McKeown Medical
167 Bath Street, Glasgow, G2 4SQ
Date posted — 12.05.25
Facelift procedures have seen a significant rise in popularity in recent years, thanks to growing awareness, advances in surgical techniques, and increasing demand for subtle, rejuvenating results. The most pivotal change has been the re-popularisation of the deep plane facelift, which has now reached consensus among surgeons as the gold standard method of performing a facelift. However, it is a more complex procedure, and most of us would prefer a quicker, easier fix, such as a mini facelift.
If you’re considering a facelift but are unsure about which treatment will deliver the best results for your needs, you’re not alone. At McKeown Medical, we understand that choosing the right facelift can feel overwhelming. In this article, we’ll break down the differences between a mini facelift and a deep plane facelift, highlight the pros and cons of each, and help guide you toward the best option for your aesthetic goals.
A deep plane facelift is an advanced surgical technique that repositions the deeper layers of facial tissue, not just the skin. This method allows for a more natural, longer-lasting result by lifting the cheeks, jawline, and neck in one comprehensive movement. Unlike traditional facelifts that are performed more superficially, a deep plane facelift avoids the “pulled” look by going deeper into the face and releasing the retaining ligaments to allow the face to be truly repositioned, rather than just stretched around the sides.
A full facelift is essentially a combination of procedures that address different aspects of facial ageing. In addition to the deep plane facelift, a full facelift will usually also include eyelid surgery (or blepharoplasty), brow lift, or lip lift surgery. This is designed to produce the most comprehensive rejuvenation of the entire face and neck.
Benefits:
Recovery:
Patients typically require two to three weeks of downtime, with swelling and bruising gradually subsiding. The full results continue to refine over several months.
A mini facelift is a less invasive version of the traditional facelift. With the mini facelift, there is much less dissection, and the lifting effect relies on placing tension in the tissues around the sides of the face.
Benefits:
Recovery:
Most patients can return to work and social activities within a week or two. However, the improvement is typically more modest and may not address deeper structural issues or neck laxity.
While a mini facelift may seem appealing due to its lower cost and shorter recovery, the lifting effect tends to be short-lived, and because the technique relies on tension being placed on the tissues, it is more likely to look pulled or stretched than the more complex deep plane technique, which focuses on releasing and repositioning the deep tissues of the face.
For patients who desire meaningful, long-term improvement, a mini facelift may not offer the scope needed to achieve their goals.
The ideal facelift technique will depend on the degree of facial ageing, your aesthetic goals, and your individual facial anatomy.
Our team can assess your facial structure and recommend the most suitable treatment plan, whether that’s surgical or non-surgical.
Choosing the right facelift procedure can be life-changing, not just in terms of appearance but also in confidence. At McKeown Medical, our highly qualified and experienced team will work closely with you to ensure you receive the most appropriate treatment tailored to your needs.
With years of expertise and a commitment to natural-looking results, we’re here to help you look and feel your best. Check out our before-and-after gallery to see real patient transformations after their facelift treatment journey.
Ready to find out which facelift is right for you?
At McKeown Medical, we can help get you the results you are looking for. Book a consultation today to discuss our available treatment options and get advice on how to move forward to get the look you want.
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Thank you once again to another lovely patient who has allowed us to share her photos with you.
She came to see me wanting a refresh and was open to suggestions, surgical and non-surgical. Her biggest concern however was wrinkles and lines and skin texture problems.
Surgery doesn’t help with this and injectables are limited too - the gold standard here is laser resurfacing, which is what we went with. We did a full field ablation of the full face including her eyelids.
This is her a month or so later. You can see she is still a bit red, especially around the eyes where we went the deepest, but she is already loving life with her new skin.
What do you think?
The non-surgical facelift!
You might have heard us talking a lot recently about combination treatments, using different treatment modalities to create synergy in non-surgical rejuvenation. The reason this works so well is that the different layers of the face age in different ways.
We focus a lot on skin tightening, which is super important, but that’s only the outer layer of the face. Below that the fat, bone and muscle are all changing too.
This lovely lady was relatively new to aesthetics and wanted a more comprehensive rejuvenation without surgery. We decided to do the combination approach using @sofwave.uk to tighten the skin of the face and neck, whilst using HA to restore volume to the fat and bone.
This is her a few months later - her whole face looks tighter, softer, less tired - but in a way that looks completely natural. She is delighted with the result that still looks like her, just a really refreshed version.
What do you think?
HA Fillers are making a comeback! Here are my thoughts on the how and why 👀
How long does a facelift last? One of the most common questions we hear, but it doesn’t have a straightforward answer. Here is our facelift expert @bramhallplasticsurgery talking about some of the nuance.
I’ve been getting lots of questions about what I’ve been up to with my own skin recently. So here you are… the full uncensored version 👀
Introducing Julaine - a new biostimulator I am very excited about!
To explain the background, we need to start with Sculptra - which is having a bit of a moment again on socials. Sculptra is made of PLLA which stimulates your own body to create more collagen, which sounds instantly appealing especially for patients who want to avoid HA fillers.
The problem is that 1 in 5 people who have Sculptra develop nodules which is why - despite the beautiful results we often see from it - I have never used it in my practice (at least not in the face). The trade off in terms of the risk of nodules is just too high for me to feel comfortable with.
We now have a new version, called Julaine, made from a Swedish company called Nordberg. The scientists at Nordberg have refined the manufacturing process to make the PLLA particles smaller and smoother and in doing so have eliminated the problems associated with Sculptra.
I have only just recently started working with Julaine (it’s been around for a couple of years now, but I never like to be the first to use it - I always want to make sure the real world data matches up to what the pharma companies tell us). The treatment is delivered over three sessions, one month apart, with gradual tissue regeneration and volumising occurring slowly over time.
The course of 3 sessions costs £3000 and results typically last up to 2 years. It’s a great addition for other regenerative treatments like Sofwave skin tightening. It’s also great for patients who’ve had HA fillers and feel like they need something else, but aren’t quite ready for more HA yet.
What do you think?
One of Dr Kavita’s breast reduction patients sent this gorgeous bouquet of flowers after her follow up - simply because she felt so grateful for her result and the care our team provided.
Moments like this remind us why we do what we do and why ‘how’ we do it is so important. Surgery has traditionally been a very male-dominated world, but Kavita brings something different - exceptional technical skill combined with empathy, warmth and a genuine understanding of women’s bodies and aesthetics.
There can be a lot of pressure on women in surgery to abandon their femininity to fit in. Kavita hasn’t done that. She’s succeeded by being completely herself.
And that’s exactly why our patients love her (and why we do too).
We’re very proud to have her as part of the McKeown Medical team.
This patient came to the clinic thinking she needed a facelift to get what she wanted. We do facelifts - lots of them. But for this patient, her biggest issue wasn’t loose skin.
It was skin quality, which is something we see a lot of, so we suggested she fix that first. This is the result. Fully ablative resurfacing isn’t easy, but for the right patient, it can be life-changing.
The patient is delighted with her results. What do you think?
Another gorgeous result for another gorgeous patient by the very talented @bramhallplasticsurgery.
This patient is 2 months post-op and loving life with her new eyelids. As well as looking better, she can see better because the weight of the excess skin has been removed. The patient is delighted.
What do you think?