Facelift (Rhytidectomy)

Facelift or rhytidectomy surgery is fast becoming the number one cosmetic facial procedure. Previously, facelift surgery was thought to be reserved only for the Rich and Famous. Not any more. With new techniques, patients are returning to work sooner, costs are less, and results that are more natural are achievable. At the Mandell-Brown Plastic Surgery Center, we can provide men and women with natural-looking results from their facelift in Cincinnati.

Dr. Mark Mandell-Brown

Dr. Mandell Brown is a nationally recognized, triple board-certified cosmetic surgeon with over 30 years of experience performing facial, breast, and body procedures. Known for his Natural Look™ cosmetic surgery results, Dr. Mandell-Brown has the credentials and aesthetic eye to precisely tailor your procedure and safely achieve the results you desire.

Meet Dr. Mandell-Brown

An unnaturally raised sideburn can be a giveaway of a facelift procedure. At the Mandell-Brown Plastic Surgery Center, we individualize your incision to preserve your sideburn without raising it higher as seen on the left. On the right is an incision option often used in male patients. In facelift surgery, the position of your “Adam’s Apple” or thyroid cartilage in relation to your chin will determine the extent of improvement. In the left diagram, the “Adam’s Apple” is positioned posteriorly (further back). This patient will get a more dramatic result with a facelift. In the right diagram, the “Adam’s Apple” is more anteriorly located. This patient will get a less dramatic result from any facial lift.

Personalizing Your Facelift

At the Mandell-Brown Plastic Surgery Center in Ohio, computer imaging is used to demonstrate potential improvement with facelift surgery. Our plastic surgery specialists will show you where the incisions are made and tailor the procedure to fit your needs. Facelift surgery can improve the cheek and neck jowls and help restore the tissues to a more rejuvenated appearance.

Dr. Mandell-Brown emphasizes a “Natural Look” facelift. He wants his patients to have a rested, rejuvenated look without looking overdone.

One of the critical aspects at our center is customizing incisions for the patient’s individual hairline. Many plastic surgeons perform only one incision. Dr. Mandell-Brown will tailor the incisions to the patient’s hairline. Typical approaches are shown in the facelift photo gallery and in the operating room section. Many patients will combine the facelift with other facial procedures—eyelid surgery, forehead lift, or laser resurfacing.

Quick Face Lift

The Quick Face Lift is a skin-only procedure performed under local anesthesia. It lifts and tightens the skin in the cheek and jawline without touching the muscle layer underneath. The incisions are hidden in the natural creases and contours of the ear, and the surgery itself takes about an hour, the shortest of any facelift option Dr. Mandell-Brown performs.

This approach works best for patients whose skin has started to loosen but whose deeper facial structure hasn’t shifted much yet. Think early signs of aging, not established jowling. Dr. Mandell-Brown reserves it for patients where skin laxity really is the whole story; if the muscle has dropped too, a Mid or standard Face Lift will hold up better over time.

Recovery is the fastest of the four options, typically 1 to 3 days. For patients who want a noticeable refresh without much time off, it’s often the starting point Dr. Mandell-Brown discusses first in consultation.

Mid Face Lift

A Mid Facelift goes a layer deeper than the Quick Face Lift, tightening both skin and the underlying muscle in the cheek area rather than skin alone. It’s performed under local anesthesia with IV sedation and takes about 1.5 hours, using the same hidden, ear-crease incisions, just a bit more extensive than a Quick Face Lift and less than a full Face Lift. Dr. Mandell-Brown was the first surgeon in the Cincinnati and Dayton area to offer this technique.

It suits patients with sagging along the cheeks and jawline who need more correction than a skin-only lift provides, but who don’t yet have the neck banding or jowling that calls for a full Face Lift. Dr. Mandell-Brown walks through your skin and muscle laxity in consultation to confirm this is the right depth of correction, not just the middle option by default.

Recovery runs 5 to 7 days: longer than the Quick Face Lift, shorter than a full Face Lift, in line with how much more work the procedure does.

Face Lift

Dr. Mandell-Brown’s signature facelift is performed under IV sedation and treats fat, muscle, and skin as three separate layers: fatty tissue is first removed with liposuction, the muscle layer is tightened, and only then is the excess skin trimmed away. The surgery takes about 2 hours, the most involved of the four techniques short of the deep plane approach.

This is the option for moderate neck banding and cheek jowling, where skin-only or muscle-only corrections wouldn’t hold. It’s also where Dr. Mandell-Brown’s Natural Look™ philosophy is most visible: the goal is a rested, rejuvenated appearance, not a face that looks pulled or obviously “done.” Incisions are customized to each patient’s hairline rather than using one standard approach.

Recovery is 7 to 10 days for most patients, though healing time varies enough that Dr. Mandell-Brown gives patients a realistic range rather than a single number.

Deep Plane Facelift

A deep plane facelift is performed under IV sedation and goes beneath the surface muscle layer (the SMAS) that a traditional facelift lifts and tightens. Instead, Dr. Mandell-Brown releases the ligaments anchoring the deeper facial tissue and repositions the muscle, fat, and skin together as a single unit. Because the layers move as one, the results tend to look less “pulled” and can hold up longer than techniques that work on the skin alone.

This approach is best suited to patients with more pronounced jowling, midface sagging, or neck laxity, changes that a standard facelift may only partially address. It isn’t the right fit for every patient, though. Dr. Mandell-Brown evaluates bone structure, skin quality, and the degree of aging change before recommending a deep plane approach over a traditional or mid-facelift, in keeping with his Natural Look™ philosophy: the goal is a rested, refreshed appearance, not a dramatically different face.

Recovery runs 10 to 14 days, the longest of the four techniques, reflecting how much more structural work is done during surgery.

Lip Lift

Adding a lip lift to a facelift procedure can significantly enhance the overall rejuvenation effect as a facelift may not fully address aging signs around the mouth. A lip lift specifically focuses on the area around the lips, shortening the space between the nose and the upper lip, which tends to lengthen with age, and enhancing the prominence of the upper lip. These changes give the mouth area a more youthful and aesthetically pleasing appearance, complimenting the rejuvenation to the rest of the lower face.

How a Facelift is Performed

Historically, only excess skin was removed in the facelift procedure. Currently, with Dr. Mandell-Brown’s technique, the fatty tissues are liposuctioned, the muscle layer is tightened, and then the excess skin is removed. Like other cosmetic procedures, it is important to understand the plastic surgeons’ philosophy. Do they prefer an aggressive facelift or do they strive for a more natural look? Dr. Mandell-Brown emphasizes a “Natural Look” facelift. He wants his patients to have a rested, rejuvenated look without looking overdone.

Facial Liposuction

Liposuction is a versatile technique in facial rejuvenation, both as a standalone procedure and used during a facelift. In a facelift, liposuction is used to enhance the contours of the face by removing excess fat from specific areas, such as the jowls, neck, and under the chin. This targeted fat removal helps in defining the jawline and neck, providing a more youthful and sculpted appearance.

When used independently, facial liposuction can significantly refresh the face’s appearance without the need for more extensive surgery. It’s particularly effective in addressing areas where fat accumulates with age, resulting in a less defined facial profile. By carefully removing this excess fat, liposuction alone can create a more rejuvenated and toned facial appearance. With this procedure, adding a Renuvion skin tightening treatment can help tighten lax skin that fat removal can sometimes leave behind.

Renuvion Skin Tightening

Renuvion skin tightening uses helium plasma and radiofrequency energy to tighten the skin in treated areas, significantly enhancing the results of a facelift. We use Renuvion to treat areas that require additional skin tightening, which might not be fully addressed by a traditional facelift. As a complementary treatment, Renuvion can refine the contours of the upper face, smooth out fine lines, and provide a more youthful, rejuvenated appearance.

Before & After Gallery

Dr. Mandell-Brown uses advanced techniques to provide natural-looking outcomes. See the results for yourself in our patient gallery.

Visit our patient gallery

Facelift Recovery

After your facelift, there will be some swelling and bruising around the area that will subside over the course of your recovery. Medication can help to manage any pain or discomfort you experience during your facelift recovery. The exact length of your recovery will depend on the techniques used. most patients typically take around one to two weeks off from work to recover.

“I am very happy with the results from my surgery 3 weeks ago. I had a mid face lift and CO2 laser treatment on several areas on my face. The results have been amazing! I have shown my before pictures to many of my friends and when they look at me now, they tell me I look 20 years younger. I have never had a defined jawline and now I do! I wanted to do something nice for myself and I am so happy that I did.”

—Kim A.

Is the Quick Facelift for You?

“Looking in the mirror and starting the anti-gravity maneuvers – pulling up the skin to improve your profile? Or perhaps you are told by friends that you look tired. According to one of Cincinnati’s “Top Docs”, Dr. Mark Mandell-Brown, new options are available to improve your appearance.”

Facelift FAQ

In a study for other plastic surgeons that I presented several years ago, the average age was 56. However, there was a peak of interest in each decade -46, 55, and 65. When we took all 350 patients in the study, the average was 56.

In my same study, the patients were fairly diverse: homemakers who wanted to do something for themselves, professionals who wanted to maintain their appearance, and secretaries and teachers. Interestingly, 25% of our patients were men and that number is probably increasing.

With newer techniques, most patients can return to work in one week. We recommend that if you have the surgery on a Friday, plan on taking off the weekend and the next 5 working days to allow for adequate healing. Some surgeons promise only 4 days. BEWARE. The honest plastic surgeon should give you a range of time because everyone heals differently. We utilize IV sedation to reduce bruising (instead of general anesthesia), Vitamin B & C, to promote healing, customized compression dressings postoperatively, and in certain patients autologous platelet gel which uses the patient’s special clotting factors to help decrease bruising.

The facelift really helps the jowling. Laser resurfacing or facial peels are usually required to improve the fine wrinkles.

In my 20+ years performing cosmetic surgery, I have come to respect that every patient’s pain threshold differs. Most patients note a tightness for a few days and only a small percentage have pain. With current pain medicine, the patients are comfortable after surgery.

Facelift Cost

The cost of your facelift in Cincinnati will depend on the type of procedure performed and other factors. During your consultation, board-certified facial plastic surgeon Dr. Mandell-Brown can go over the expected cost of the procedure as well as the payment options available to you.

More facelift information:

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Schedule a Consultation

At the Mandell-Brown Plastic Surgery Center, we are dedicated to providing our patients with the expert surgical care they need. Contact our office today to schedule a consultation for your facelift in Cincinnati.

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Medically reviewed by Dr. Mark Mandell-Brown — Updated on Sep 4, 2026