Face And Neck Lift

A facelift and neck lift are two procedures that can restore a more youthful-looking appearance by elevating and tightening the skin across the face and neck. These procedures can address age-related concerns such as wrinkles, sagging skin, descending fat, and visible muscle banding, allowing you to revitalize yourself with a look that truly represents your inner vitality and youth.

Dr. Paul Vanek is a double board-certified general and plastic surgeon at Mentor Plastic Surgery. Dr. Vanek is a true sculptor of the human body and understands how to manipulate each layer of tissue to achieve the aesthetic goals and desires of his patients. He takes the time to achieve naturally beautiful results that leave you looking and feeling refreshed, never altered.

To begin working with Dr. Vanek, please contact us online or call (440) 205-5750.

Before and After Photos

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About Face and Neck Lifts

Facelifts and necklifts, also known as rhytidectomies and cervicoplasties, respectively, are two procedures that can improve your facial aesthetics. ⁽¹⁾ These procedures both address age-related changes and visible signs of aging by elevating the skin, tightening the skin, and repositioning your deeper facial structures, and Dr. Vanek often combines them to comprehensively combat aging in areas where it is more evident.

Types of Facelifts

Dr. Vanek performs a multi-vector approach to address a range of concerns across different regions of the face. During your personal consultation, he will discuss which approach he plans to use so you understand what to expect ahead of time.

SMAS Lift

The superficial musculoaponeurotic system (SMAS) lift is a variation of the facelift that lifts and tightens the SMAS layer of your facial tissues to achieve more natural and longer-lasting results. The SMAS is a fibrous tissue network that connects your skin to your facial muscles and other deeper, underlying structures. Dr. Vanek may recommend undergoing this approach if your concerns are primarily located in the lower face and neck region, such as the jawline, chin, and submental region. ⁽²⁾

MACS Lift

A minimal access cranial suspension (MACS) lift is a variation of the facelift that can elevate your tissues using a shorter incision, purse-string sutures, and limited skin undermining. This procedure consists of separating the skin from its underlying layers and using deeply placed sutures to lift your facial tissues upward, rather than back. Dr. Vanek may employ this technique if you are younger and have a smaller amount of loose skin in the targeted regions. ⁽³⁾

Facelift Vs. Neck Lift

While facelifts and necklifts are similar procedures, they target different concerns across the face and neck region. Facelifts are more appropriate when addressing age-related concerns across the middle and lower face, such as sagging skin, wrinkles, and descending fat. On the other hand, a neck lift can rejuvenate the neck and the region beneath the chin and jawline. It can address concerns such as sagging skin or muscle banding to improve definition and restore a smoother, more even look.

Many surgeons perform these two procedures together to cohesively resculpt the cervicofacial region and create a seamless transition between the upper shoulders, neck, jaw, and face. These regions are deeply interconnected, and addressing one and not the other may lead to an imbalanced or unnatural look.

Candidates

You may be an ideal candidate for a face and neck lift if you are frustrated with visible signs of aging such as:

To qualify, you should be in good general health and maintain realistic expectations regarding what this procedure can accomplish. You should also be non-smoking or willing to quit using nicotine. Dr. Vanek will assess your candidacy during your personal consultation.

Personal Consultation

Attending your personal consultation is a fundamental step in your face and neck lift journey. During this meeting, Dr. Vanek will converse with you individually to educate you about what face and neck lifts entail and perform an extremely comprehensive review. He will start with your medical history, discuss your concerns, and learn more about your goals. He will also examine the targeted regions to thoroughly assess your natural facial structure, skin quality, and skin condition.

Dr. Vanek will use this information to finalize your candidacy and create your treatment plan. He and his team will determine the most appropriate approach for your needs by exploring non-operative therapies before discussing surgical intervention. As he does this, he will split your treatment to address the texture and architecture. He will utilize a combination of laser and energy-based treatments as well as skin tightening and surgery. He will also use a variety of “forecasting” tools to help establish realistic expectations.

Dr Vanek and his team welcome you to enter this seemingly complex arena as your stewards, who have a deep understanding of outcomes, your desires, concerns, and how to get there. We will take the complexity out of it with careful explanation and hand-holding every step of the way to bring you reassurance that your goals can be met.

The comprehensive consultation process is a very important element of identifying mutual goals and demonstrating each of your possibilities in an open dialogue with Dr. Vanek. He will have you stand in front of a mirror and review results of photo-consented patients in similar circumstances to demonstrate to you that you too can achieve your dreams of enhancing your physical beauty and improving your internal sense of wellness.

If you are ready to begin undergoing this transformational procedure, we invite you to contact us online or call (440) 205-5750.

“I pride myself on catering to the individual needs of my patients, and I think patients who are interested in facelift and neck lift surgery deserve to have someone who sees them from start to finish, and performs the surgery themselves,” explains Dr. Vanek, a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons. “I can talk with you about your goals and our respective perfectionism and say, ‘what’s going to give us the longest-lasting result and what will make you very happy?’ If there is more than one choice, I have the ability to explain the difference in outcomes in a forthright way. That’s where having a doctor who has more than one arrow in his quiver becomes indispensable.”

Preparation

Once you have decided to proceed with your face and neck lift, Dr. Vanek will give you a set of instructions to help you prepare. They may include:

Procedure

Upon your arrival, a member of the Mentor Plastic Surgery team will lead you to a private treatment room to cleanse your skin. Dr. Vanek will mark the planned corrections with a skin-safe marker, and you will receive general anesthesia.

If you are undergoing a facelift, Dr. Vanek will place the incisions around the ears or within the hairline to access the SMAS layer and other necessary tissues. These placements are chosen to conceal potential post-operative scarring within the natural contours of your face while providing optimal access. Through these incisions, Dr. Vanek will proceed to lift your facial tissues, reposition or remove your facial fat, or tighten weakened ligaments. He will then redrape your skin and remove the excess before closing each incision using sutures.

If you are undergoing a neck lift, Dr. Vanek will place an incision that extends from the groove or hairline behind the ear and extends it towards the front. He will then pull the soft tissues and muscles upwards before suspending them in place. This will restore a more defined appearance to the neck and a more chiseled appearance across the chin and jawline. Dr. Vanek will excise any excess skin remaining and suture each incision shut. You will then be transferred to a recovery room to rest.

If needed, Dr. Vanek may also perform a platysmaplasty to correct weakened muscles and sharpen the appearance of the jawline. To do so, he will place a small incision under the chin. He will proceed to remove your submental fat, excise any redundant soft tissues, and repair lax muscles. He will then redrape your skin and remove the excess to restore a more contoured and defined look.

Renuvion

In nearly every procedure he performs, Dr. Vanek employs the innovative Renuvion. This is a helium-plasma skin-tightening technology that helps tissues better retract to new contours, especially if fat has been removed or repositioned. ⁽⁴⁾ Dr. Vanek is an international expert and key opinion leader in Renuvion treatments, and he will artfully use it to enhance your skin tightness and produce better outcomes.

Renuvion is an innovative treatment that emits radiofrequency (RF) energy into your tissues to contract the skin and stimulate the production of new collagen in the treated area. Dr. Vanek can tighten skin across several regions of the head and body with this treatment, leading to comprehensive resculpting and seamless results.

Dr. Vanek believes that the face is similar to a tent in the sense that a canvas and ropes take on stains and start to sag in the same way the skin does with time. By integrating Renuvion into your treatment, you can improve the longevity of your results and well-being. He can emit helium to tighten your skin within the same procedure as your surgery, improving your results overall without adding any additional risks.

When we think about the canvas that we reposition at the time of facelifting, the skin we take away is no better than the skin we leave behind! But since 2015, Dr. Vanek has been an international thought leader for helium plasma, allowing him to make the tissue you leave behind far more elastic, resilient, and better toned, all because of the properties of the helium plasma.

Sciton

Dr. Vanek may also integrate the Sciton laser system into your treatment to genetically and epigenetically improve your results. This treatment system features several lasers that can each improve the appearance and texture of your skin by targeting brown and red tones while softening visible signs of aging. These lasers can be adjusted throughout your treatment and additionally include SkinTite and SkinSmooth, two light-based skin treatments.

Taken in totality, the multi-modality energy approach using biophysics and Dr. Vanek’s expertise in biochemistry allows him to synchronously combine the appropriate technologies in the same patient. The best facelift results often integrate fat grafting as part of the procedure, and the longest-lasting facelifts typically use helium plasma. Dr. Vanek may also add Sciton Laser to the skin outcome equation, providing a next-level constellation of excellence that gives patients the most long-lasting and natural-appearing results, as seen in his photo gallery. It all does not have to be done at once, but it can be done over time to fit the temperament, goals, budget, timing, and exceed the expectations of the individual patient.

Recovery

After your facelift, you will need to take some time away to focus on your recovery and allow your body to heal itself. At Mentor Plastic Surgery, we use the Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) Protocol to help our patients recover more quickly than before. Dr. Vanek will provide you with a detailed set of recovery instructions when meeting with you in person.

You can expect some initial swelling or bruising to develop in the treated areas. These effects will dissipate on their own with time, but you may manage them using arnica and plenty of rest. We recommend that you start taking light walks or start integrating gentle movements into your routine as soon as you feel comfortable, as these motions can enhance circulation around the treated areas. You should also drink carbohydrate solutions to improve your sleep quality and energy levels. After approximately 1 to 2 weeks, you will be able to return to nonstrenuous activities, including desk work. You may return to more arduous tasks after several more weeks, or once Dr. Vanek has cleared you to return.

Throughout your recovery, Dr. Vanek will also have you return for follow-up appointments, comfort services, and combination treatments. We include these essential clinic follow-ups as part of your surgical care to monitor your healing progression, help you enhance your wound healing, and elevate your results.

Results

You will be able to notice immediate improvements, but your results will continue to refine as any residual swelling subsides. Your exact results will vary, but you can expect to enjoy smoother and tighter skin, accentuated facial contours, improved proportions, elevated definition, and a more youthful-looking appearance overall. You will also be able to enjoy a seamless transition from your face and jaw to your neck and into your shoulders and décolletage.

The results of your face and necklift will be long-lasting, and you may enjoy them for many years to come. It is important to remember that your appearance will continue to change over time, as no procedure can stop the natural effects of aging.

“No one can guarantee a great result, but if it’s an outcome that is possible, I am going to strive to achieve that outcome,” Dr. Vanek says.

Corresponding Procedures

Dr. Vanek can integrate several other treatments into your face and neck lift for further benefits and rejuvenation. During your consultation, he can provide you with personalized recommendations, but many of our patients choose to combine their procedures with those such as brow lifts, autologous fat grafting, submental lipectomy, ultrasound-assisted VASER, and full facial rejuvenation.

Brow Lift

A brow lift can elevate the position of your eyebrows to rejuvenate your facial aesthetics and soften visible signs of aging across the upper portion of your face. Dr. Vanek can integrate it into your treatment plan to address descending brows and sagging skin above the eyes, allowing you to comprehensively remove any redundant skin and restore a more refreshed and alert appearance.

Autologous Fat Grafting

Autologous fat grafting is a procedure that uses liposuction techniques to transfer fat from one region of the body to another to resculpt its appearance and restore its volume. Dr. Vanek can take fat from nearly any region of the body, including the thighs, arms, abdomen, and flanks, and purify it. He can then re-administer it to your face and neck to recontour their appearance and restore their volume.

Submental Lipectomy

Submental lipectomy is a variation of liposuction that targets excess fat found beneath the chin around the neck to improve the sharpness of your jawline. Dr. Vanek can perform this procedure to address fat contributing to the appearance of a double chin, a region that many people find harder to correct through traditional lifestyle changes alone.

Ultrasound-Assisted Vaser

Ultrasound-assisted VASER (Vibration Amplification of Sound Energy at Resonance) is a procedure that emits ultrasound wavelengths to emulsify your local fat before using a cannula to suction it up. It can target harder-to-reach and delicate regions of the body to produce more even contours and highlight the natural definition of your muscles.

Full Facial Rejuvenation

Full facial rejuvenation consists of a collection of different procedures that can address and correct age-related concerns affecting different regions of the face. It is considered the mommy makeover of facial rejuvenation, as Dr. Vanek may combine any of the following procedures:

Over time, the shape of our face changes due to several factors. If we analogize the face to that of a tent, the canvas is the skin and the structural tissues are the poles and the ropes. We know that the poles and the ropes determine the height, diameter, and shape of the tent. The aging of the canvas from weathering over time comes from factors such as genetics, weight gain, pregnancy, health stresses, storms, tears, and other life events. These contribute over time to the lack of elasticity that the skin experiences over time in the tent analogy. As we develop age-related changes, the poles get crooked, the ropes sag and get lax, leading to a tired, deflated, fatigued appearance. Simultaneously, the canvas takes on sun damage, which makes skin lack luster, brightness, and youthfulness. You may think of a baby with radiant and young skin. With age, the skin develops contour irregularities, loses its even and youthful texture, and suffers from environmental stressors.

Using that analogy, Dr. Vanek approaches the aging face considerations using all modalities of energy available in state-of-the-art modern technology. Using genetic alterations of laser technology, he has mastered the ability to provide multiple laser energies to help manifest true youthfulness by stimulating genetic and epigenetic changes to the facial and neck tissues. This is done through a proper formulation and administration of a host of lasers either before or after surgery.

You may also think about this similarly to a palette of spices that a chef uses, with multiple lasers being the spices and Dr. Vanek being the chef. This is the philosophy he brings to your consultation when discussing your candidacy and recommended areas of rejuvenation. The various modalities he may use will be detailed during this time. They may consist of different lasers that have each shown improvements in the genetics of aging skin. After a thorough discussion, Dr. Vanek can incorporate these lasers into your treatment plan to create more comprehensive results.

If you are not ready for the discussion of actual surgery, laser technologies may be incorporated into a facial rejuvenation prior to your procedure, or may be used to enhance the surgical architectural changes, back to the notion of a tent in its poles. Surgical restructuring requires the restoration of the elegant youthful face. This also involves the addition of fat grafting to restore the appropriate volume of the face. This allows you to reposition the tent and poles and tighten the skin to achieve the appropriate appearance with nearly perfectly hidden incisions. This is why global facial analysis may be approached for restoration in a single surgery. A low brow position, excess eyelid skin, and fat bags in the lower eyelids are often synchronously restored at the same time as Dr. Vanek performs a facelift, neck lift, fat grafting, and Renuvion helium plasma.

Cost of Face and Neck Lifts in Cleveland, OH

The pricing of your face and neck lift will vary depending on certain factors in your treatment plan, such as the type of facelift you receive, the corrections you undergo, and whether Dr. Vanek combines your procedure with another. Once he has discussed and established these details with you, he will provide you with a comprehensive cost estimate.

FAQ

References

1. Yang AJ, Hohman MH. Rhytidectomy. Nih.gov. March 2023. Accessed September 1, 2026. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK564338/#article-28568.s4
2. Toro E del, Hohman MH. Extended SMAS Facelift. Nih.gov. May 3, 2025. Accessed September 1, 2026. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK562296/#article-21527.s9
3. Hijkoop LF, Stevens HPJD, van der Lei B. The minimal access cranial suspension (MACS) lift: A systematic review of literature 18 years after its introduction. Journal of Plastic, Reconstructive & Aesthetic Surgery. 2021;75(3):1187-1196. doi:10.1016/j.bjps.2021.11.051
4. Gentile RD. Renuvion RF-Helium Plasma for Subdermal Skin Tightening, Facial Contouring and Skin Rejuvenation of the Face and Neck. Facial Plastic Surgery & Aesthetic Medicine. Published online May 5, 2020. doi:10.1089/fpsam.2020.0070