When Is the 'Right' Time to Get a Facelift?

Vogue

16-06-2025

We're seeing a shift in the way we look at facelifts. What once was a surgery you would get as a last resort to recapture your 'youthful look' has now turned into one of the most popular treatments to fine-tune your facial features. The American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery reports that facelifts continue to be one of the top procedures, with a rise in younger patients seeking this treatment. While people are holding off on filler and Botox, it seems like many are waiting to go all in on facelifts.
But how young is too young? How do you know when it's the right—and wrong—time to get a facelift? There are a couple of things to consider before you go under the knife.
Is there a 'right' age to get a facelift?
When it comes to getting a facelift, your age doesn't really matter. The real dealbreaker, experts say, is your overall health and your facial structure. 'The physical state of the face is more important than the biological age when assessing if someone is a suitable candidate for a facelift,' says Yannis Alexandrides, MD, FACS, board-certified plastic surgeon and founder of 111 Harley St. 'Many factors affect how a face looks and how it ages. These include lifestyle choices, genetics, and in some cases conditions or diseases.'
'I've operated on patients in their 70s who were better surgical candidates than some in their 50s. As long as someone is healthy, has realistic expectations, and can safely undergo anesthesia, they can be a good candidate,' agrees Alexis Parcells, MD, board-certified plastic surgeon and founder of Parcells Plastic Surgery. 'A facelift at any age can be transformative when it's done for the right reasons.'
Dr. Parcells goes on to say that most of her patients who opt for this treatment are in their late 40s to early 60s. This is about the age where skin laxity, jowling, and deeper folds are more pronounced. Facelifts, she explains, are about addressing structural changes and not just surface-level tweaks. So, the best time to get one is when those major face changes begin to bother you.
…but you can be considered too young for one
While there is no ideal age to get a facelift, experts do think that there are instances where one can be too young to undergo this surgery. Mainly, if you aren't showing any signs of aging on your face. 'Anyone under 40 is usually too young,' says Dr. Parcells. 'At that point, most concerns can be addressed with non-invasive treatments like radiofrequency, microneedling, or filler. A facelift is surgery—and with that comes downtime, risks, and cost—so we want to make sure we're correcting actual descent of tissue, not just volume loss or skin quality.'
What makes you a good candidate for a facelift?
There are a couple of things your doctor will look for to determine if a facelift is the right treatment for you. Dr. Alexandrides lists deep nasolabial folds (a.k.a. smile lines), jowling, laxity of the skin on the face or the neck, drooping of the brows, or extensive wrinkling of the face as some of the skin concerns that a facelift is the ideal treatment for. As mentioned before, you'll want to be healthy overall to minimize complications during and post-surgery. On a psychological level, he says patients should have realistic expectations for the results.