What does a facelift actually lift?
It lifts the skin of the cheeks, jaw area and neck, and repositions the fatty tissue of the cheeks. It does not treat the forehead, the eyebrow, the eyelids, or the mouth area.

Where do you make the incisions?
I prefer the incisions to be hidden in the contours of the ear, as opposed to a straight-line incision in front of the ear. There is also an incision behind the ear which extends back into the hair – this allows us to tighten the neck area without making a separate incision under the chin.

Will I be asleep for this?
Yes. Dr. Fiala does all of his facelift surgery with the patient under general anesthesia.

What is this “2-layer facelift” technique?
The face is anatomically arranged in several layers. To get a good result, you need to address the looseness in the skin layer and reposition the fatty subcutaneous layer back to where it was in youth. This second layer of tissues is known as the “SMAS”, and it lives between the skin layer and the muscle layer. Working with the SMAS is felt to be essential in modern techniques of face-lifting.

Are facelifts painful?
Happily – no. Most patients are pleasantly surprised how little pain they have after a facelift.

Do you have any advanced training?
Yes. Following his plastic surgery training at the University of Michigan, Dr. Fiala completed an additional Fellowship with one of the most respected facelift surgeons in the country, Dr. Jack Owsley. Dr. Fiala uses many of Dr. Owsley's advanced facial surgery techniques.

How long will I have swelling and bruising after the surgery?
Naturally, there are individual variations, but most people feel “socially acceptable” after about 2 weeks, some earlier.

What about scars?
Since the scars are hidden in the hair, and inside the ears, they are usually hard to see, even at conversational distance, once they have healed.

I don’t want to look “pulled” or “overly-tight”. Can I still have a facelift?
Yes. By using the deeper layers of the face to achieve the desired lift effect, the surgeon doesn’t need to pull the skin tight, as was done in some older surgical techniques. Dr. Fiala aims for a natural look – we want you to look like yourself, just a younger version of yourself.