Case 06 — Man, 47
Extended deep plane facelift · Neck lift · Upper and lower blepharoplasty · Canthopexy and canthoplasty · Forehead lift · Temporal lift · Fat grafting
Male Facelift in Istanbul, Turkey
A male facelift is not a smaller version of a woman's facelift. It is a different plan — for heavier tissue, a beard line that must stay where it belongs, and a face that must never look operated on. For most of my male patients the jawline and the neck are the point, and the deep plane is how I treat them.
Case 06 — Man, 47
Extended deep plane facelift · Neck lift · Upper and lower blepharoplasty · Canthopexy and canthoplasty · Forehead lift · Temporal lift · Fat grafting
Unretouched. Published with written consent.
- Surgery: 4–6 hours
- Hospital stay: 2 nights
- In Istanbul: ~12 days
- Socially presentable: ~2–3 weeks
Indicative planning ranges. Your surgical plan, recovery and clearance to travel are individual.
What a Male Facelift Actually Is
A male facelift is a facelift planned around male anatomy: thicker, heavier tissue; a beard whose position must be preserved; shorter hair that hides less; and a pattern of ageing in which the jawline and the neck usually matter more than the cheeks. In my practice it is most often an extended deep plane facelift combined with a deep neck lift, planned so that colleagues notice you look rested rather than lifted.
The single non-negotiable requirement my male patients bring is discretion. The plan is built around it: where the incisions go, which direction the tissues move, and how the closure is done so that nothing announces itself.
How Men's Faces Age, and Why It Changes the Operation
Men come to surgery with heavier jowls and more neck laxity than women of the same age, because male facial tissue is thicker and heavier, and because men tend to wait longer before they decide. Superficial tightening shows its limits quickly in heavy tissue; repositioning the deep layer carries it instead of straining against it.
Three things about male anatomy change the plan. The beard is an anatomical landmark, and the lift must not move beard-bearing skin to where a beard does not belong. Shorter hair hides less, so incision placement and a tension-free closure matter more than they do in women. And the neck is usually the reason a man is in the room: it is the jawline and the angle under the chin, not the cheeks, that brought him to the consultation.
Why I Use the Deep Plane for Men
In my practice the male facelift is a deep plane operation, because the deep plane moves the structures that have dropped rather than pulling skin over them — and in heavy male tissue, pulled skin is the first thing to give and the first thing anyone notices. Combined with a deep neck lift, it treats the jawline and the neck at their source.
That is also why I advise men against small operations when the anatomy needs a complete one. A limited lift on a heavy face buys a short result and a visible one.
Incisions, Beard and Sideburns
The incision in a male facelift is planned around the beard, not the other way round. Pulling beard-bearing skin behind the ear is the classic sign of a badly planned male facelift, and it is avoidable: the incision follows the natural creases in front of the ear and the hairline, the direction of the lift keeps the beard where a beard belongs, and the closure is tension-free so that the scar can hide in skin that men cannot cover with long hair.
Sideburns are treated the same way. They stay at their natural height, which is a question worth asking any surgeon you consult — and a detail you will be able to check in results photographs.
The Neck Is Usually the Point
For most men the complaint is not the cheeks; it is a jawline that has softened and a neck that has lost its angle. That is why the extended deep plane facelift with a deep neck lift is my most frequent male operation, and why an isolated neck lift is reserved for men whose problem is confined to the neck.
The deep neck lift matters more in men than the name suggests: heavier necks carry fullness beneath the muscle as well as loose skin, and treating only the skin leaves the angle unchanged.
Results
Every case lists the full combination of procedures performed, so that a combined result is never mistaken for a facelift alone. What I want you to look at in a male result is the beard line, the sideburns and the angle under the chin — if those are right, the rest follows.
Bleeding Risk in Men, Plainly
Haematoma after facelift surgery is reported more often in men than in women in the published surgical literature, and I will not pretend otherwise. Male facial skin has a richer blood supply, and blood pressure in the hours after surgery matters more. That is why my male patients are monitored closely in hospital through the period in which most haematomas occur, why blood pressure is controlled deliberately through and after the operation, and why a drain and a hemostatic net are placed to reduce the chance of blood collecting under the flap.
None of that removes the risk; it lowers it and catches it early. The hospital, the anaesthesia team and the monitoring are described on the deep plane facelift page; what happens if a complication does occur, and what it costs you, is written down before you travel on the international patient FAQs.
Who It Suits, and Who It Does Not
The rules are the same as for every patient: visible descent — jowls, a softened jawline, neck laxity — good general health, no nicotine for the period safe surgery requires, and realistic expectations. Age on its own is not a criterion.
I regularly advise men against surgery when the problem is skin quality rather than descent, and against small operations when the anatomy needs a complete one. If you are unsure which applies to you, what I look for in your photographs is set out plainly.
What a Natural Male Result Looks Like
A defined jawline, a cleaner angle between chin and neck, and a face that looks rested — with the beard where it was, sideburns at their natural height, no pulled corners of the mouth and no visible scar in front of the ear. That is the whole list, and every item on it is checkable in a photograph.
In my assessment of position, volume and skin quality, most men need position above all: strong repositioning, conservative volume work, and skin treatment only where it adds something. Over-filling a male face is as recognisable as over-tightening it.
Recovery and Discretion
Most of my male patients tell almost no one, and the plan is built to support that: surgery and the hospital stay it requires, recovery away from home, and a return to work timed realistically in consultation — often remotely at first, because bruising is harder for men to cover. You stay in Istanbul until I have seen you at your clinic visits and confirmed that you are fit to fly; that decision is mine, not the calendar's.
What healing looks like week by week is in the facelift recovery guide; how the trip is arranged, and what happens hour by hour on the day itself, are on travelling to Istanbul and your surgery timeline.
How Long the Result Lasts
A deep plane facelift does not stop ageing, and I do not promise a number of years. What it changes is your starting point: the deep structures are repositioned, and you go on ageing from a younger anatomical position than if you had not had the operation. Because the correction is structural rather than a matter of stretched skin, it does not depend on the thing that gives way first in heavy male tissue.
What Decides the Cost
A male facelift is not priced differently because the patient is a man; it is priced by the plan. The cost follows what is included — the deep neck lift, eyelid surgery, fat transfer — the operating time, and the hospital stay it requires. After I have reviewed your photographs you receive an itemised quote for your own plan. How quotes are put together and compared is on the cost page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you perform facelifts on men?
Yes. Male facelifts are a regular part of my practice, most often as an extended deep plane facelift combined with a deep neck lift, because the jawline and the neck are usually the main male complaint.
Is a male facelift different from a female facelift?
The technique is the same deep plane operation; the plan is different. Male tissue is heavier, the beard line and sideburns must be preserved, shorter hair hides less, and the neck usually matters more — so incision placement, the direction of the lift and the closure are all planned around those facts.
Will people be able to tell I had a facelift?
That is precisely what the plan is designed against: incisions that respect the beard line and the hairline, a tension-free closure, and structural repositioning rather than surface tightening. The intended result reads as rested, not lifted.
What happens to my beard and sideburns?
Beard position is an explicit part of my incision and vector planning. Pulling beard-bearing skin behind the ear is the mistake to avoid; sideburns stay at their natural height. Both are questions worth asking any surgeon you consult.
Is facelift surgery riskier for men?
One specific risk — early haematoma — is reported more often in men. My protocol addresses it directly: close hospital monitoring through the period in which most haematomas occur, deliberate blood-pressure control, a drain and a hemostatic net, and early follow-up. It lowers the risk; it does not remove it.
Do men need a neck lift with a facelift?
Most do, because the neck is usually the reason they came. A deep neck lift treats the fullness beneath the muscle as well as the loose skin, which is why I combine it with the facelift in most male plans. An isolated neck lift is for men whose problem is confined to the neck.
Am I too old for a male facelift?
Age on its own is not how I decide. I look for visible descent, good general health and realistic expectations; men in good health are very often candidates well beyond the age they assume.
How long before I can go back to work?
That is planned realistically in consultation rather than promised on a page, because bruising is harder for men to cover and every job is different. Many of my male patients return remotely first and in person later; you fly home only after I have confirmed you are fit to.
Will there be visible scars?
The incisions run in the natural creases in front of the ear, behind the ear and into the hairline, planned around the beard, and they are closed under very little tension because the lift is carried by the deep tissue. Scars fade over the months after surgery; they do not disappear, and I show you where they will be before you decide.
How much does a male facelift cost in Turkey?
It is priced by the plan, not by the patient's sex. After I have reviewed your photographs you receive an itemised quote for your own plan — the surgery proposed, what it includes and what it does not. How quotes are put together is on the cost page.
Start Your Assessment
Start with photographs, not with a date. Send them over WhatsApp or through the form and you will receive my initial assessment of whether a deep plane face and neck lift is likely to suit you, a proposed plan, an expected length of stay and an itemised quote before anything is arranged. The final plan is confirmed when I examine you and have reviewed your medical history.
Request a personal review See before & after results
Every enquiry is reviewed personally by Dr. Yilmaz; scheduling is handled by the patient coordination team.
About Dr. Muhsin Yilmaz
Written and medically reviewed by Muhsin Yilmaz, MD, FEBOPRAS — Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeon. Last reviewed: September 2026.
Dr. Muhsin Yilmaz is a double board-certified plastic surgeon, holding the FEBOPRAS diploma of the European Board of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery and the certification of the Turkish Board of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery, and practises in Istanbul, Türkiye. His practice is focused on facial and neck rejuvenation, centred on the deep plane facelift — around 150 facelift operations per year, performed at Acıbadem Kartal Hospital. He is a member of TSPRAS and ISAPS, and is registered with the Turkish Ministry of Health for international health tourism. Read his full profile.
References
- Grover R, Jones BM, Waterhouse N. The prevention of haematoma following rhytidectomy: a review of 1,078 consecutive facelifts. Br J Plast Surg. 2001;54(6):481–486. PMID 11513508
- Baker DC, Stefani WA, Chiu ES. Reducing the incidence of hematoma requiring surgical evacuation following male rhytidectomy: a 30-year review of 985 cases. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2005;116(7):1973–1985. doi:10.1097/01.prs.0000191182.70617.e9
- Auersvald A, Auersvald LA. Hemostatic net in rhytidoplasty: an efficient and safe method for preventing hematoma in 405 consecutive patients. Aesthetic Plast Surg. 2014;38(1):1–9. doi:10.1007/s00266-013-0202-5