Current Trends in Facelift and Necklift Procedures

Many surgical and nonsurgical options are available to patients seeking facial rejuvenation. In this review, we aim to provide an overview of the current trends in facelift and necklift procedures while simultaneously highlighting the utility of nonsurgical treatments. A comprehensive literature review was performed using the PubMed, Google Scholar, and Cochrane Library databases, with the objective of including recent literature published on facelift and necklift procedures from 2015 to 2025. Articles were selected based on relevance, with a specific focus on including a wide breadth of techniques. A considerable body of literature has been published to further classify the soft-tissue anatomy of the face and neck. In particular, these studies focus on the characterization of the three-dimensional anatomy of the facial nerve with emphasis on safe planes of dissection to avoid inadvertent facial nerve injury. The current literature continues to debate both the theoretical and practical advantages and disadvantages of various facelift techniques. Broadly speaking, facelift techniques can be divided into those that manipulate the superficial musculoaponeurotic system (SMAS) layer on its superficial surface and those that undermine the SMAS to varying extents. Numerous approaches are available to improve the contour of the neck and jawline, including manipulation of the platysma muscle and subplatysmal volume reduction. Other surgical procedures and nonsurgical treatments should be considered to optimize and enhance facelift and necklift results. Advancements in patient safety include a focus on minimizing complications while reducing the length of recovery. Facelift and necklift procedures remain the foundational pillars for facial rejuvenation. With attention to patient-specific anatomy, surgeons can work collaboratively with patients to provide global facial optimization by choosing appropriate facelift and necklift techniques in combination with other ancillary procedures. Doing so will deliver enduring, elegant results.