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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What does filler look like? This!
So many people are terrified of fillers. When it’s done well, this is what it looks like. Everything looks softer. The bags under the eyes look less obvious. But nothing looks different.
The patient is delighted. What do you think?
IS THE QUANTUM LIFT A CUT-PRICE FACELIFT?
No, and here’s why.
A deep plane facelift goes deeper into the face, removing deep fat, muscle and salivary glands which is how you get those sharp neck contours. The Quantum Lift works more superficially, tightening skin and reshaping jowls in 90 minutes under local anaesthetic, but it can’t reach those deeper structures.
I believe in the Quantum Lift. I just won’t pretend it suits everyone.
Good aesthetic medicine means the right procedure for the right patient, not one treatment doing it all.
#QuantumLift #FaceliftAlternative #NonSurgicalFacelift #SkinTightening #AestheticMedicine MedicalAesthetics GlasgowAesthetics GlasgowClinic
Some more Quantum Lift magic!
This patient is just 24 hours after her Quantum lift with fat redistribution. As part of the procedure we sometimes take some of excess fat that’s been removed from the neck and jowls and replace it along the chin and jaw to create more definition.
Although she’s still bruised and swollen, I think we can all already see where this result is heading.
The patient is delighted! What do you think?
Here she is… the one we’ve all been waiting for!
Lorraine, our incredible Assistant Manager, was the very first patient to have The Quantum Lift.
She’s now approaching 12 weeks after her procedure - the point at which we really start to see the result mature - and she is absolutely over the moon with her new jawline.
It’s been especially exciting watching this result develop because Lorraine was patient number one and I think you’ll agree, she set the bar pretty high.
What do you think of her result?
This is not a facelift.
This patient is just one week after The Quantum Lift, immediately after having her tape removed - you can still see a little residual adhesive on her cheeks.
The Quantum Lift is our new minimally invasive approach to rejuvenating the lower face and neck. We first use precision liposuction to remove excess fat from beneath the chin and around the jowls, sculpting a cleaner jawline. We then use QuantumRF beneath the skin to contract and tighten the tissues of the lower face and neck.
What has impressed me most about QuantumRF is the degree of tissue contraction we can achieve. You can actually see the tissues tightening during the procedure itself, but that`s only the beginning. Most patients are through the main recovery within a week or two, while tightening and collagen remodelling continue for 3–6 months afterwards.
So, at only one week, this is still a very early result but she`s already delighted with the improvement.
No facelift. One week post-treatment. And plenty more improvement still to come.
What do you think?
Dr Rhona is back!
We’re delighted to share that Dr Rhona Cameron will be returning to clinic at the beginning of September following her maternity leave and her diary is now open for appointments!
We know many of you have been looking forward to seeing Rhona again, and we’re so pleased to welcome her back!
If you’d like to book an appointment with Dr Rhona, you can do so via our website or app, or contact the team on 0141 370 0509.
We’ve shown you lots of side profiles from the Quantum Lift, but what does it look like from the front?
This lovely patient is just four weeks after her procedure, and I think the front view really shows how much we can change while still keeping the face looking soft and natural.
As part of her Quantum Lift, we removed unwanted fat from beneath the chin and around the jowls. Rather than simply discarding that fat, we used some of it to restore volume to her chin and jawline, helping to replace some of the volume she had lost over time and bring back a little of the youthful softness to the lower face.
You’ll also notice a small amount of lumpiness beneath the chin. At four weeks, this is very common after liposuction in this area and is part of the healing process. She’s now using firmer massage to help soften this over the coming weeks, and we would expect the result to continue settling and refining.
Most importantly, she’s absolutely over the moon with the change, and we are too!
What do you think of the front view?
Once again, the combination treatment wins the day!
This patient came to us hating her neck and jowls, but she would not consider anything invasive. Treating the neck is always a challenge especially with non-invasive treatments only.
For this patient we first of all reduced the fat under the chin using CoolSculpting, then we did some hyaluronic acid under the mandible to define the jaw and finally we did some Sofwave to tighten the skin.
The patient is over the moon with her results. What do you think?
There is no single "best" facial rejuvenation treatment - only the treatment that`s right for the individual patient.
For patients with more advanced facial ageing, significant jowls and loose skin of the neck, a deep plane facelift remains the gold standard. In the right hands, it can achieve results that more significant than what we can do with less invasive treatments.
This is one of our recent patients following deep plane face and neck lift surgery, performed by the incredibly talented @bramhallplasticsurgery. It`s always a privilege to work alongside Russell and see the exceptional results he consistently achieves.
One of the things I`m most proud of at McKeown Medical is that we`re a genuinely multidisciplinary team. We don`t believe every patient needs fillers. We don`t believe every patient needs surgery either. We offer injectables, lasers, minimally invasive procedures like the Quantum Lift, and facelift surgery because different patients, at different stages of the ageing process, need different solutions.
Our job isn`t to sell you a procedure - its to help you choose the right one.
If you want to have a conversation about which option is right for you, you can send us some pics by PM.
#DeepPlaneFacelift #Facelift #NeckLift #FacialRejuvenation #PlasticSurgery #AestheticMedicine #NaturalResults #McKeownMedical #Glasgow #PlasticSurgeon