A facelift is a very popular cosmetic surgery to reduce the visible effects of aging and offer a more youthful appearance to the face. An expert facelift procedure can tighten and lift sagging skin, improve the appearance of wrinkles, restore fullness to the cheeks, and help contour features. A comprehensive rejuvenation may also include a brow lift and a neck lift. There is no “one size fits all” approach—which is why the expertise of your facelift surgeon is so important.
Dr. Matt Hershcovitch is a double board-certified facial plastic surgeon, a preferred specialist trusted by so many facelift patients in the Los Angeles and Beverly Hills areas. His technique is personalized for each patient to help restore youth and natural beauty. Dr. Hershcovitch is praised for his nuanced and specialized approach that helps patients achieve balanced, natural-looking, and refreshed results.
Types of Facelift Procedures
Mini Facelift 
The mini facelift is a very popular alternative to a full traditional facelift. Dr. Hershcovitch specializes in this less invasive facial rejuvenation technique which has a much shorter recovery than a traditional facelift, while offering very pleasing results.
In a mini facelift, small incisions are made near the hairline, lifting jowls, sagging skin on the neck, and gaunt cheeks. This type of facelift targets the effects of aging in the lower part of the face, primarily focused in the jawline and the neck. By precision targeting these areas, which are often telltale markers of aging, Dr. Hershcovitch can offer a very powerful effect restoring youth to the face.
There are many benefits of a mini facelift that make it such a popular option:
Local anesthetic: Because a mini facelift has smaller incisions than a full facelift, this cosmetic procedure can be done in the office with only a local anesthetic. For some people, general anesthesia, or medically being put into an unconscious state, can seem very scary or may cause unpleasant side effects. Some people prefer the convenience of local anesthesia, which leads to a shorter recovery time and allows for self transportation from the surgeon’s office after the procedure.
Quicker recovery: A quicker recovery is often possible with a mini facelift because it uses a less invasive surgical technique. A mini facelift only addresses what’s known as the superficial musculoaponeurotic system (SMAS), the layer of tissue directly beneath the skin that spans from the collarbone to the forehead.
This procedure lifts the deeper structures of the face to create a natural-looking, rejuvenating lift without requiring an invasive deep plane facelift, which targets tissue below the SMAS, making recovery quicker and more comfortable. Patients can expect to have less bruising, swelling, and tenderness after a mini facelift.
Less Potential Scarring: With any surgery, many patients have concerns about the potential for visible scarring. A mini facelift takes a much less aggressive approach to facial rejuvenation when compared to a full facelift.
The incisions made in a mini facelift are typically shorter and placed along the hairline and the curves of the ears so they are hidden within the natural contours of the face. With proper aftercare, most patients find that their scars from a mini facelift are essentially imperceptible.
Powerful Results: “Less invasive” doesn’t mean that you won’t get that “wow” factor from your surgery. A mini facelift can beautifully restore what age and other factors have altered. If you have mild to moderate facial aging, then a mini facelift might be just what you need to achieve a naturally refreshed appearance.
Who is the mini facelift right for?
The mini facelift may be right for those who have reduced definition in the jawline, with most sagging and wrinkles focused in the lower part of the face and neck. It may also be right for those who want to avoid larger incisions or general anesthesia required for a traditional facelift.
People who may be interested in non-surgical anti-aging options might want to consider derma fillers or a “liquid facelift”.
For those with more advanced signs of aging—like severe sagging and jowling—a traditional facelift might offer better results.
Traditional Facelift
The natural aging process can affect the face in complex ways—it’s more than just loose, sagging skin that has lost elasticity. Tissues, fat pads, muscle tone, and the plumpness of the skin all change over time. Many anti-aging attempts are ineffective and some facelift surgeries end in undesired, unnatural looking results because of a lack of understanding for the various aging factors that affect facial appearance.
Dr. Hershcovitch has completed years of training and has an exclusive focus on facial aesthetics. His patients can boast the most natural-looking results possible that can last more than a decade because he takes a personalized and comprehensive approach for every surgery.
Personalized approach
Merely tightening the face can lead to unnatural-looking results, which is why Dr. Hershcovitch focuses on addressing the deeper tissues where aging is happening. Dr. Hershcovitch knows that not every patient needs to address every facial area and his meticulous approach for each patient strives to address personal concerns and root causes.
SMAS and deep plane techniques
The SMAS facelift technique manipulates the SMAS, a layer of connective tissue and muscle under the skin, to produce natural-looking lift and fullness on the face. A deep plane lift dives even deeper, releasing the deeper tissues from the musculature and reattaching them at a higher position. Dr. Hershcovitch will also re-drape the tissues in a way that reduces incision tension—one of the biggest reasons why noticeable scars develop. Dr. Hershcovitch also aims to decrease the length of incisions and allow for a reasonably fast recovery time.
Aging and the neck
One of the most apparent signs of aging is often the neck, yet many plastic surgeons don’t address it properly in a facelift. For the best quality results, most of Dr. Hershcovitch’s facial procedures include a neck lift that addresses the upper neck, central neck, and lower neck.
Recovery and follow-up
Your facelift will be performed in a high-end surgical center designed especially for cosmetic procedures, and you’ll be released on the same day as your surgery. You will be given a bandage and a headwrap to wear for 24-48 hours, and you will return to our medical offices to have sutures removed around 10 days after surgery.
Depending on the surgery, recovery might take around 1-2 weeks. Patients will experience some swelling, bruising, numbness, and tightness after their treatment, which should be gone in about a month.
Dr. Hershcovitch takes great care to monitor his patients after surgery, providing detailed recovery instructions for each individual. You will also follow a regular schedule of in-office visits so that Dr. Hershcovitch can monitor your progress in person.
When to Get a Facelift
Each person shows signs of aging differently and there is no right age for a facelift. You may be a candidate for a facelift if your face is showing signs of the natural aging process—such as loose or excess skin, gaunt cheeks, jowls, “marionette” lines, and sagging skin in the face or neck—that are impacting your confidence and give you an appearance of being older than you feel!
There is no qualifying age, but patients should be in good health for surgery, emotionally mature, and able to understand the realistic expectations and benefits that can be achieved through a facelift.
Dr. Hershcovitch: Premier Los Angeles Facelift Surgeon
The most important decision you can make about your facelift is choosing a surgeon. Even though facelift procedures are extremely popular, it doesn’t mean they are simple. Facial plastic surgery tends to be one of the most sophisticated and delicate plastic surgery procedures available.
Dr. Matt Hershcovitch is a renowned, double board-certified plastic surgeon with residency training in head and neck surgery and fellowship training in facial plastic and reconstructive surgery. Dr. Hershcovitch’s expertise has given him an incredible understanding of the facial anatomy and facial aesthetics. His proficiency means that Dr. Hershcovitch is able to achieve gorgeously natural and balanced facelift results that have made him a preferred choice in the Los Angeles area.
If you’re considering a facial rejuvenation procedure, contact us to set up a personal consultation.
