Full facelift under local anaesthesia



We understand how disheartening it can be for women and men who see visible signs of aging but don’t know what the best treatment for jowls, sagging skin and a turkey neck are. Even when you decide to commit to plastic surgery, you want the best face lift results for you: you want to remove jowls, have a tighter jaw line, a neck lift, and a natural-looking youthful appearance that lasts.

What is a full face lift?
We see lots of fancy names being bandied about when it comes to informing patients about face lifts and neck lifts. Here are some key elements of a face and neck lift that are important for safety, efficacy, and to deliver lasting, natural looking results.

Local anaesthesia
Our consultant plastic surgeons are experts using local After receiving some relaxing and pain medication , your face lift is performed while you are awake but sleepy, so you can go home afterwards

Tissue release
We “undermine” or release the skin and deeper facial tissue (SMAS) to give a more effective and lasting result. Addressing loose skin and underlying facial muscles gives a more youthful appearance by enhancing natural contours.

Central neck approach
It is essential to do a platysmaplasty (tightening the neck muscles by stitching them together) from a hidden incision under the chin if there are muscle bands in order to get a sharp, well-defined angle that lasts.

Compression bandages
Imagine doing varicose vein surgery and not bothering with compression afterwards? To avoid collections, haematomas and complications, we use compression always and so do the best facelift surgeons in the world.

After just 7 days
Stitches are removed at the incision sites and the temporary bruising is almost always gone with minimal swelling. We have vascular lasers to remove bruising and accelerate the fading of scars too.

Zero tension for invisible scars
Our consultant plastic surgeon has trained with the best facelift surgeons in the world and is meticulous in technique, not only for beautiful results, but also for imperceptible scars
Why facelift at Venus Medical?
Our consultant plastic surgeon Dr Shadab Ahmad is on the Specialist Register in Plastic Surgery in Ireland, has a Masters in Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, and is a Fellow of the European Board of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery. He has extensive international experience and completed a Fellowship with one of America’s leading facial plastic surgeons, Dr Malcolm Paul. Apart from all that, he has a wonderful bedside manner and is extremely friendly and caring.
- Nationally recognised centre of excellence in cosmetic surgery and Winner, Best Cosmetic Surgery Clinic at the Irish Healthcare Centre Awards twice.
- Our patients rate our medical director #1 Cosmetic Physician in Ireland on RateMDs
- Full face lift performed under local anaesthesia, avoiding all risks of general anaesthesia. We have been performing face and neck lifts in Ireland under local anaesthesia since 2015
- 3D imaging face lift simulation during consultation to see how you might look before you decide to have a surgical procedure
- 5-star pre and postoperative care and 24 hour access to your doctor during postoperative period
- Unlike other cosmetic surgery clinics, we also have 18 years’ experience and expertise in non surgical treatments and skin treatments such as laser skin resurfacing, volume correction, and chemical peels that can complement your facelift.
- Our board certified plastic surgeon is skilled in all facial plastic surgeries and can advise on how to get maximum results with procedures such as eyelid lift, midface lift and buccal fat removal.
- Pay monthly – we partner with Humm for financing if you want to spread the facelift cost over time
Emily
Dublin, IE
Unbelievably amazing doctor and staff. I had a facelift 2 months ago. The result is fabulous. I am so happy. I’d highly recommend Venus Medical

Benefits
- Gold standard procedure to remove jowls and give a more youthful shape to your face
- Can be combined with neck lift and other facial procedures
- Expertly performed, removes the sagging appearance by tightening the underlying muscle and trimming excess skin.
- Even though the aging process continues, the effects can last over 10 years
- With proper technique, scars should be imperceptible so you can wear your hair back
- Suitable for women and men who don’t want general anaesthesia but want to have a youthful shape to their face without changing their fundamental appearance.
- Each procedure is personalised to meet your needs and expectations. Procedures such as brow lift and lip lift can be performed together or later to enhance the results of facelift surgery.
Ideal candidate for facelift
If you want to get the best results for a tighter jawline, remove sagging skin and reverse the signs of aging, a face lift may be right for you. If you would like to get a free remote assessment and submit photos, you can do that right from your mobile phone using MeTime. One of our doctors will respond typically within 2 hours.
Ideal candidate for facelift
Face lift surgery is not a small thing. You want the best plastic surgeon for you: one who listens to exactly what you want, discusses all your options and explains the aftercare and what to expect. The best face lift clinic is a clinic that can show you before and after photo examples of their work, plastic surgery reviews and sees you regularly to ensure the best outcome. You want to see a board certified plastic surgeon who does lots of facelift procedures, not just one or two per month.
At our award-winning clinic in Dublin, our surgeons will explain all of your options and the differences between a nonsurgical face lift, one stitch face lift, mini face lift and a full face lift. Call us today, book online, or submit photos for a preliminary assessment and we look forward to helping you achieve a beautiful result if you do decide to go ahead.

Book your face lift consult with our experts at Venus Medical
Frequently asked questions
Facelift surgeries that address only loose skin and ignore the deeper facial tissues don’t give lasting, natural looking results. Achieving face lift results that are beautiful without changing your unique characteristics requires an intimate understanding of the aging face and how the underlying muscles and facial tissues interact with the facial skin. The best face lift repositions all of the layers to their natural, more youthful position, and does not simply pull up the skin.
A mini facelift could be a short scar facelift, a minimal access cranial suspension (MACS lift) or even a thread lift. It’s very important you speak with your surgeon so you know exactly the procedure that is being recommended for you and why. Whether you are a suitable candidate for a mini facelift depends on your anatomy and how the aging process has affected your lower face and neck, the facial fat compartments, and whether you have protruding platysmal neck bands. Contact us or submit photos on the MeTime app and we’ll give you clear recommendations and options.
A full facelift that repositions the deeper layers and tightens the neck muscles lasts many years. You will always look younger than if you had not had the surgery, so in this regard, the antiaging benefits can be considered permanent. It is possible to repeat a face lift and we see many people who have had previous surgeries elsewhere and then decide to come to us for a full facelift.
In our forties and fifties, we lose facial fat, the ligaments and muscles start to sag, and the skin begins to get loose and wrinkled. The natural folds of the face deepen, the jowls become obvious, and the neck looks less defined. Non surgical treatments like dermal fillers, radiofrequency needling and laser resurfacing stimulate collagen and have wonderful anti aging effects. Our one stitch facelift also improves visible signs of aging in the lower face and may be indicated if you have realistic expectations. If your neck looks great and you have early jowling and are in your mid to late forties, a short scar facelift (from the hairline to your earlobe) is more effective than any non-surgical facelift. Most of our face lift patients are 45 to 60 years old.
During a full facelift under local anaesthesia, Dr Shadab injects local anaesthetic under the skin and around the tissues to be lifted. With a numb face you are completely comfortable and have no discomfort throughout the procedure. If there is excess fat under the chin, this is removed with liposuction. Then the muscle bands in the neck are tightened and stitched to the deep neck tissue to create a beautiful sharp angle under the chin. The muscular layers in the outer face are then lifted and excess skin is trimmed. All incisions are closed meticulously so when they heal you cannot see them and can wear your hair back.
This depends on the type of facelift. A lift that includes minimal liposuction for a double chin, some stitches or skin glue and a small trim of remaining skin might not even need compression or bandages. We do not perform these inferior lifts and call them full face lifts. To minimize swelling, reduce collections and make sure you heal properly, we apply compression bandages for the first few days. After that a simple Velcro head garment can be worn to apply gentle pressure. A rapid recovery is usual and most patients do not even report moderate pain during the recovery period. Nevertheless, we prescribe antibiotics and some pain medication to make sure you are comfortable for the first week. In 7-8 days, your stitches are removed.
Dr Shadab is a board certified plastic surgeon who has extensive experience performing face lift surgery. It is normal after a facelift to have reduced skin sensation in front of the ear for a few weeks. However, facial nerve injury causing permanent weakness is rare. A nerve injury due to liposuction along the jawline that bruises the marginal mandibular nerve is more commonly reported but very uncommon in our experience. This type of nerve injury can cause a mild weakness around the lower mouth muscles that gets better without intervention. Permanent hair loss in the lower scalp is possible but very uncommon. Abnormal looking fold lines in the cheeks or in front of the ear are common in PDO thread lifts or skin-only facelifts but not common in a properly performed full or deep plane facelift. At Venus Medical, we perform face lifts under local anaesthesia, so there is no risk or recovery from general anaesthetic.
During the consultation you must tell your surgeon if you have any medical conditions, allergies, take medications and if you smoke. You will be advised about suitability and preparation. This includes whether you should discontinue any medications prior to your surgery or not.
There is usually a correlation with the extent of surgery and the price of a facelift. Our advice is to be very careful if you are being offered a facelift that is cheap, because it may not be worth it in the long run. We will provide detailed pricing either during an in-clinic consultation or through MeTime if you decide to have a remote assessment based on your photos and your expectations. We do offer financing through Humm if you prefer to pay monthly over time. Our clinic manager will be happy to discuss your options.
You must attend our clinic in Dublin for reviews as instructed. You should avoid sun exposure for the first week and wear sunscreen thereafter. We have special lasers that can treat bruises and scars to accelerate healing. We can also perform manual lymphatic drainage massage at the clinic to reduce swelling as the tissues heal and the new youthful contours are seen. Our experts in aesthetic medicine will advise on skincare and maintenance skin treatments so your results get better and better over time. Many of our facelift patients decide to go on the Everyderm programme to maximise skin health into the future.