Table of contents

• Face Lift at a Glance
• What Is a face lift?
• Who Is a Good Candidate for a face lift?
• How Is a face lift Performed?
• Why Visit Korea for a face lift?
• Key Information for International Patients
• Which Are the Best Clinics in Korea for Facelift In?
• How Much Does a face lift Cost in Korea?
• Face Lift From Start to Finish
• Alternatives to a face lift
• How Can I Prepare for a face lift?
• Aftercare Advice

Considering treatment in Korea? Everything you need to know e.g. — how to avoid scams, visas, interpreters, recovery tips — in our Medical Tourism Master Guide. Plan with confidence in minutes, not weeks!

---

Last updated: August 2026

Face Lift at a Glance

• What it treats — A face lift (rhytidectomy) surgically repositions descended lower-face tissues to improve jowls and laxity; a face-and-neck lift can also treat loose neck skin, platysmal bands, submental fat, and a blurred jawline.
• Best candidates — Typical candidates are medically stable nonsmokers with established facial or neck laxity and realistic goals. It does not reliably correct fine lines, pigmentation, skin texture, or volume loss, and it does not stop aging.
• Typical cost — In Korea, a face lift typically costs KRW 7,000,000–15,000,000 (about USD 4,900–10,500). Confirm whether the quote includes neck work, anesthesia, facility fees, consumables, observation, and postoperative visits.
• Recovery timeline — Dressings and possible drains are usually reviewed the next day, and swelling and bruising often peak during the first several days. Most patients feel socially presentable in about 2–3 weeks, while residual swelling, numbness, scars, and tissue settling can continue for months.
• Korea stay — International patients should remain in Korea at least 14 days after surgery; 2–3 weeks is preferable after extensive lifting or neck work. A surgeon must clear return travel, as wound concerns or hematoma can require a longer stay.
• Korea-specific safeguard — Korea’s foreign-patient registration framework requires relevant specialists and malpractice coverage for foreign patients, but it does not prove superior facelift outcomes. Verify the named surgeon, anesthesia plan, after-hours access, and complication follow-up plan directly.
• Technique limitation — SMAS, deep-plane, and mini-lift labels do not by themselves predict better correction or longer-lasting results. Current comparative evidence does not show a clear deep-plane advantage, so the chosen approach should match facial and neck anatomy rather than marketing.

What Is a face lift?

A face lift, or rhytidectomy, is an operation that lifts and repositions sagging facial and often neck tissues. It aims to improve jowls, loose lower-face or neck skin, neck bands, and a less defined jawline for a more refreshed contour. It is a surgical facial-rejuvenation procedure, sometimes combined with separate neck or skin treatments.

Who Is a Good Candidate for a face lift?

• Lower-face and neck laxity — Good candidates want structural improvement for jowls, descended cheek and lower-face tissue, loose neck skin, platysmal bands, or a poorly defined jawline.
• Health and healing capacity — Typical candidates are medically stable nonsmokers without conditions expected to impair wound healing, consistent with ASPS candidate guidance.
• Realistic surgical goals — A face lift improves tissue descent and laxity; it does not stop aging or reliably correct fine surface lines, pigmentation, skin texture, or facial volume loss.
• Anatomy-led planning — Assessment considers skin quality and excess, jowls, neck fat, platysma laxity, hairline and sideburn position, asymmetry, and scars from prior facial procedures.

Face lift surgery is usually deferred for active nicotine exposure, facial infection, uncontrolled hypertension or diabetes, significant heart or lung disease, unresolved bleeding or clotting risk, or an illness that makes anesthesia unsafe. Cigarettes, vaping, nicotine patches, gum, and other nicotine products all matter because nicotine can compromise healing; follow the surgeon’s cessation interval. A prescribing clinician and surgeon must agree on any adjustment to anticoagulants, antiplatelet drugs, hormones, diabetes medicines, or psychiatric medicines—never stop these independently. There is no fixed age threshold: the relevant issue is established facial or neck laxity, physical maturity, health, and self-directed expectations rather than a number.

---

How Is a face lift Performed?

Technique names describe operative approaches, not guaranteed levels of correction or longevity. The surgeon selects the tissue plane, incision pattern, and neck treatment after examining the face, hairline, skin quality, and medical risk.

• Limited-incision or mini face lift — Uses a shorter scar pattern and more limited dissection for selected patients with earlier lower-face laxity. A 2024 review of 4,451 patients reported a pooled overall complication frequency of 3.2%, but did not establish equivalent correction or durability for marked jowling or neck laxity.
• SMAS face lift — Repositions or modifies the superficial musculoaponeurotic system (SMAS), a fibrous layer below the skin. SMAS plication, imbrication, SMASectomy, and high-lateral variants are different ways to manage this layer.
• Deep-plane face lift — Works beneath the SMAS in selected areas, mobilizing skin and deeper tissues together and releasing retaining ligaments. It is frequently marketed for midface improvement, but the label alone does not determine suitability.
• Face-and-neck lift — Adds treatment of neck skin, submental fat, and/or platysma laxity. This is often the more relevant plan when neck bands, loose neck skin, or jawline blunting are central concerns.
• Combined procedures — Platysmaplasty, neck liposuction, fat grafting, eyelid surgery, brow lifting, or skin resurfacing address separate anatomical issues and can be combined or staged.

Recent reviews find broadly comparable safety profiles for SMAS and deep-plane approaches, but direct comparisons are scarce and outcome measures differ substantially across studies. A 2025 meta-analysis included only one direct comparison, while another review found no demonstrated significant deep-layer advantage for midface correction or longevity over other SMAS methods. Ask why the proposed plane and neck plan fit the anatomy rather than choosing on a technique label alone.

---

Why Visit Korea for a face lift?

Korea has a formal framework for institutions registered to attract foreign patients. For face lift travelers, this is useful infrastructure, not proof that a specific surgeon or technique produces better results. No high-quality comparative evidence shows that face lifts in Korea have superior safety, longevity, satisfaction, or revision outcomes versus other countries.

• Foreign-patient registration — Registered institutions must have relevant specialists for specialties serving foreign patients and medical-malpractice coverage that includes foreign patients, according to the Medical Korea registration framework.
• Administrative safeguard, not an outcomes registry — Registration does not measure an individual surgeon’s complication rate, revision rate, satisfaction results, or long-term face lift outcomes. Confirm the named operating surgeon, credentials, anesthesia plan, and after-hours escalation process directly.
• Technique access — Korean clinics may offer limited-incision, SMAS, deep-plane, and combined face-and-neck approaches. The evidence does not support treating any marketed label as inherently superior; available comparative evidence remains heterogeneous.
• Pre-travel planning — Virtual consultation can help compare a proposed plan and travel window, but it remains provisional until an in-person examination confirms tissue laxity, neck anatomy, scars, and medical suitability.

---

Key Information for International Patients

• Minimum stay — Plan to remain in Korea for at least 14 days after surgery. A 2–3 week stay is preferable after an extensive lift, combined neck work, slow healing, or before a long-haul flight.
• Early reviews — Expect dressing and possible drain review the next day, incision checks in the first week, and suture care or removal according to the closure plan. Do not schedule tourism, hotel changes, or business commitments during these early appointments.
• Flight timing — The CDC cites an ASPS recommendation to wait 7–10 days before flying after cosmetic procedures involving the face, eyelids, or nose, but no facelift-specific evidence defines one universally safe day to fly. The operating surgeon’s written clearance controls.
• Long-haul clot planning — Recent surgery and journeys over four hours add clot-risk considerations, particularly with older age, obesity, estrogen exposure, prior DVT/PE, thrombophilia, cancer, heart or lung disease, or diabetes. CDC travel guidance advises frequent leg movement and walking about every 1–2 hours when feasible; ask the surgeon whether compression or medication prophylaxis is appropriate.
• Itinerary impact — Most patients need about 2–3 weeks before feeling socially presentable. Swelling, bruising, tightness, numbness, and temporary asymmetry are common in the early period, so choose nearby accommodation and avoid strenuous sightseeing.
• Documents and remote care — Obtain an English operative report, anesthesia record, medication list, discharge summary, after-hours contact details, and a written complication and remote-follow-up plan before departure.

Travel note: Keep return flights flexible. A hematoma, wound concern, or surgeon-requested review can require a longer stay than planned.

---

Which Are the Best Clinics in Korea for Facelift In?

Listed below are some of the best clinics in Korea for facelift in.

1. THEPLUS Plastic Surgery

If you are looking for facial rejuvenation here, you can consider a facelift that lifts and repositions sagging facial tissue to create firmer contours while keeping your expression natural. You also have less invasive or volume-restoring options such as thread lift and facial fat grafting, within a clinic setting that emphasizes personalized planning, safety, and research-driven surgical care.

• URL: THEPLUS Plastic Surgery Website
• Location: Gangnam-gu, Seoul
• Facelift options:
  • Facelift is offered to lift and reposition sagging facial tissue for a firmer, younger-looking appearance.
  • Thread lift uses dissolvable threads for milder sagging when you want a less invasive contouring approach than full surgery.
  • Facial fat grafting uses your own fat to restore volume in hollow or flattened areas and can soften an aged facial contour.
• Surgical team:
  • Dr. Kim is a board-certified plastic surgeon with research awards related to 3D implants and experience teaching other plastic surgeons through annual educational sessions.
  • Dr. Jeong serves as President of the Korean Society of Plastic Surgeons and regularly lectures and participates in professional panels and educational programs.
  • The clinic presents a treatment philosophy focused on facial balance and natural beauty rather than changing features in isolation.
• Related facial procedures:
  • If your goals involve broader facial reshaping, facial contouring services include cheekbone surgery, square jaw surgery, chin surgery, facial implants, and full face contouring.
  • Rhinoplasty and revision rhinoplasty are also available for structural and aesthetic nasal refinement.
  • Eye procedures such as ptosis correction, blepharoplasty, and double eyelid surgery are offered for upper-face rejuvenation or reshaping.
• Additional notes:
  • The clinic describes its care model as personalized aesthetic treatment with a strong focus on safety, research, and specialized surgical expertise.
  • Stem cell-based regenerative treatment is also offered as part of broader aesthetic and post-procedure care.

2. Made Young Plastic Surgery

If you are considering a facelift here, you can expect a technique that starts with a careful analysis of where your sagging comes from, then lifts the skin, fat, and SMAS layer together after dissection beneath the SMAS. The tissues are secured vertically against the direction of sagging, a method the clinic says helps avoid an overly accentuated cheekbone look while aiming for more natural and longer-lasting tightening.

• URL: Made Young Plastic Surgery Website
• Location: Seocho-gu, Seoul
• Procedure details:
  • The facelift approach focuses on releasing stretched supporting tissues beneath the SMAS layer rather than tightening only the surface.
  • Skin, fat, and SMAS are lifted together for more comprehensive repositioning.
  • Vertical fixation is used to counter facial descent and reduce the risk of an unnatural lateral-pulled appearance.
• Thread lifting expertise:
  • Dr. Soo-Yeon Park is highlighted for thread lifting, especially Silhouette Soft threads.
  • She is a board-certified plastic surgeon and is described as having performed more than 10,000 lifting procedures.
  • The clinic notes that she recorded the highest Silhouette Soft usage in Korea in 2022 and that this treatment is a signature offering performed exclusively by her.
• Safety system:
  • Full-time board-certified anesthesiologists are on site.
  • A 1:1 monitoring system assigns one anesthesiologist to continuously monitor one person during procedures.
  • A cross-check emergency response system involves multiple anesthesiologists when needed.
  • Procedure areas are covered by CCTV for transparency.
• Aftercare and related services:
  • A separate dedicated aftercare center is operated for systematic post-procedure care.
  • Related surgical lifting options include neck lift, double chin lift, forehead lift, and sub-brow lift.
  • Non-surgical lifting options include thread lift, Ultherapy, Shurink, skin boosters, and other non-invasive lifting treatments.

3. RINE Plastic Surgery Clinic

If you want a stronger surgical lift, this clinic highlights an Extended dual deep plane facelift that combines wide skin dissection from dual plane lifting with wide SMAS dissection from deep plane lifting, so both layers are elevated together. The aim is a more substantial and longer-lasting lift while also improving skin wrinkles, with face and neck lifting planned around natural-looking facial lines rather than a tight or artificial result.

• URL: RINE Plastic Surgery Clinic Website
• Location: Seocho-gu, Seoul
• Procedure details:
  • The facelift approach combines features of both dual plane and deep plane methods.
  • Wide skin dissection and wide SMAS dissection are performed together so skin and SMAS tissue can be lifted at the same time.
  • The clinic also offers an SMAS face and neck lift for sagging in the cheeks, jawline, and neck, as well as a minimally invasive facelift for more moderate laxity.
• Surgeon involvement:
  • The director personally handles consultation, surgery, treatment, and recovery instead of separating your care across multiple doctors.
  • The clinic describes this as a one-doctor, start-to-finish model with continuity and accountability throughout the process.
  • The practice states it has more than 15 years of clinical experience in eye surgery and anti-aging procedures.
• Technology and recovery:
  • The clinic is equipped with Stryker full HD endoscopy equipment.
  • FDA-approved genuine Endotine is used for relevant lifting procedures.
  • WhiteLite bipolar equipment is used with the goal of faster recovery.
  • Private 1-person recovery rooms are available.
• Care approach:
  • Your surgical plan is described as 1:1 customized based on facial proportions, skin condition, and individual features.
  • The clinic emphasizes natural and harmonious contour changes rather than dramatic-looking results.
  • A continuous aftercare system and formal safety and infection-control protocols are part of the clinic's stated care model.

How Much Does a face lift Cost in Korea?

A face lift is priced at KRW 7,000,000–15,000,000 (approximately USD 4,900–10,500). Individual quotes vary because the surgical plan, treated areas, and perioperative requirements differ.

Procedure Price	Korean Won (₩)	USD ($)
Low Price	₩7,000,000	$4,900
High Price	₩15,000,000	$10,500

Exchange rate as of 2026-08-05: 1 KRW = 0.000700 USD.

What Affects the Price?

• Lift technique and extent — A limited-incision or mini face lift uses a more limited dissection and scar pattern for selected earlier lower-face laxity, while a SMAS or deep-plane lift requires deeper-tissue work. The chosen method changes dissection complexity and operating time.
• Combined neck work — Adding neck rejuvenation for loose neck skin, submental fat, platysma bands, or reduced jawline definition expands treatment beyond the face. Neck liposuction and platysmaplasty add operative steps, treated areas, operating time, and consumables.
• Combined facial procedures — Fat grafting, eyelid surgery, brow lifting, or skin resurfacing address separate volume, eyelid, brow, or skin-quality concerns rather than the lift alone. Combining these treatments requires additional procedural work, supplies, and recovery planning.
• Anesthesia, observation, and postoperative care — An extensive lift or patient factors that warrant overnight observation require greater anesthesia and facility resources than an outpatient plan. Early dressings, drain review, and follow-up also need to match the operative extent and closure plan.

Cost tip: Request an itemized quote that states what is included, particularly the planned lift and neck work, anesthesia, facility use, consumables, observation, and scheduled postoperative reviews.

The USD figures are approximate conversions using the exchange rate on 2026-08-05; check the exchange rate again when budgeting.

---

Face Lift From Start to Finish

1. Remote inquiry and provisional consultation — Send standardized photographs through the clinic’s secure channel and discuss goals in English or with an interpreter. Disclose all prior facial surgery, threads, fillers, fat grafting, allergies, nicotine exposure, medicines, supplements, anesthetic history, and clot-risk history.
2. Travel and in-person assessment — Arrange flexible travel around the proposed postoperative review period. In Korea, the surgeon examines skin laxity, jowls, neck fat and bands, facial asymmetry, hairline, sideburns, scars, and whether a neck component or separate procedure is needed; the plan can change after this examination.
3. Medical clearance and consent — Complete required medical evaluation or laboratory testing. Review anesthesia, incisions, expected correction, scar placement, realistic limitations, complications, medication instructions, and the follow-up schedule before signing consent.
4. Anesthesia and operative plan — The team confirms the operation, marks the treatment areas, and administers the planned anesthesia or sedation. The extent of surgery, combined procedures, and patient health determine whether discharge is same day or after one night of observation.
5. Lift and closure — Incisions are commonly placed around the ear and can extend into hair-bearing scalp. The surgeon repositions deeper tissues, redrapes skin without undue tension, and may address neck fat or platysma laxity; dressings and sometimes drains are applied.
6. Discharge and next-day review — Leave only with a responsible adult and written instructions. Return the following day for dressing and drain assessment when used, then attend incision and suture-care visits during the first week.
7. Recovery in Korea — Bruising and swelling often worsen for several days before improving. Rest with the head elevated as directed, take gentle walks once cleared, and stay accessible for examination rather than relying on messaging for new symptoms.
8. Preflight examination and remote follow-up — Attend a final in-person review before departure and obtain explicit flight clearance. Continue scheduled photo-based or video follow-up after returning home, while seeking urgent local assessment for serious warning signs.

---

Alternatives to a face lift

The best alternative depends on whether the main issue is neck laxity, brow descent, eyelid excess, volume loss, or modest skin laxity. Nonsurgical options involve less downtime but are not equivalent to a surgical face-and-neck lift for substantial jowls and loose neck skin.

Neck Lift

• Best suited to — Predominantly loose neck skin, platysmal bands, submental fullness, or jawline blunting with less need for lower-face correction.
• Tradeoff — Targets the neck more directly but does not replace a face lift when descended lower-face tissue and jowls are major concerns. See neck lift.

Brow Lift

• Best suited to — Brow descent or heaviness in the upper face.
• Tradeoff — Improves brow position, not lower-face laxity or neck bands. See forehead lift.

Fat Grafting or Filler

• Best suited to — Facial volume loss in the cheeks, temples, or other hollow areas.
• Tradeoff — Restores volume but does not remove loose skin or reposition descended tissues. See face fat grafting and facial filler.

Thread Lift

• Best suited to — Patients seeking a less invasive option for modest laxity and accepting a generally less durable result.
• Tradeoff — Does not provide the same structural correction as surgery for marked jowls or neck laxity. See face thread lift.

Ultrasound Lifting

• Best suited to — Modest tightening goals without surgical scars or extended recovery.
• Tradeoff — It is not a substitute for surgical repositioning in substantial tissue descent. See Ultherapy lifting.

---

How Can I Prepare for a face lift?

• Medical disclosure — Provide a complete list of prescriptions, over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, herbal products, allergies, prior surgery, anesthesia problems, bleeding history, DVT/PE, thrombophilia, and medical conditions. Medical evaluation or laboratory tests may be required.
• Blood-thinning products — Aspirin, anti-inflammatory drugs, and herbal supplements can increase bleeding and bruising; ASPS preparation guidance identifies them as products commonly avoided before surgery. Follow the surgeon’s exact stop dates and obtain prescriber approval before changing anticoagulants, antiplatelets, hormones, diabetes medicines, blood-pressure medicines, or psychiatric medicines.
• Nicotine and alcohol — Stop cigarettes, vaping, nicotine replacement, and all other nicotine products for the surgeon-directed interval. Avoid alcohol for the period specified by the team because it can affect bleeding, dehydration, and medication safety.
• Skin and hair preparation — Avoid tanning, sunburn, waxing, aggressive peels, laser treatments, facial irritation, and unapproved active skincare before surgery. Follow clinic-specific instructions for hair washing and face cleansing.
• Fasting and medicines on surgery day — Follow the anesthesia team’s written fasting instructions exactly. Take only the medicines specifically approved for that morning, with the permitted amount of water.
• Support and accommodation — Arrange transport after surgery and a responsible adult for the first night. Book nearby accommodation, avoid hotel changes in the first postoperative days, and pack front-opening clothing plus medicines in original labeled containers.
• Flight flexibility — Keep the return booking changeable and schedule enough time for wound checks, suture care, and a preflight examination.

Travel note: Bring printed and digital copies of medical records, insurance details, emergency contacts, and the clinic’s after-hours number.

Confirm every medication stop date, fasting rule, skincare restriction, and travel requirement with the treating surgeon; individualized instructions take precedence over general guidance.

---

Aftercare Advice

Protect the healing skin flaps and incisions, attend every review, and treat sudden changes as potentially urgent rather than routine recovery.

• Dressings and incisions — Attend next-day dressing or drain review and all scheduled incision checks. Do not manipulate incisions or apply makeup, hair products, active skincare, unapproved ointments, or hair dye near healing wounds until cleared.
• Swelling and activity — Bruising and swelling often peak over the first several days. Keep the head elevated as directed, begin gentle walking when cleared, and avoid bending, heavy lifting, vigorous exercise, swimming, and activities that raise blood pressure until the surgeon permits them.
• Heat and sun — Avoid saunas and other heat exposure until cleared. Protect scars and healing skin from sun; use SPF 50 on areas approved for sunscreen application and follow the surgeon’s scar-care plan.
• Urgent warning signs — Contact the operating surgeon and seek urgent local assessment for rapidly increasing one-sided swelling or pressure, brisk bleeding, severe escalating pain, pale, dusky, or black skin, wound separation, spreading redness, pus-like drainage, fever, persistent vomiting, chest pain, shortness of breath, fainting, or new leg pain or swelling.
• Result timing — Many patients feel socially presentable at roughly 2–3 weeks, but residual swelling, numbness, scars, and tissue settling continue for months. Do not judge final refinement in the first postoperative weeks.

Follow the treating doctor’s individualized instructions over general timelines, and contact the clinic promptly when anything appears wrong.