Dr. Christine BokmanFacial Surgery
Deep Plane Facelift
A deep plane facelift repositions the deeper structural layer of the face rather than the skin, for a result that moves naturally and holds for years.
Procedure at a Glance
- Anaesthetic
- Local with sedation, or general
- Duration
- Procedure length varies by plan
- Setting
- Accredited surgical facility
- Social downtime
- About 10 to 14 days
- Back to work
- Around 2 weeks for desk work
- Exercise
- Light activity after ~1 week, fuller after ~3 weeks
- Full recovery
- Swelling settles over 2 to 3 months
- Final results
- Around 3 to 6 months
- Longevity
- Commonly 10 to 15 years
Her Approach
A facelift should leave no evidence of what was done
A truly successful facelift is one that returns the face to an earlier version of itself while leaving little to no evidence of what was done. Older facelift techniques, skin-only lifts and SMAS plication, produced results that were often visible (the windblown look) and rarely lasted a decade. A face and neck lift should never be noticeable. Dr. Bokman's deep plane technique, the RewindLift®, releases the ligaments that tether the descended facial structures and repositions the skin and muscle layer together, as one unit. There is no pull at the corners of the mouth, no tension on the incisions, and no stretched appearance. The midface lifts, jowls resolve, and the neck is tight.
A face and neck lift should never be noticeable.
The Technique
The lift is in the deep plane, not the skin
Below the skin sits a structural layer, the SMAS and the connective tissue bound to it, that holds the soft tissue of the face in position. In a deep plane facelift, the retaining ligaments anchoring this layer are released, and the deeper tissue and the skin are repositioned together. The skin moves with the structure beneath it rather than being drawn across it. Because the lift is in the deep plane, there is no tension on the skin or the SMAS, which avoids the pulled look and makes the correction last.
Dual Fellowship Depth
Trained in both the face and the eyes
Most surgeons who perform facelifts also operate on the eyelids and brow, but few have trained specifically in them. The eyelid is the most delicate tissue in the body, and it is the region patients look at first. Dr. Bokman completed a two-year fellowship in oculoplastic surgery certified by the American Society of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, training that encompassed the full face and facelift surgery alongside the anatomy around the eye. She operates on the eyelids, the brow, and the face itself with the same fellowship depth.
Recovery
Socially presentable in 10 to 14 days
The recovery time after a deep plane face and neck lift is significantly less compared to older facelift techniques. Patients are typically socially presentable within 10 to 14 days. The initial swelling and bruising resolves during the first two weeks. Light activity is comfortable after roughly a week, while full exercise is advisable after three weeks. Swelling may take one to two months to fully resolve, and the final result is around two to three months after surgery. Stitches are removed over the course of one to two weeks after surgery. A light headwrap is worn the first week as much as possible day and night, and then worn just at night for two additional weeks.
Frequently asked questions
- What is a deep plane facelift?
- The deep plane technique releases the connective tissue layer beneath the skin. The retaining ligaments of the face are released so that there is no tension on the facial structures that are repositioned. The result is both natural and longer lasting than traditional facelift techniques.
- How is it different from a traditional facelift?
- Traditional facelifts tighten the skin. Skin under tension looks pulled, and it stretches back out within a few years. The deep plane lifts the layer below, so the skin is simply redraped, without tension.
- Will I look pulled or overdone?
- No. The pulled look comes from tension on the skin, and a deep plane lift places none there. The correction sits in the deeper anatomy, so the result holds up even in expression.
- How long do results last?
- Results commonly last 10 to 15 years. Surgery does not stop aging, but patients tend to stay ahead of where they would have been without it.
- What is recovery like?
- Most patients are socially presentable in 10 to 14 days. Deeper swelling settles over two to three months, and the final result is visible at three to four months.
- Does it address the neck?
- Yes. The face and neck are almost always treated together. The jawline and neck age together, and lifting one without the other usually makes the one not lifted more noticeable.
- Can it be combined with eyelid surgery?
- Yes, and this is central to how Dr. Bokman operates. Her fellowship training covered both facelift surgery and oculoplastic surgery of the eyelids and brow, so the face and eyes are planned as one procedure rather than staged separately.