Is a mini-facelift minimally invasive or is it surgery?

Q. My friend said she had a mini-facelift and that it is a minimally invasive procedure. Can this be?

A. You can call it tomato or “tomaato,” but it’s still a tomato.

Over the last 30 years, I have heard many synonyms for a facelift procedure. Many creative and marketing doctors like to have patients feel like they’re not having an invasive procedure so they have called it many different names. They’ve called it a short incision facelift, the J lift, minimally invasive facelift, mini facelift, etc.

But it’s still a facelift! My belief is that if you’re going to undergo surgery, do the right procedure. Every patient is an individual and every patient’s surgery is tailored to their needs.

A facelift generally includes some work in the neck, so it’s a face and neck lift. In general, there are many different techniques that can be used to do a facelift. Depending on your physician’s training and your comfort zone, patients may do a skin-only facelift, a deep-plane facelift, a SMAS facelift or a combination of any of the above. Each technique has its advantages and disadvantages and should be discussed with your surgeon depending on which technique she or he uses.

In general, the skin is elevated after an incision is made in the hairline, either in front or behind the tragus, the small pointed spot of the external ear, and behind the ear. The surgeon may elevate the skin a few inches or many inches.

Often, another incision is made below the chin to address either the muscle or the excess skin under the chin.

No matter what you call your procedure, it’s generally considered a facelift, so do it right and pick the right facial plastic surgeon or plastic surgeon.

Don’t let creative marketing fool you!

Dr. Carlos Wolf is a partner in Miami Plastic Surgery and is board certified. Email questions to him at Cwolf@miamiplasticsurgery.com. For more information, videos, and before-and-after photos, follow @carloswolfmd and @mpsmedspa on Instagram.