The alarming boom in 'under-40 facelifts' – and the expert warning you must hear
There was a time when the word ‘facelift’ sat firmly in the 60-plus category, bundled somewhere between retirement plans and reading glasses. But the new wave of aesthetic trends doesn’t care much for age brackets, and surgeons say younger patients are now leading the charge.
Yes, the ‘under-40s facelift’ is officially a thing, and it’s growing fast. It’s a shift driven by everything from high-resolution phone cameras to the fact that we’re all spending a suspicious amount of time looking at filtered faces on Instagram. According to Dr Apul Parikh, plastic surgeon and founder of the Dr Apul Parikh Clinic, and a trainer on behalf of Allergan Aesthetics, facelifts are enjoying a genuine resurgence– in an unexpected age category.
“Patients want results that are predictable, structural and long-lasting,” he says. Modern techniques, such as deep-plane facelifts, are far more refined than they once were, offering natural outcomes and shorter downtime. In other words, the facelift has had a major glow-up.
But social media isn’t just normalising the procedure, it’s glamorising it. Dr Parikh says the rise of the ‘celebrity plastic surgeon’ plays a huge role too. “They are constantly telling patients that facelifts are the best option, and in many cases claim the surgery is the only option for facial rejuvenation,” he explains. “Many incorrectly claim all injectable treatments cause significant soft-tissue scarring, making it impossible to have a facelift afterwards.”
And with little conversation happening online about the real, and sometimes serious, risks, it’s easy to understand why younger patients are being funnelled towards invasive surgery far earlier than medically necessary.
READ MORE:
A decade ago, most facelift consultations came from those aged 55 to 70. Now? Dr Parikh says he’s seeing people in their early to mid-40s, and, shockingly, even some in their late 30s. The reasons vary: wanting to ‘age proactively’, assuming surgery is more accessible, and being swept up in filtered before-and-after culture.
But the timing matters. “There is no universal ideal age, but most benefit between 45 and 60,” he says. Do it too early and you risk an “over-tightened” look, and the likelihood of needing another, more complex, revision surgery later.
So what should someone under 40 be doing if they feel they need a lift? Dr Parikh recommends stepping away from the surgical route altogether. “There have been significant improvements in the non-surgical arena,” he explains. Injectable biostimulators, like SKINVIVE by Juvederm and HArmonyCa by Allergan Aesthetics, are designed to stimulate collagen, while well-placed dermal fillers can restore volume and freshness without the trauma of surgery. “Particularly if patients start this journey earlier, I’m confident they may not need a face or neck lift in the future,” he adds.
These treatments aren’t just safer and more cost-effective; they’re also repeatable, require minimal downtime and suit those who either don’t want or aren’t medically fit for invasive surgery. And with injectable technology evolving fast, Dr Parikh believes fewer people will request major facelift surgery in the future.
The facelift isn’t disappearing, but the age you
Apulparikh.co.uk