Historically, most people who are concerned about the effects of aging haven’t considered a facelift until age 50 or 60. The procedure was seen as a way to reduce wrinkles, lift sagging skin and reclaim youth, to some extent. However, premier plastic surgeon Dr. Rozbeh Torabi is noticing a surprising trend: The people seeking facelifts are getting younger.
As a cofounder of Elite Plastic Surgery in Arizona, Dr. Torabi has helped countless individuals look younger through facelifts. In recent years, however, more patients in their 40s (and sometimes even younger) have come to his office seeking the same procedure. Why?
Dr. Torabi notes a few forces behind the shift. “Social media has exposed patients to younger people achieving excellent facelift results, which has increased interest in having the procedure earlier,” he says.
People are also reading…
“Because the face is so prominent, many patients want to look younger and more refreshed, especially on camera. Some also feel pressure to remain competitive with younger peers, both socially and professionally.”
Younger patients may also seek facelifts because of sudden changes to their appearance.
“We are seeing younger patients request facelifts, particularly with the rise of significant weight loss associated with GLP-1 medications,” says Dr. Torabi.
Recent research indicates that facial changes after taking GLP-1s are about more than just fat loss. Multiple structural layers of the face can be impacted. With the metabolic shift, the production of collagen and elastin typically slows down, which compromises deeper facial support structures and causes skin laxity.
Because of these rapid effects, GLP-1 users often find that their faces look hollow, and some assume that a facelift is the best fix. That may be true some of the time, but Dr. Torabi has often found himself explaining why a facelift isn’t the right choice for the patient’s physiology or circumstances.
“I am most likely to advise against surgery when a patient is in their 20s, or sometimes their 30s, and does not yet have enough facial laxity to justify a facelift,” he says. “This is especially important when the patient wants to resemble a celebrity or has unrealistic expectations.”
If a patient is a viable candidate for a facelift, Dr. Torabi works to make the result as natural as possible. In this context, “natural” usually means that the patient wants to avoid a pulled or overdone look. They want to refresh their looks without making it evident that they’ve had a facelift.
Dr. Torabi carefully uses techniques like the deep-plane facelift to help patients avoid common post-procedure issues.
For instance, some surgeons perform facelifts by tightening the skin horizontally. Because this technique essentially pulls the patient’s face backward, it may help eliminate sagging and wrinkles, but it often makes the skin look unnaturally tight. When the skin is pulled in just one direction, recipients sometimes look like they’ve been through a wind tunnel.
“A natural result comes primarily from repositioning the deeper tissues to where they belong rather than simply pulling the skin tighter,” Dr. Torabi explains. “With techniques such as a deep-plane facelift, appropriately releasing key attachments allows the tissues to be repositioned without excessive tension on the skin.”
Because muscles, fat, and skin can be moved in unison, deep-plane facelifts typically allow the surgeon to move whole regions of the face as opposed to just tightening the skin. Releasing facial ligaments also generally makes it possible to move parts of the face in multiple directions.
“The direction, or vector, in which the skin and deeper tissues are repositioned is also critical,” Dr. Torabi says.
Patients who are after a younger, more refreshed look sometimes want to improve their skin’s texture and appearance as well. It’s a logical combination, but it often comes with challenges of its own.
“I am careful when combining a facelift with skin resurfacing,” Dr. Torabi says. “Overly aggressive treatment can contribute to an unnatural or overly tightened appearance.”
Because social pressure plays such a big role in the trend of younger people seeking facelifts, Dr. Torabi is careful about counseling. Deep-plane facelifts are invasive procedures that require substantial downtime. It’s not uncommon for potential patients to look at celebrity and influencer transformations and come to view a facelift as an easy way to deal with their facial insecurities.
“In those cases, I focus on clarifying what surgery can realistically achieve and recommend less invasive options when appropriate,” says Dr. Torabi.
Ultimately, the only way for a younger patient to know if they’re a potential candidate for a facelift is to consult a plastic surgeon. Even if a facelift isn’t the right choice, they may be able to get their desired results with a simpler option.
