Lifting
Full Facelift (SMAS Facelift)
A full facelift dissects and lifts the SMAS layer and the retaining ligaments across the whole face, not just the surface skin, through incisions along the hairline and behind the ear. It's for more significant sagging — pronounced jowls, deep nasolabial or marionette lines, or a jawline that's lost its boundary with the neck — where pulling skin alone won't hold the result.
Why This Surgery Works Below the Skin
The SMAS is a layer of tissue just under the skin that supports facial elasticity, and the retaining ligaments are what anchor skin, fat, and muscle to the bone. If only the surface skin is pulled and tightened, the ligaments underneath are still holding everything down, so sagging tends to return before long. A full facelift dissects the SMAS layer and carefully releases those ligaments, then lifts and fixes the tissue in a vertical direction — pulling only toward the ear can flatten the front of the cheek and widen the face, so the plan is set to keep volume where it belongs while still tightening the jawline. No bone is reshaped in this process.
Is This Right for You?
- Pronounced jowls or sagging along the cheek
- Deep nasolabial folds and marionette lines
- Lasers or thread lifts that no longer give a noticeable improvement
- A jawline that's lost its clear boundary with the neck
- Sagging that showed up after facial contouring, liposuction, or significant weight loss
Your Treatment Process
- 01
Aging and tissue analysis
Skin thickness, fat distribution, and the degree of sagging are assessed before any incision is planned.
- 02
Precise incision
Incisions are placed along the hairline and behind the ear cartilage, positioned around your sideburn and skin thickness to minimize visible scarring and preserve the hairline.
- 03
SMAS and ligament dissection
The SMAS layer is separated and the retaining ligaments causing the sagging are released, working carefully around nearby nerves.
- 04
Fixation, trimming, and closure
The lifted tissue is fixed in a vertical direction, excess skin is trimmed only as much as needed, and the incision is closed with fine sutures.
Recovery
Surgery is done under sedation anesthesia and takes about two hours. Hospitalization isn't required, and stitches are typically removed around day 7 to 10. Recovery generally takes one to two weeks. How long the lift itself holds varies by facial structure and how aging continues afterward — surgery resets the sagging, but it doesn't stop aging from continuing.
Safety & Risks
Because dissection reaches below the SMAS layer, surgical risks here are worth taking seriously: bleeding or hematoma, infection, scarring, temporary sensory changes, asymmetry, and nerve irritation are all described in the literature as possible, even when not common. Incisions are planned to avoid losing or displacing the sideburn and to prevent the pulled, 'cut-ear' look that can come from removing too much skin. Ask your surgeon directly, during the consultation, which risks apply to your specific case and what the recovery process actually looks like.
Related Videos
Videos from the DOY JUN channel about this topic.
Not enough results from lifting? Why Renuvion may be the missing piece
Stronger than Ultherapy and Thermage? How Renuvion differs
Q&A: What is Renuvion, and how is it different from standard lifting?
What happens if you get too many thread lifts
Thread lift or mini facelift: to look younger, address the sagging
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a full facelift the same thing as a 'SMAS facelift'?
Yes — a facelift that works on the skin together with the SMAS layer underneath it is generally what's meant by a SMAS facelift. At DOY JUN, our full facelift goes a step further by also releasing the retaining ligaments, not just the SMAS layer, which is sometimes referred to separately as a full SMAS release.
Can I still get a full facelift after years of repeated thread lifts?
It depends on the current condition of your skin and SMAS layer, which can only be judged by an in-person exam. Years of thread lifts spaced close together can thin the skin and SMAS layer, which can make the SMAS harder to work with during surgery and raise the technical difficulty — so be upfront about your full treatment history at the consultation.
Are the results different for men?
The aesthetic standard for a masculine face differs from a feminine one, and men having a facelift generally want a somewhat different outcome — looking younger while keeping a natural, masculine appearance rather than a visibly 'done' look. If you're considering a facelift, it's worth describing the specific impression you want during your consultation.
What risks are specific to going this deep — the SMAS and ligament level?
Dissecting below the SMAS and releasing the retaining ligaments carries a real, if uncommon, risk of nerve irritation alongside the usual surgical risks of bleeding, infection, and asymmetry. This is exactly why the depth and extent of dissection, and how your particular anatomy is handled, are things worth confirming directly with your surgeon before surgery.
Individual results vary. Surgery carries risks; your surgeon will review them with you in consultation.
Wondering If You Need a Full Facelift or Something Less?
Tell us what's bothering you most — jowls, jawline, the neck — and send a photo if you can. We'll tell you honestly whether a mini facelift would be enough or a full facelift is the better fit.
Message Us on WhatsAppLifting
- Thread LiftThread lift using dissolvable PDO threads to lift sagging skin without incisions — a lighter option for early sagging, with results that typically last six months to a year.
- Mini FaceliftA mini facelift for sagging that's gone past what a thread lift can fix but doesn't need a full facelift, through a smaller incision along the hairline with a shorter recovery.
- Neck LiftA neck lift that tightens the platysma muscle under the skin, not just the skin surface, for deep neck creases and a lost jaw-neck boundary.
- Endoscopic Brow LiftAn endoscopic brow lift for a heavy, drooping forehead and brow — sometimes the actual cause of a tired or restricted-looking upper eye area, not the eyelid itself.