FACELIFT

2025 THE YEAR OF THE FACELIFT

2025 has been a huge year for the facelift, writes Kezia Parkins. From Kris Jenner’s surgery confessions to the rise in younger people seeking treatment and the wide-awake facelift – there’s a lot to discuss…

Once a hush-hush procedure reserved for Hollywood’s elite, the facelift is having a cultural renaissance. In 2025, it’s not just about turning back time, it’s about refinement, prevention, and natural, undetectable rejuvenation.

THE YEAR OF THE FACELIFT

According to the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS), face and neck lift procedures in the UK rose by 8% in 2024, marking the second consecutive year of growth.

This growth has been reflected in popular culture, with one of the defining viral moments this year coming courtesy of Kris Jenner. Her decision to openly share her facelift journey on social media sparked global conversation, reframing the narrative around surgical facial rejuvenation, not as something to hide, but as a considered choice.

THE ERA OF TRANSPARENCY

It’s no secret that the Kardashian-Jenners have had a huge impact on beauty trends and standards over the past decade. Their influence drives millions to follow suit, so while Kris Jenner’s reveal coincided with noticeable uptake in consultations among younger demographics, Kylie Jenner’s confession about her boob job sent the internet wild.

“445 cc, moderate profile, half under the muscle, silicone, Garth Fisher,” she wrote back to a fan who asked, “What it is that you asked for when you had your boobs done?”

Jenner’s response sounded eerily like a complex order at a fast-food takeout. And just as if the highly influential star had shared her McDonald’s combo or Starbucks order, young women flocked to surgeons to ask for the same.

“We’re living in an era of aesthetic transparency,” says Mr Ali Ghanem, consultant plastic and reconstructive surgeon and founder of The Ghanem Clinic in London. “Social media has removed the stigma that once surrounded cosmetic surgery. Patients now come to consultations having watched recovery diaries and before-and-after vlogs. They’re informed, realistic and less anxious.”

While there may be some positives to an informed patient, there are also caveats, such as turning patients away when they come in with very specific requests.

“Patients now feel that they’re qualified to come in and tell me exactly what they want or need because they mistake being socially informed for being medically informed, and it’s not the same thing,” says Miss Natasha Berridge, consultant maxillofacial and facial plastic surgeon.

“That’s where it’s our responsibility to educate our patients. There’s a reason that you have to train for years and years to become a surgeon. You learn through difficult cases and by doing something consistently and repetitively. You don’t learn from a two-minute TikTok video.”

The era of transparency has also ushered in an age of increased scrutiny on surgeons’ work with patients, who now want to share all of the gory details of their procedures on social media for engagement. “This openness has raised the bar for practitioners, says Mr Ghanem. “We must now deliver subtle, authentic outcomes that stand up to the scrutiny of HD cameras and online audiences.”

“It opens up what we do to be criticised by those who don’t understand it. It has become a bit of a circus,” adds Miss Berridge.

FROM FILTERS TO FACELIFTS: THE NEW PATIENT PROFILE

The facelift’s patient demographic is rapidly shifting. While most candidates remain in their 50s and 60s, there’s been a noticeable rise in people in their 30s and 40s, and even younger, exploring “early maintenance facelifts” or “mini-lifts” to address skin laxity before it becomes pronounced.

BAAPS notes that less invasive techniques, such as the short-scar facelift, which targets the lower face and jawline, have become particularly popular among this group for their subtle and effective outcomes. Meanwhile, the deep-plane facelift is trending on social media.

“Demographically, we’re seeing more patients in their late 30s and early 40s seeking surgery as a preventative measure rather than waiting until ageing becomes advanced,” notes Mr Ghanem. “It reflects a more educated, empowered population that views facial rejuvenation as part of long-term self-care rather than crisis correction.”

Ms Nora Nugent, consultant plastic surgeon and president of BAAPS, agrees that social and cultural factors are driving younger interest, particularly the rise of social media and the “snatched” aesthetic. But she cautions against chasing trends:

“Celebrity influence and the desire for a contoured appearance have driven this surge,” she says. “This is an area and a group of patients that we need to very cautious with and very honest about what is involved, what is realistic, and when it is reasonable or justifiable to undertake a surgical facelift. We need to maintain our moral and ethical compasses and assess and treat the patient in front of us rather than the trend or quest for perfection or an unattainable aesthetic.”

Miss Berridge, echoes thoughts on how this new age transparency, around aesthetic procedures, is driving young people towards dramatic intervention.

“The big difference between now and 20 years ago is the way in which people think they are medically informed, and it’s because of social media. Everything has become so accessible now, whereas it didn’t used to be,” she says.

“To see a before and after, it used to be in the surgeon’s office. Now everything is open and on view for anyone to see. You’ve got surgeons using Snapchat and those who are very obviously marketing through social media, which has a huge impact on young, vulnerable people. The information is no longer being filtered to age-appropriate people.”

“Youngsters don’t see their faces in reality anymore; they see themselves through pictures, and as a consequence, they have become hypercritical.”

BAAPS vice president Mr Anthony Macquillan believes that the rise in facelifts may also reflect wider social dynamics. “With the pension age rising and many seeking to remain visible and confident in professional environments, surgery can be both an aesthetic and functional choice,” he says. “We also believe the ‘Zoom effect’ – increased time spent seeing ourselves virtually – has heightened awareness of facial ageing across all age groups.”

WHEN DOES A YOUNG FACELIFT MAKE SENSE?

There are some situations in which our surgeons say a facelift in a younger patient is warranted.

“The concept of lifting a face as a structural intervention in a young person who needs it for a congenital reason isn’t an absurdity,” says Miss Berridge. “That’s actually the medical need.”

“For a small subset of younger patients, those with congenital asymmetry, early jowling or skin laxity from extreme weight loss or another medical reason, a mini or endoscopic facelift can be appropriate,” adds Mr Ghanem.

“But for most, non-surgical interventions, good skincare, and regenerative therapies are sufficient. The decision should always be driven by anatomy, not trend.”

OZEMPIC FACE

Another contributing factor is the rising popularity of GLP-1 receptor agonist medications such as Ozempic and Wegovy, which are now widely used for weight management across all age groups. While these medications can lead to significant weight loss and associated health benefits, they may also result in facial volume loss and skin laxity.

“There have been two significant shifts in facelift patient demographics in the last five years. The first is an increasing number of patients who have lost a significant amount of weight by using GLP-1 weight loss medications,” says Ms Nugent. “We have always treated patients after weight loss, but the numbers have increased a lot with the wider use of weight loss medications.”

FILLER FATIGUE

The second shift, says Ms Nugent, is an increasing number of patients who are opting for surgery over non-surgical or medical aesthetic techniques. “They are coming to this decision either because they have reached the limitations of non-surgical treatments and want a greater effect or because they prefer a longer-lasting single intervention over repeated milder interventions over many years,” she says.

Mr Ghanem agrees that, the filler boom has influenced the facial surgery landscape. “We’re now seeing many patients with ‘filler fatigue’, such as over-volumised, distorted features caused by years of injectables. These patients are turning to surgery, seeking a reset.”

FROM TIGHTENING TO RE-STRUCTURING: INSIDE THE MODERN LIFT

The term “facelift” still conjures images of taut skin, mumificationlevel bandaging and weeks of downtime. But that picture is rapidly fading thanks to advances in surgical technique and anatomical understanding.

“The last five years have completely reshaped the facelift landscape,” says Dr Ghanem. “We’ve moved from procedures that simply tighten the skin to ones that restructure the face anatomically.”

At the core of this evolution is the deep-plane facelift – a technique that repositions the superficial musculoaponeurotic system (SMAS) and platysma layers as a single unit, restoring natural volume and movement. Endoscopic approaches are further refining this by allowing the deeper layers to be lifted through tiny incisions hidden in the hairline.

“The combination of deep-plane and endoscopic techniques has made facelifts both more precise and more natural,” adds Mr Ghanem. “We’re repositioning rather than stretching tissues, minimising surface trauma and visible scarring.”

While trending techniques such as deep plane and endoscopic facelifts are not new, they have all been refined and advanced, resulting in improved results.

“The most significant advances in facelift procedures are due to ongoing greater understanding of anatomy and how the facial tissues can be manipulated to give a long-lasting but natural outcome,” says Ms Nugent. “We have also learnt from the past and know how to avoid some of the previous problems such as stretched scars, stretched earlobes, lateral sweeps, etc.”

At his clinic, Mr Ghanem recently introduced ‘The Snatched Lift,’ an innovative endoscopic minimal-scar facelift, developed in collaboration with Professor Erdem Tezel.

“This procedure represents the next generation of facial rejuvenation,” he says. “Using a slender endoscope, we can visualise and lift the deeper structures of the face and brow without extensive dissection. The result is elegant, regenerative, and virtually undetectable.”

THE “WIDE-AWAKE” REVOLUTION

Another innovation transforming patient experience is the move toward local-anaesthetic or “wide-awake” facelifts.

Consultant plastic surgeon Mr Simon Lee performs a combination of endoscopic short-scar surgery for the upper and mid-face, as well as the periocular region, with deep-plane face and neck surgery, but notably his patients are awake under local anaesthetic and able to go home the same day. “About 95 percent of my facelift patients choose to remain awake,” he reports. “It avoids the risks of general anaesthesia, shortens recovery, and reduces cost without compromising results.”

Lee’s approach echoes a global trend toward minimal-access, outpatient surgery. “This is an exciting time,” he says. “With modern techniques, natural outcomes can be achieved under local anaesthetic, with almost invisible scars.”

REGENERATION AND RECOVERY

Regenerative medicine is now woven into facelift surgery, blurring the lines between aesthetic and restorative medicine.

“At The Ghanem Clinic, every facelift is performed with regenerative enhancement,” says Mr Ghanem. “We use micro-fat grafting to replenish volume and deliver stem-cell-rich tissue that improves elasticity and tone. PRP accelerates recovery, and exosomes stimulate collagen and dermal regeneration. The facelift becomes a biological rejuvenation, not just a mechanical lift and the outcome is not only a younger appearance but also stronger, more radiant tissue that continues to improve months after surgery.”

Ms Nugent also sees regenerative techniques as central to the future. “Fat grafting, exosomes and other treatments are transforming facial rejuvenation and in many cases are an integral part of the facial rejuvenation treatment plan,” she says. “As well as restoring volume that is lost with ageing, regenerative treatments are also aiming to treat and rejuvenate at a cellular level to restore or repair ageing changes.”

Recovery itself has become faster and gentler. Mr Ghanem describes patients being socially presentable within two weeks:

“By minimising tissue trauma and supporting the healing process with regenerative adjuncts, swelling and bruising are greatly reduced. We also incorporate lymphatic drainage, LED therapy and nutritional support for cellular recovery.”

“Recovery times have improved due to enhanced recovery protocols, prehabilitation and optimisation ahead of surgery and advancements in anaesthesia techniques more than due to the surgical technique itself,” adds Ms Nugent. “But it’s important to educate patients that the combination of all of these factors, along with careful technique, have led to improved recovery but not no recovery.”

THE HYBRID FUTURE

After an exceptional year for the facelift, where does facial rejuvenation surgery go next? Our experts say the future is hybrid.

“The future of facelifting lies in personalised, data-driven regeneration,” says Mr Ghanem. “We’re entering an age of AI-assisted surgical planning, robotic precision, and stem cell-based tissue rejuvenation. The lines between surgical and non-surgical will blur further, creating hybrid procedures that combine mechanical lifting with biological repair.”

Ms Nugent agrees and foresees continued convergence of regenerative medicine and traditional surgery. “The current route forward is definitely the hybrid application of regenerative procedures alongside facelift surgery,” she says. “Regenerative treatments will continue to develop and mature. They have the potential to greatly advance and enhance rejuvenation in the future – it’s an exciting time.”