Mini Facelift in Turkey
Mini facelift in Turkey: a short-scar lift of early jowls and the lower cheek with a smaller incision in front of the ear and a faster recovery than a full facelift; 2 hospital nights and 7 hotel nights. Who it suits, limits, recovery.
€2,690Package priceOperation, 2 hospital nights, 7 hotel nights and airport transfers — one price, no add-ons for anaesthesia or medication.
See exactly what is and is not includedAnaesthesia
General anaesthesia or local with sedation
Operation time
2–2.5 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 10–14 days
Package price
€2,690
What Mini Facelift involves
A mini facelift — also called a short-scar or S-lift — treats the earliest signs of facial descent: softening of the jawline, the beginning of jowls, and slight sagging of the lower cheek, typically in the 40s and early 50s. It uses a shorter incision confined to the front of the ear, lifts the SMAS layer beneath the skin with sutures or a small fold, and redrapes the skin with minimal removal. Because it does not extend behind the ear, it cannot treat the neck, but for the right face it restores the jawline with a quicker recovery and a smaller scar than a full facelift.
Choosing between a mini and a full facelift is the key decision, and it is made by the tissue, not by preference. A mini lift suits mild jowling with a neck that is still reasonably tight. Once there is loose neck skin, muscle bands or heavy jowls, a mini lift under-corrects and the result is short-lived; a full face and neck lift is the honest recommendation. The surgeon assesses this from photos before you book.
What it does not do: it does not lift the neck, the mid-face or the brow, does not treat skin quality, and does not last as long as a full lift because the lift is smaller. It is a good operation for the right patient at the right stage, and a disappointing one when used to avoid a full lift that is actually needed.
Scars: A short line in front of the ear, starting in the sideburn and ending at the earlobe; no scar behind the ear
Who it suits — and who it does not
Good candidates
- ✓Early jowls and a softening jawline, typically 40–55, with good skin elasticity
- ✓A neck that is still reasonably tight, with no bands and little loose skin
- ✓A wish for a modest, natural refresh with a shorter scar and quicker recovery
- ✓Non-smokers, controlled blood pressure, stable weight
- ✓Realistic that this is a smaller lift with a shorter lifespan than a full facelift
When we would tell you not to come
- –Loose neck skin, platysma bands or heavy jowls — a full face and neck lift is needed
- –Mid-face descent or hollowing as the main concern
- –Smokers unwilling to stop
- –Expecting the result of a full facelift from a smaller operation
- –Concern mainly with skin texture, sun damage or fine lines
If your case is on the right-hand list, we say so at the review stage, before you book anything. Some of these are solved with a different plan; some mean the honest answer is not to travel — and we will tell you that too.
Techniques and options
Short-scar incision
The incision starts in the sideburn, runs down in front of the ear inside the tragus and stops at the earlobe. There is no incision behind the ear or into the hairline behind it, which is why the neck cannot be addressed.
SMAS suspension
Through the short incision, the SMAS layer is lifted with purse-string or vertical sutures (the basis of the MACS-type lift) or by a small fold, repositioning the jowl and lower cheek upward. Lifting the deeper layer rather than pulling skin is what keeps the result natural.
Minimal skin excision
Only the small amount of skin made redundant by the lift is removed; closure is without tension so the scar heals fine and the ear is not distorted.
Adjuncts
Liposuction under the chin for a small amount of fullness, or fat grafting to the cheeks, can be added when they will improve balance. A neck lift is a separate operation and, if needed, means the full lift is the right choice.
What happens on surgery day
- 1
Assessment before travel: photos from the front, sides and three-quarter views, with the neck visible. The surgeon confirms a mini lift is appropriate — or advises a full lift.
- 2
Admission on the morning of surgery after fasting. Blood tests, ECG and anaesthetic review; blood pressure optimised.
- 3
Markings sitting up. Under general anaesthesia or sedation, local anaesthetic with adrenaline is infiltrated, the short incision made, the SMAS suspended, skin redraped and closed. Small drains are sometimes used for 24 hours.
- 4
A light head dressing and two nights in hospital for observation of bleeding and comfort.
- 5
Discharge to the hotel on day 2. Clinic visits for wound checks and suture removal at days 5–7; fit-to-fly report before you travel.
Recovery timeline
Days 1–3
Swelling and bruising along the jaw and in front of the ears; tightness and numbness. Head elevated, cold compresses, soft food.
Days 5–7
Sutures removed. Bruising fading. Gentle hair washing from day 3. Fit-to-fly check.
Weeks 2–3
Presentable with make-up; desk work resumes. Numbness in front of the ears is normal.
Weeks 4–6
Swelling largely gone; light exercise resumes. Scars pink.
Months 3–12
Final result by 3 months; scars fade to pale over 12 months.
Results — and their limits
A cleaner jawline and lifted lower cheek — a rested, natural refresh rather than a dramatic change.
The result typically lasts 5–8 years, less than a full facelift, because the lift is smaller. Ageing continues from a better starting point.
The neck is unchanged. If neck laxity develops later, a neck lift or full lift can be done.
The short scar in front of the ear fades to a fine line that is difficult to find after a year.
When it is final: Swelling settles over 6–8 weeks; scars mature over 12 months; result lasts 5–8 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-pressure control, stopping blood thinners, two nights of observation, drains where used; drained promptly if it forms.
Under-correction or early relapse
Mostly a matter of choosing the mini lift for a face that needed a full lift; prevented by honest assessment.
Nerve injury
Rare; the short-scar approach stays superficial to the main facial nerve branches. Temporary weakness recovers.
Visible scar or earlobe distortion
Incision inside the tragus, tension-free closure, scar care.
Skin loss
Rare with the short flap; non-smoking is still required.
Asymmetry
Faces are asymmetric; minor adjustments possible after 6 months.
Infection
Uncommon; antibiotic cover.
What you pay
€2,690Package price
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 honest assessment of mini versus full lift
- ✓Pre-operative blood tests, ECG and anaesthetic assessment
- ✓Mini (short-scar) facelift in a hospital operating theatre
- ✓2 nights in hospital with nursing care and medication
- ✓7 nights in a 4- or 5-star hotel in Kuşadası
- ✓Private transfers between airport, hospital, clinic and hotel
- ✓Dressings, suture removal, wound checks and fit-to-fly report
- ✓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 package
- –Skin resurfacing or skincare
May change after examination — and why
Only after a clinician has examined you, only in writing, and only with your yes.
- △The plan itself, if the surgeon’s examination differs from the photo review — for example a lift turns out to be needed alongside an augmentation. You receive a revised written quote before anything is done, and you can decline it; neither we nor the hospital charge you for saying no.
- △Extra hospital nights, if the surgeon or anaesthetist wants to keep you in longer. The nightly rate is stated in your written plan; it is never added silently.
- △Findings in the pre-operative tests — poorly controlled diabetes or blood pressure, a blood-borne infection, an unexpected ECG — can postpone the operation or change the hospital’s price. You are told before surgery, not on the invoice.
- △Extra hotel nights if you are not fit to fly on the planned day, at the rate in your plan.
Free
Not “included” — free, whether or not you go ahead.
- 0The surgeon’s review of your photos and documents, and the written plan and price that follow
- 0Asking questions, asking for a plan for a different procedure, or deciding not to go ahead before anything is booked — none of this costs anything
- 0A coordinator on WhatsApp before you travel, during your stay and after you are home
The total you pay
€2,690, plus your flights and travel insurance, plus any item in the “may change” list that turns out to apply to you — each confirmed to you in writing before it is done. Nothing else. Our coordination is inside this price. You do not pay us separately, and nothing is added at the clinic that was not in your written plan.
How our pricing works →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 choose a clinic for Mini Facelift
Ask these before you pay a deposit — here or anywhere else. Every one of them has an answer that can be written down and checked. A clinic that answers with reassurance instead of a document has told you something.
What specialty is on the surgeon’s diploma?
For facial work the honest answers are plastic, reconstructive and aesthetic surgery, ENT for a nose, or oculoplastic surgery for eyelids. "Aesthetic surgeon" is not a specialty. Ask which one, and what they operate on the rest of the week.
Which technique, and what does it mean for my swelling and my scars?
Open or closed rhinoplasty, SMAS or deep-plane facelift, skin-only or muscle work on eyelids — each has a different scar position and a different timetable. Ask where the scars sit on you and when the swelling realistically settles.
When is the earliest revision, and who pays for it?
Facial revisions are not done before about twelve months, because the tissue is still settling. Ask what the policy is, and whether the flight and hotel for a revision are included — that is usually where the real cost sits.
Can I see cases that started where I am starting?
Ask for photographs of a nose, or a face, like yours — not the clinic’s best result. Ask whether the surgeon took them, and whether the lighting and the lens are the same in the before and the after.
Who removes my splint or sutures, and who answers at week three?
Week three is when swelling and doubt peak, and it is usually after you have gone home. Ask who you speak to then, and whether it is the surgeon or a coordinator.
Is the anaesthetic given by an anaesthetist, in a licensed theatre?
Facial procedures sold "under sedation" are where this corner is cut most often. Ask for the anaesthetist and the licence of the room you will be in.
What you get from us in writing
Before you pay anything, your plan names the hospital and the surgeon who will treat you, their authorisation, the technique, and the full list of what the price does and does not cover. We proceed with the partner that fits your case — and you have the names in front of you first.
How to prepare
- 1.Send photos from the front, sides and three-quarter views with the neck visible; the neck decides whether a mini lift is right.
- 2.Stop smoking and nicotine 4 weeks before and after. Stop aspirin, ibuprofen, fish oil, vitamin E and herbal supplements 14 days before.
- 3.Ensure blood pressure is controlled; take your medication on the morning of surgery unless told otherwise.
- 4.Colour your hair before you travel; no colouring for 6 weeks after.
- 5.Bring front-opening tops, a scarf and sunglasses; arrange 9 nights in Turkey and 10–14 days off work.
Aftercare at home
- •Sleep with the head raised for 2 weeks; avoid turning the neck sharply.
- •Cold compresses to the cheeks for 48 hours; soft food for a week.
- •Gentle hair washing from day 3; no colouring for 6 weeks.
- •No strenuous exercise, sauna or sunbathing for 4 weeks; SPF on the scars for 12 months.
- •Report sudden one-sided swelling, increasing pain or fever immediately. Photos at 2 weeks, 6 weeks, 3, 6 and 12 months.
Frequently asked questions
Mini or full facelift?
How long does a mini facelift last?
Where is the scar?
Can it be done under local anaesthesia?
Will it treat my neck?
How quickly can I be seen in public?
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.