 [ Symptoms ] what are the downsides of mini lifts [ Disease ] “the so called mini lift which goes by a lot of names some doctors name their particular brand after themselves and that is fine first of all is not new we who have been in this work for decades have seen these types of procedures perhaps under different names come and go they are predicated upon trying to achieve a certain amount of lift through a less invasive surgical procedure indeed done through shorter or hidden incisions the disappointment which is pretty consistent i must say has been that it does not last so the old saying is that a half hour operation or an operation that lasts less than 4 or 5 hours is probably going to last less than 6 months and there is a disappointment and for a very sound reason unless you free up enough skin and slide it and tighten it up and stitch it you are not going to get long lasting results there really are no shortcuts here so basically the reason why the operation is appealing yes short incisions less swelling less down time perhaps less discomfort but the flip side is less of a result and you will be back a lot sooner than if you had a standard traditional well accepted well performed face and often neck lift because the big victory in face and neck lifts it is in the neck it is where the jaw line meets the neck line that is where the age starts to show so yes it seems nice to have a little tightening here in the cheeks and perhaps in front of the ears but that does not do anything for the more critical area far away from the operative site so it sounds good but the reality is that most people are disappointed but what if you are young and you just want a little tweaking done is it worth it then it may be it is a value judgment you make but the real young people generally do not need much that is the reality most people that are thinking face lift or at least an alternative to it they are going to be at least in their upper 40s or 50s or 60s we have young people that come in here at 38 and 40 and say you know i need a little tightening i look at them and say you know what i do not think it is a good idea should you have a 5 hour operation that will give you the benefits of a full face lift when in fact you are not going to see much of a difference because you can only go from an a minus to an a i mean you have to grade yourself i mean on the other hand if you are 60 years old and your weight has fluctuated and things are hanging you got sags and bags then it makes sense to have that 5 hour operation and you