Modern anaesthesia
General anaesthesia (TIVA) with local
Total intravenous anaesthesia with local infiltration gives a safe, deeply comfortable procedure and a smooth, clear-headed wake-up with very little nausea.
☎ +971 50 106 7981·WhatsApp·Elyzee Hospital, Abu Dhabi
Facial Surgery · Abu Dhabi & Dubai
Mini Deep Plane Facelift
A preservation facelift — the deep-plane lift refined into a shorter operation that preserves your own anatomy. The retaining ligaments and deep tissue are repositioned, not cut away, and the skin is redraped tension-free — a natural, structural refresh for early ageing, through a short scar, with a return to social life in one to two weeks.
- {{ic-layers}}Deep-plane
preservation - {{ic-award}}ISAPS · ASPS
SBCP · EPSS - {{ic-spark}}Natural — not
overfilled
Overview
What is a mini facelift?
A mini facelift is a shorter, less extensive version of a facelift, designed for earlier ageing. It targets the first signs — softening jowls, a blurring jawline and early midface descent — before they are advanced enough to need a full lift.
Crucially, it is not a “skin-only” tuck. Dr. Paulo Michels uses the same deep-tissue philosophy as his full lift — a short-scar deep plane or a tailored SMAS technique — to reposition the tissue that has begun to slide, with the skin redraped tension-free. The result is refreshed and natural, never tight.
Because the operation and the incision are smaller, recovery is quicker — most people are back to social life in one to two weeks — which is why it suits busy patients catching ageing early.
A new reason, a younger patient
The Ozempic & Mounjaro face — when rapid weight loss ages you
The GLP-1 medications — Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro — are transforming bodies, but they are also ageing faces. Fast, large weight loss deflates and loosens the face, and many patients in their 30s and 40s suddenly look gaunt, hollow and slack. This is the “Ozempic face”.
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Why the face “melts”
The face holds fat pads that give it youthful shape. When you lose weight quickly, those pads shrink and the skin that supported them is left loose and descended — jowls, a heavy jawline and folds appear on a face that used to be full. The body looks great; the face looks older.
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A structural fix, for a younger patient
A mini facelift is often the right answer for the weight-loss face: it repositions the loosened tissue back to where it sat before, restoring a defined jawline and a refreshed contour. It is increasingly a procedure for a younger patient — not a “later in life” operation.
The natural approach
Reposition the tissue — don’t overload the face with filler
The common reflex to a deflated, sagging face is more and more filler. But filler does not lift a jowl or a loosening jawline — it only adds volume on top. Chasing descent with syringes gradually distorts the face: heavy cheeks, a puffy, over-full “pillow” look that reads as done, not youthful.
A mini facelift treats the actual problem. Instead of piling volume onto tissue that has slid out of place, it puts that tissue back — restoring the natural architecture of your own face. You look like yourself, rested, rather than filled.
For the right patient, one short, well-planned operation gives a more natural and longer-lasting result than years of accumulating filler — and avoids the slow drift toward an over-treated appearance.
Repositioning vs filler
- Filler adds volume on top — it cannot lift a jowl
- Too much filler distorts into a heavy, over-full look
- A mini lift puts descended tissue back in place
- Restores your own natural architecture — not inflated
- One operation, a result that lasts years
Our philosophy
Catch it early — look like yourself, rested.
The technique
How is a mini facelift done?
A mini facelift is defined by how it lifts, not just by a shorter scar. Dr. Paulo Michels works on the deep tissue — the layer that actually holds the face — so a small operation still gives a real, natural lift.
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Deep tissue, short scar
Using a short-scar deep plane or a tailored SMAS technique, the deep layer of the cheek and jowl is repositioned upward and the skin redraped without tension — the same principle as a full lift, matched to earlier ageing through a shorter incision hidden around the ear.
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Face and a light neck
The lift refreshes the midface, jowls and jawline, and addresses the neck to the degree an early case needs. When the neck sagging is more advanced, the full deep plane face-and-neck lift is the honest recommendation instead.
Mini or full?
When a mini is enough — and when it isn’t
A mini facelift is ideal for early to moderate jowl and midface descent, and for the weight-loss face in a younger patient. When ageing is more advanced — heavy jowls, a significantly sagging neck — a full deep plane face and neck lift gives a more complete and more durable result. Dr. Paulo Michels will always tell you honestly which one your face actually needs.
Optional
Refresh the eyes at the same time
The eyes often age before the rest of the face. If tired upper lids or under-eye bags are part of the picture, an eyelid surgery (blepharoplasty) can be added to the mini facelift — refreshing the eyes in the same operation and recovery. It is entirely optional and decided with you.
Comfort & healing
Anaesthesia, comfort and the scar
The procedure is engineered to be comfortable, quick to recover from, and to heal into a short scar that is genuinely hard to find.
A short, hidden scar
Tucked around the ear
The incision is shorter than a full facelift and follows the natural contours around the ear, where it settles into the creases and becomes very difficult to see.
Tension-free healing
Skin closed without tension
Because the deep tissue carries the lift, the skin is closed under no tension — the key to a fine, flat scar and to a result that looks natural rather than pulled.
Catch it early — a natural refresh
Book a private consultation with Dr. Paulo Michels — an honest assessment of your face, whether it is early ageing or a weight-loss change, and whether a mini lift or the full deep plane is right for you.
Recovery
What is the recovery timeline?
Because the operation is smaller, recovery is faster than a full facelift — most people are ready to be seen socially within one to two weeks.
- First few days
A light dressing supports the face. Swelling and bruising are milder than a full lift and begin to settle quickly. You rest with the head elevated; discomfort is mild.
- Days 5–7
The sutures around the ears are removed. Much of the early bruising has faded and you feel far more yourself.
- 1–2 weeks
Most people return to social life and work, with a little camouflage makeup over any residual bruising.
- 3–4 weeks
Full exercise resumes and the shape settles as the last swelling resolves.
- The result
You look refreshed and natural — not tight and not filled — and the lift lasts for years. You continue to age naturally from a younger starting point.
Candidacy
Am I a good candidate?
- In your 30s to mid-40s with early jowls, a softening jawline or midface descent
- A face left deflated or loose after weight loss on Ozempic, Mounjaro or Wegovy
- Wanting a natural refresh rather than more and more filler
- Generally healthy and a non-smoker, or able to stop around surgery
- Realistic that advanced ageing or a heavy neck is better served by a full lift
Good to know
What to understand first
- A mini lift repositions deep tissue — it is not a skin-only tuck
- It restores your own architecture rather than adding filler volume
- It suits early to moderate ageing; advanced cases need a full deep plane
- Recovery is faster — social life in one to two weeks
- The result is natural and lasts years, ageing on from a younger baseline
Honest risks
What to weigh
A mini facelift is a smaller operation than a full lift, but it is still surgery with honest trade-offs: swelling and bruising for a week or two, temporary numbness or tightness that recovers, the short scar around the ears, an uncommon and usually temporary weakness of a facial-nerve branch, and the normal healing risks — all minimised by careful technique and discussed fully at your consultation.
Patient stories
In their words
LT
L. T.Dubai
“I lost 20 kilos on Mounjaro and my face aged ten years. He lifted it instead of filling it — I look like me again, just fresher.”Weight-loss face
JA
J. A.Abu Dhabi
“I’m 41 and my jawline had started to go. A short scar, back at work in ten days, and no one knows — they just say I look well.”Early jowl, short scar
RM
R. M.Sharjah
“I’d been getting filler for years and starting to look overdone. He repositioned everything — so much more natural than syringes.”Reposition, not filler
Investment
How is the cost determined?
Every face is different, so there is no single price. A personalised quotation follows an in-person assessment. The main factors:
- The extent of the lift and whether a light neck correction is included
- The technique required for your anatomy and degree of ageing
- The anaesthesia pathway, operating time and any hospital stay
- Whether a full deep plane lift is the more appropriate option
- The post-operative programme and follow-up care
In line with UAE medical-advertising regulations, prices are shared privately in consultation rather than published.
FAQ
Mini facelift, answered
What is a mini facelift?
A mini facelift is a shorter, less extensive facelift for earlier ageing — softening jowls, a blurring jawline and early midface descent. It uses the same deep-tissue repositioning as a full lift through a shorter scar around the ear, so it looks natural rather than tight, with a faster recovery.
Is a mini facelift good for an Ozempic or Mounjaro face?
Often, yes. Rapid weight loss on GLP-1 medications such as Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro deflates and loosens the face, leaving jowls and a heavy jawline — the “Ozempic face”. A mini facelift repositions that loosened tissue to restore a defined, natural contour, which is why it is increasingly chosen by younger weight-loss patients.
Should I get filler or a mini facelift?
Filler adds volume on top but cannot lift a jowl or a loosening jawline, and too much of it distorts the face into a heavy, over-full look. A mini facelift treats the real problem — tissue that has descended — by repositioning it, giving a more natural and longer-lasting result than years of accumulating filler.
What age is a mini facelift for?
It is guided by your anatomy, but most mini facelift patients are in their 30s to mid-40s with early ageing, or younger patients whose face has changed after significant weight loss. Catching the descent early means a smaller operation and a natural, easily maintained result.
How is a mini facelift different from a full facelift?
A mini facelift is smaller in scope — a shorter incision, focused on the midface, jowls and jawline with a light neck — and has a faster recovery. A full deep plane facelift addresses more advanced ageing and a sagging neck, and lasts longer. The right choice depends on how much ageing there is.
Is a mini facelift just a skin tuck?
No. A skin-only tuck pulls skin and looks tight and short-lived. Dr. Paulo Michels performs the mini facelift on the deep tissue — a short-scar deep plane or SMAS technique — repositioning the layer that actually holds the face, with the skin redraped tension-free.
Where is the scar?
The incision is shorter than a full facelift and follows the natural contours around the ear, where it settles into the creases and becomes very difficult to see.
What anaesthesia is used?
General anaesthesia (total intravenous anaesthesia, TIVA) with local infiltration — a safe, comfortable procedure with a smooth, clear-headed wake-up and very little nausea.
What is the recovery like?
Faster than a full facelift. Swelling and bruising are milder and settle within a week or two; sutures come out at around 5–7 days; most people return to social life and work in one to two weeks, and full exercise at three to four weeks.
How long does a mini facelift last?
Because it repositions the deep tissue rather than just pulling skin, it lasts for years, and you age on from a younger starting point. A full deep plane lift lasts longer and suits more advanced ageing.
Will it look natural?
Yes — that is the point. By repositioning your own tissue and closing the skin without tension, the mini facelift refreshes your features without the tightness of a skin-pulling lift or the over-full look of too much filler. People should think you look rested, not operated.
Can a mini facelift be combined with other treatments?
The mini facelift is designed to stand on its own as a focused, natural lift. If your face would also benefit from volume restoration, eyelid surgery or skin resurfacing, that is discussed honestly at consultation so your plan fits your goals rather than adding procedures for their own sake.
Enquiry
Ask about Mini Facelift
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