A traditional facelift is best at improving the jowls/jawline and the neck. To achieve better results higher in the face such as the cheekbone area and the areas at the junction of the lower eyelids and the cheeks, more is required.

What is the midface?

The term midface describes the area between the lower cheek (jowl area) and the forehead. The midface includes:

• The upper half of your cheeks
• The junction between the lower eyelids and the cheek where there is commonly an indentation

Techniques for lifting the midface?

Various techniques for lifting the midface have been developed, such as lifting the midface through an incision in the lower eyelid or endoscopically through incisions in the scalp. As a general rule, these techniques have been abandoned because they did not work well or caused complications such as a pull-down of the lower eyelid.

The modern facelift now includes the improvement of the midface. The current techniques for lifting the midface involve extending the facelift incision along the sideburn and by the addition of fat grafting at the time of the facelift. The traditional facelift incision begins below the sideburn and because of the direction of pull, is effective in the lower cheek. If the incision is extended up along the front of the sideburn, the midface can be lifted at the same time. In addition, fat grafting provides volume replacement to the junction of the lower eyelids and cheeks that cannot be safely or reliably achieved with a lifting procedure.

Goals of midface surgery?

The goals of addressing the midface at the time of facelift:

• lift and tighten the facial skin in the upper cheek
• help soften the nasolabial crease 
• fill in the hollow where the lower lids meet the cheek
• augment the cheekbone area

How long does it take to recover from a midface lift?

Since midface lifting has become a component of normal facelifting, the recovery is the same: approximately 3 weeks. After those 3 weeks, you may return to completely normal activities, sports, yoga, etc.

Schedule a Consultation with a Board-certified Cosmetic Surgeon

A midface lift has become a routine part of the modern-day facelift and is much safer than the older techniques for addressing that area.

Dr. Charles Thorne is an experienced facelift surgeon in New York City. To find out if midface surgery is the right option for you, or you want to learn more about it, don’t hesitate to schedule a remote or in-office consultation with Dr. Thorne.