Facelift in Turkey
Facelift in Turkey: SMAS or deep-plane lift of the cheeks, jowls and jawline with scars hidden around the ear; 2 hospital nights and 7 hotel nights. Who benefits, techniques, week-by-week recovery and risks.
Anaesthesia
General anaesthesia
Operation time
3–4 hours
Hospital / hotel
2 nights / 7 nights
Stay in Turkey
9 nights (2 hospital + 7 hotel), sutures out before you fly
Back to work
Desk work in 2–3 weeks; social events at 3–4 weeks
Package price
€2,160
What Facelift involves
A facelift repositions the tissues of the lower two-thirds of the face that have descended with age: sagging cheeks, jowls that blur the jawline, deep folds from nose to mouth and loose skin under the chin. Modern facelifts do not simply pull the skin tight — that gives the wind-tunnel look. They lift and re-suspend the deeper layer (the SMAS) that holds the fat and muscle of the face, then re-drape the skin without tension. The result looks like you, rested and a decade younger, rather than operated.
A facelift is often combined with a neck lift, because jowls and a loose neck are two ends of the same problem. Fat grafting to hollow cheeks or temples, and blepharoplasty for the eyes, are also frequently added so that the face ages back in proportion. Each is planned individually at the consultation.
What a facelift does not do: it does not change skin quality — sun damage, fine wrinkles and pigmentation remain and are treated with resurfacing or skincare. It does not lift the forehead or eyebrows (that is a brow lift), and it does not stop ageing; it resets the clock by roughly ten years and ageing continues from there.
Scars: A fine line starting in the temple hair, running in front of the ear (inside the tragus), around the earlobe and into the hairline behind the ear
Who it suits — and who it does not
Good candidates
- ✓Jowls, sagging cheeks, deep nasolabial folds and loose neck skin, typically from the mid-40s onwards
- ✓Good skin elasticity for your age and a well-defined underlying bone structure
- ✓Stable weight; large weight loss after a facelift loosens the skin again
- ✓Non-smokers — skin flaps depend on blood supply and smoking causes skin loss
- ✓Realistic expectations: rested and refreshed, not a different face
Usually advised against
- –Mainly concerned with skin texture, sun damage or fine lines — resurfacing treats these better
- –Smokers unwilling to stop for 4 weeks each side of surgery
- –Uncontrolled high blood pressure (bleeding risk) or blood-thinning medication that cannot be paused
- –Significant weight loss still planned
- –Early jowling in the 30s with good skin — often better served by a mini facelift or non-surgical treatment
Techniques and options
SMAS facelift
The skin is lifted, the SMAS layer beneath it is tightened by folding (plication) or by removing a strip and suturing (SMASectomy), and the skin is re-draped and trimmed. It is the workhorse technique: reliable, adaptable and with a strong safety record. It addresses jowls, cheeks and the jawline well.
Deep-plane facelift
The surgeon dissects beneath the SMAS and releases the ligaments that tether the cheek, then lifts skin and SMAS as a single unit. Because the skin is not separated from its deeper layer, blood supply is better and the cheek is lifted more completely. It gives a natural result in heavier faces and deep folds, at the cost of a longer operation and more surgical skill. Both approaches are used in Kuşadası; the surgeon recommends based on your anatomy.
Neck lift and platysmaplasty
Through a small incision under the chin, the neck muscles (platysma) that have separated into bands are stitched together and excess fat is removed. Combined with the facelift, this defines the angle between jaw and neck. See the separate Face and Neck Lift page for the combined package.
Fat grafting
Fat taken from the abdomen or thigh is purified and injected into hollow temples, cheeks, under-eye areas and lips. Ageing loses volume as well as elasticity; replacing it makes the lift look natural rather than tight. A proportion of grafted fat is absorbed in the first months.
Incision design
The incision starts in the temporal hair, runs down inside the tragus (the small flap of cartilage in front of the ear canal) so it is hidden, curves around the earlobe and continues into the hairline behind the ear. Careful closure without tension is what keeps the earlobe natural and the hairline unchanged.
What happens on surgery day
- 1
Assessment before travel: photos from the front, both sides and three-quarter views, your medical history, blood-pressure control and medication. The surgeon proposes SMAS or deep-plane, with or without neck lift and fat grafting.
- 2
Admission on the morning of surgery after fasting. Blood tests, ECG and anaesthetic review; blood pressure is checked and optimised because it is the main driver of bleeding after facelift.
- 3
Markings are drawn sitting up. Hair is not shaved; it is parted and taped.
- 4
Under general anaesthesia, local anaesthetic with adrenaline is infiltrated to reduce bleeding. Incisions are made, the skin lifted, the SMAS tightened or the deep plane released and suspended, the neck addressed if planned, and fat grafted if planned.
- 5
The skin is re-draped upward and backward, excess removed and the incisions closed in layers with fine sutures. Small drains are often placed for 24 hours. A soft padded head dressing goes on.
- 6
Two nights in hospital: head elevated, cold compresses, blood-pressure monitoring, drains removed on day 1 or 2, first dressing change.
- 7
Discharge to the hotel on day 2 with a light support garment. Clinic visits for wound checks and suture removal at days 5–7 and, for the hairline sutures, days 8–10.
Recovery timeline
Days 1–3
Swelling, tightness and bruising, mainly along the jaw and neck. Discomfort rather than pain; a sensation of numbness and tightness around the ears. Head elevated at all times, soft food, no bending or lifting.
Days 5–10
Sutures removed in stages. Bruising turns yellow and fades. You will look swollen and uneven at this point — expected. Gentle hair washing from day 3 with lukewarm water. Fit-to-fly check after the last sutures.
Weeks 2–3
Most bruising gone; swelling reducing. Desk work and quiet social activity resume, with make-up over any residual discolouration. Numbness in front of the ears and along the jaw is normal.
Weeks 4–6
Looking presentable to strangers; friends may notice you look rested. Light exercise resumes; no heavy exertion or heat (sauna, sunbathing) yet. Scars are pink.
Months 3–6
Residual swelling gone, tightness eased, the result is clear. Sensation returns gradually. Scars fade from pink to pale.
Month 12
Scars mature and are difficult to find. The result at this point is the baseline from which normal ageing continues.
Results — and their limits
A defined jawline, lifted cheeks and softened folds that look natural in movement and expression. A well-done facelift resets the face by roughly 8–12 years; it does not freeze it.
The result is long-lasting: the SMAS repositioning holds, and although ageing continues, you remain ahead of where you would otherwise have been. Some patients choose a smaller secondary lift 10–15 years later.
Skin quality is unchanged. Wrinkles from sun damage, pigment and fine lines are treated separately with peels, laser or skincare, often once the facelift has settled.
Numbness in front of the ears and along the jaw is normal for months and usually resolves fully. A small area of altered sensation near the earlobe can persist.
When it is final: Swelling settles over 3 months; scars mature over 12 months; result lasts 8–12 years
Risks and how they are managed
Every operation carries risk. These are the ones that matter for this procedure, and what is done to reduce, spot or treat each.
Haematoma (blood collection under the skin)
The most important early complication, most common in the first 24 hours and more so in men and in high blood pressure. Managed by strict blood-pressure control, drains, two hospital nights with monitoring, and immediate drainage if one forms.
Skin loss along the flap, especially behind the ear
Related to smoking, tension and haematoma. Non-smoking for 4 weeks each side, tension-free closure and a deep-plane approach where indicated reduce it; small areas heal with dressings.
Nerve injury
Temporary weakness of a facial muscle (usually the lower lip or forehead) occurs in a small proportion and almost always recovers over weeks to months; permanent injury is rare. Anatomical knowledge and working in the correct plane are the protection. Numbness of the earlobe from the great auricular nerve is a separate, usually temporary, issue.
Infection
Uncommon in the face; a short antibiotic course covers the drain period.
Visible scars, earlobe distortion or hairline shift
Careful incision placement inside the tragus and along the hairline, closure without tension, and scar care. A "pixie ear" from tension at the lobe is avoided by not attaching the lobe under pull.
Asymmetry or under-correction
Faces are asymmetric before surgery; the aim is balance. Minor adjustments under local anaesthesia are possible after 6–12 months.
Hair loss at the temples
Temporary shedding around incisions can occur and regrows; permanent loss is rare with incisions placed behind rather than through the hairline.
Anaesthetic complications and blood clots
Pre-operative assessment, a hospital setting, compression stockings and early walking.
Package and cost
€2,160
One fixed price for the operation and a 9-night stay: 2 hospital nights and 7 hotel nights. No deposit surprises, no add-ons for anaesthesia or medication.
Included
- ✓Consultation with the operating plastic surgeon and anaesthetic assessment
- ✓Pre-operative blood tests and ECG
- ✓SMAS or deep-plane facelift under general anaesthesia in a hospital operating theatre
- ✓2 nights in hospital with nursing care, drains, blood-pressure monitoring and medication
- ✓7 nights in a 4- or 5-star hotel in Kuşadası
- ✓Private transfers between airport, hospital, clinic and hotel
- ✓Support garment, dressings, staged suture removal and wound checks
- ✓Fit-to-fly report and 12 months of remote photo follow-up
Not included
- –Flights and travel insurance that covers elective surgery abroad
- –Neck lift, blepharoplasty or fat grafting if added — quoted as a combined package
- –Skin resurfacing or skincare for texture and pigmentation
- –Any later touch-up, assessed and quoted separately
How to compare this with a quote at home
Ask any clinic for the same list: surgeon and anaesthetist fees, hospital nights, tests, medication, garments or splints, follow-up visits. A cheaper headline price usually excludes several of these. Then add your flights and insurance to our price for a like-for-like comparison.
How to prepare
- 1.Send photos from the front, both sides and three-quarter views in neutral expression and good light, plus your medication list and blood-pressure history.
- 2.Stop smoking and all nicotine 4 weeks before and after surgery — this is the single biggest controllable risk for a facelift.
- 3.Stop aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen, fish oil, vitamin E, ginkgo and other supplements that increase bleeding 14 days before.
- 4.Make sure blood pressure is well controlled; bring your medication and take it on the morning of surgery with a sip of water unless told otherwise.
- 5.Have your hair coloured before you travel; no colouring for 6 weeks after surgery.
- 6.Arrange 9 nights in Turkey, 2–3 weeks off work and, if you can, someone at home for the first few days back.
- 7.Bring front-opening tops, a soft scarf and sunglasses; you will not want anything pulled over your head for two weeks.
Aftercare at home
- •Sleep with the head raised on two or three pillows for 2 weeks; avoid turning the neck sharply.
- •Cold compresses to the cheeks in the first 48 hours (not over the incisions). Soft food for a week; avoid wide mouth-opening.
- •Wear the support garment as instructed, usually at night for 2–3 weeks.
- •Keep incisions clean and dry as shown; gentle hair washing from day 3. No hair colouring for 6 weeks.
- •No strenuous exercise, bending, heavy lifting, sauna or sunbathing for 4 weeks. Protect scars from sun with SPF for 12 months.
- •Numbness and tightness fade over months; massage as instructed once cleared. Report any sudden one-sided swelling, increasing pain or fever immediately.
- •Photos at 2 weeks, 6 weeks, 3, 6 and 12 months for remote review.
Frequently asked questions
Will it look natural?
How long does a facelift last?
Where are the scars?
Do I need a neck lift too?
What about my eyes and forehead?
How painful is it?
When will I look normal?
Am I too young or too old?
When can I fly home?
What is included in the price?
Often considered alongside
Free assessment
Send your details; a coordinator replies with a surgeon’s opinion and a written plan.