?
A mini facelift tightens the skin and tissue of the lower third of the face. It does not restore volume — tightening makes a face that has lost fullness with age tighter, not fuller.
How is it done?
A mini facelift tightens the lower part of the face and the neck through a shorter incision in front of the ear and behind it, with moderate separation of the skin from the muscle — less than in a full facelift. That is why the risks and trauma are smaller and recovery is shorter, while the effect is moderate and lasts for a shorter time. It is meant for people between thirty-five and fifty, when the excess skin is still small; with more excess skin, after fifty, a full facelift is chosen.
When is the procedure not suitable?
A mini facelift is not suitable when the sagging is pronounced on the neck and under the chin, because this incision cannot tighten the neck; a full facelift is then needed. It is not done with uncontrolled blood pressure, clotting disorders or active skin infection of the face. Smoking is an important risk for the healing of the skin in front of the ear, so we ask you to stop at least four weeks before and after the procedure. With very thin skin and loss of volume, a lift alone gives little, so we discuss combining it with fat transfer.
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 — the incision runs along the hairline in front of the ear and behind it. Photographs are taken from several angles, and at the examination we assess how much excess skin there is and whether a mini facelift is enough.
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
Swelling and bruising go down over the first weeks. The period in which the face still shows that something has been done is shorter than after a facelift.
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 B. How long recovery takes and what it depends on is described on the Recovery after surgery page.
Risks
Expected — swelling, bruising, numbness of the skin in front of the ear that fades over weeks to months. Occasional — asymmetry, slower healing of the wound edge, a more visible scar in front of the ear.
Expected, and rare but serious → Risks and complications: what is the course of healing, and what is a complication?
Price
| Service | Price |
|---|---|
| Mini facelift | €3,500–4,000 |
| Facelift | see Facelift — tightening the face and neck |
Anaesthesia is included in the price.
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 — when volume has been lost, tightening is combined with a transfer of your own fat into the mid-face, in the same procedure.
- Double chin and neck liposuction — often combined with double chin liposuction, because a mini facelift tightens exactly the lower face and neck.
Frequently asked questions
When is a mini facelift not enough? When the sagging is pronounced on the neck and under the chin, when the folds beside the nose and mouth are deep and when the loss of facial volume is large.
Where are the scars? In front of the ear, along the edge of the ear, and a short way behind the ear. Once they mature, they are hidden in the natural crease and in the hair, and are visible only when someone looks for them up close.
How long does the result last? On average five to seven years. The face keeps ageing as before, but with less sagging than it would have had without the procedure. A repeat procedure is possible and technically simpler than the first.
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.