See our Before & After Gallery OUR RESULTS
Artisan of Beauty Before and After Photos
Artisan of Beauty Before and After Photos
Artisan of Beauty Before and After Photos
Dr Tim Neavin
Surgery with Symmetry
Dr Tim Neavin

Facelift Santa Barbara - Top Face Lift Surgeon

Dr. Tim Neavin is a skilled board-certified Santa Barbara plastic surgeon and is considered one of the top facial plastic surgeons with his extensive training in this procedure. He reflects your unique natural beauty by performing the most suited face lift technique to help you meet and exceed your facial appearance and beauty goals. Dr. Neavin can help you revitalize your face and regain your youthful visage once more. To schedule a personal consultation for your facial plastic surgery at our Santa Barbara practice to discuss facelifts, please call (310) 858-8811, or set up your visit with us via our inquiry form.

Jump To Content….

What is a facelift?

A facelift is a plastic surgery procedure to address signs of aging in the face and neck, improve your facial contour and to regain the youthful appearance you once had. This procedure is the gold-standard in facial rejuvenation. It lifts and tightens deep tissues of the face that have declined aesthetically over time due to aging. By skillfully manipulating not only the skin, but the complex musculature and tissues beneath it, an expert surgeon can transform your features to enhance smooth wrinkles and lines, and help you tighten loose skin. As results from modern face lifting procedures are both striking and natural-looking, it is a hugely popular cosmetic procedure that provides patients with long-lasting aesthetic results.

Benefits of a Facelift

Simply put, a facelift is one of the best procedure for patients that are looking to correct their facial features and aging; it is one of its greatest benefits.

Facelift surgery helps hundreds of thousands of people across the United States achieve their beauty goals. Some of the key benefits include:

  • It tightens skin and accentuates features and the facial structure.
  • It smooths texture and dramatically reduces the appearance of deeper wrinkles and lines
  • It can carefully adjust musculature and surrounding tissues for the best results.
  • It’s a more permanent, longer-lasting cosmetic solution than injectables
  • Scars are subtle and well-hidden in the natural contours of the face, hairline, and neck.
  • The surgery can markedly reduce progressive aging in the face.
  • Combined with fat transfer, more natural facial architecture can be recreated.

The main goal is to restore the youth you one had in the face. It does so through the removal of excess skin and fat. It can address numerous signs of aging, including:

  • Nasolabial folds
  • Lax skin below the eyes
  • Prominent jowling
  • Changes in cheek fat distribution
  • Dimpling
  • Architecture
  • Volume loss

Dr. Neavin achieves effective results by placing strategic incisions at specific points. He then elevates the skin to reveal the facial musculature and its surrounding tissues.

Types of Facelift Surgery

There are several surgical techniques that can be used to achieve the best result depending on the patient’s request. Combining any of the surgical techniques with a brow lift and eyelid surgery is common to achieve the desired facial volume. The technique used will depend on several factors, including personal preference and skin laxity. Fat grafting is also a very good option when combined with surgery for the ultimate result.

Mini Facelift Santa Barbara

Mini – facelifts varies from surgeon to surgeon. Usually, it is indicated for patients who wish to tighten a specific area of the face; namely the jowls and upper neck. A mini facelift procedure does not focus on the SMAS but instead seeks to “fine tune” a targeted section of the face for less extensive, limited incisions, but natural-looking results. As less of the face is operated on, there are smaller incision points which can result in shorter, barely visible scars after healing from your procedure.

Neck Lift

Some patients may wish to combine a facelift procedure with a neck lift to improve the soft tissues of the face. This surgery requires the excision of excess skin and tissue in both the face and the neck area with incision points around the ears, down the back of the neck, and under the chin. A neck lift as a standalone procedure is suitable for patients with excessive skin laxity in the neck, or for patients with prominent platysmal banding (muscle bands in the neck), but who have very little visible sagging in the face.

SMAS Facelift

SMAS alters the underlying muscles and tissues of the face as well as the skin for a tightened effect. It may involve plication (folding) and imbrication (overlapping). After exposing the SMAS, Dr. Neavin adjusts the SMAS, lifting and trimming the necessary tissue where indicated. Depending on your treatment plan, SMAS may involve fat transfer. Once the manipulation of tissues in the face is complete, and the necessary skin is removed, he redrapes the overlying skin and sutures it at a higher position.

Traditional Full Facelift

A traditional facelift can effectively address sagging skin, extra skin, deep creases, and jowls, providing a more refreshed and revitalized profile. While it is a more invasive procedure compared to non-surgical alternatives, It can deliver long-lasting results for individuals seeking a comprehensive  rejuvenation solution.

Facelift Candidates

The surgery is done with general anesthesia, thus adults in their 40s, 50s, and 60s must be healthy and will benefit most from a facelift. Patients that have deeper lines, double chins, marionette lines, and prominent wrinkles, severe skin laxity in the facial profile, they will achieve dramatic, lasting results. As one of the most comprehensive ways to rejuvenate the face, face lifting is extremely popular for many reasons, including:

  • Take blood-thinning medications/have a blood clotting disorder
  • Are a heavy smoker who would struggle with cessation before and after surgery
  • Have a serious heart or lung condition
  • Have hypertension (high blood pressure)
  • Have poorly controlled diabetes
  • Have unrealistic expectations of surgery outcomes

Cost of Facelift Surgery in Santa Barbara, CA

The cost of your facelift surgery will depend on several individual factors including the surgical technique Dr. Neavin deems best for your needs, and whether you choose to combine it with another procedure.

Financing your Surgery

Plastic surgery financing may be available to qualified candidates. Our practice offers multiple financing options through CareCredit and Prosper Healthcare.

Recovery after Surgery

As with other invasive procedures, recovery time for patients follow a similar protocol. For the first few days post-surgery, avoid strenuous activity and any sun exposure. Pain medication will be prescribed to help manage any discomfort for the first week or so. 

You will experience some swelling for the first week and it will subside after 2-4 weeks.

You will begin to see the final results 3-6 months post-surgery. The incision lines will begin to fade and blend in with your natural skin

Schedule Facelift Consultation with Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon, Dr. Tim Neavin

During your initial consultation, Dr. Neavin will discuss your aesthetic goals and will create a tailored surgical plan by gathering information and getting to know you on a personal level. Dr. Neavin will ask you about your medical history, if you have had any prior surgeries (cosmetic or otherwise), and what you’re looking to gain from a facelift. As your facelift surgeon, He will perform a thorough examination of your skin, noting the prominence of wrinkles and lines and the severity of the skin’s laxity. 

Contact Us

    Santa Barbara Location

    Facelift FAQ

    When performed by an experienced and skilled surgeon, a facelift can result in a very natural looking result. However, it’s important to have realistic expectations and understand that the outcome of a facelift will depend on a variety of factors, including the patient’s age, skin quality, and individual anatomy.

    A full facelift, also known as a traditional facelift, addresses signs of aging in the lower face, jawline, and neck. A mini-facelift, on the other hand, is a less invasive procedure that focuses on the lower face and is best suited for patients with mild to moderate sagging in this area. A midface lift is a procedure that lifts the cheeks and the area around the lower eyelids, creating a more youthful appearance.

    It’s normal to experience some swelling and bruising during the healing process after a facelift, which can take several weeks to subside. The initial results may be visible after a few weeks, but the outcome may take several months to fully develop as the tissues heal and settle into their new position.

    A facelift can improve the appearance of wrinkles, but it may not eliminate them. The extent to which wrinkles are reduced will depend on a variety of factors, such as the depth and location of the wrinkles, the patient’s age, and the quality of their skin. In some cases, additional treatments such as fillers, Botox, or laser resurfacing may be recommended to further improve the appearance of wrinkles.

    Although rare, Infection and bleeding are the two most common risk factors associated with facelift plastic surgery. In less than 10% of cases, there might be some fluid collection called hematoma. This is where a collection of fluid will happen underneath the skin flap. Usually, this can be drained with a needle. On rare occasions, the incision will need to be reopened and drained. Other rare risks are damage to the nerves near your smile or eyebrows.

    Facelift Before & After Photos