Subtle surgical artistry for a refreshed, refined appearance.
Over time, the face undergoes subtle changes—skin loses elasticity, youthful volume diminishes, and definition in the jawline and neck begins to fade. When you’re ready to address these signs of aging, facelift surgery offers a refined, lasting solution.
At his Edina practice, Dr. Edward Szachowicz, a double board-certified facial plastic surgeon, approaches facelift surgery with the eye of an artist and the hands of a seasoned specialist. His techniques are designed not only to lift—but to sculpt, soften, and rejuvenate—bringing harmony back to your features with results that look beautifully natural.
This 59y/o woman had facial relaxation, but also showed extensive fat atrophy resulting in volume loss in her face. A facelift and necklift helped with the laxity, and fat grafting was performed in her cheeks, nasolabial folds, lips, and chin which added youthful volume.
A facelift is more than a lift—it’s a sculpted restoration of your natural features. At his Edina practice, Dr. Edward Szachowicz artfully rejuvenates the lower face and neck by repositioning deep tissues, refining the neck contour, and gently lifting the skin. His technique restores youthful definition without stretching or changing what makes you, you.
The best candidates for facelift surgery are in good health and want to maintain their natural appearance with subtle, long-lasting results. During your consultation, Dr. Szachowicz will assess important factors such as skin elasticity, facial volume, bone structure, and neck contour to determine the best approach for your unique features.
Many people start considering a facelift when the way they look no longer reflects how they feel—vibrant, confident, and full of life. While patients often explore this option in their 40s or 50s, excellent results can be achieved well into the 60s, 70s, and beyond.
Ultimately, it’s not about age—it’s about how you want to show up in the world, and whether you’re ready to look as good as you feel.
Helps open up the eyes and soften deep forehead lines by gently lifting the brow.
Refines the neckline by tightening loose skin and muscles for a smoother, younger look.
Restores natural facial volume using your own fat for soft, long-lasting fullness.
Gently reshape the upper or lower eyelids to reduce puffiness, drooping, or heaviness.
See real results from Dr. Szachowicz’s skilled artistry. Our gallery showcases natural-looking facelifts and complementary facial rejuvenation procedures—refined enhancements that restore harmony, definition, and confidence.
Every result reflects a personalized approach—shaped by your unique features and goals. Expect refreshed contours, smoother skin, and subtle improvements that look like you—just more rested and refined.
This is a very active 55 y/o woman in a very competitive workplace. She has excellent skin tone and has been careful about the sun. She has noticed that her jawline was looking more square and she noticed the skin of her neck was getting more lax. In the chin down position she noticed more fullness and loss of definition in her jawline. In addition to her deep plane facelift and deep necklift, she had some of her buccal fat reduced to help her face look less bottom heavy, and re-create an oval shape to her face.
Healing is a crucial part of your facelift journey. Most patients return to regular activities within 10 to 14 days, with visible swelling and bruising continuing to fade over several weeks.
Dr. Szachowicz monitors your healing closely through follow-up visits and provides homeopathic arnica to support your recovery. While minimal or short-scar techniques may offer faster healing, Dr. Szachowicz prioritizes long-term, natural-looking results that last.
“Dr. Szachowicz is a master at his craft. I would highly recommend him to everyone. I have been seeing Dr Szachowicz for over 5 years and I couldnt’ be happier with my treatments and results. He is extremely brilliant, knowledgeable, and honest. I have recommended him to many friends and will not go to anyone else. ”
“I feel so great about myself.
“Your aesthetic eye, attention to detail, overwhelming kindness and generosity are very much appreciated. Now, when I look in the mirror, I feel so great about myself. I realize how fortunate I am to have someone as wonderful as you to give me such a precious gift!””
“Thank you for being there to help me on my journey. Thank you for being such a professional. Thank you for helping me have nicer skin again. Thank you for being a kind and caring person who came through with flying colors. Thank you for being the person I always have thought you were. Thank you for being there to help me on my journey.”
“Dr. Szachowicz is a master at his craft. I would highly recommend him to everyone. I have been seeing Dr Szachowicz for over 5 years and I couldnt’ be happier with my treatments and results. He is extremely brilliant, knowledgeable, and honest. I have recommended him to many friends and will not go to anyone else. ”
Hair-sparing incisions are carefully placed along the hairline—not in the scalp—to avoid permanent hair loss during a facelift. While some surgeons hide incisions within the scalp (removing hair in the process), Dr. Szachowicz believes in preserving your natural hairline.
This approach:
Dr. Szachowicz customizes every incision to remove excess skin—especially in the neck—while protecting your hair and enhancing your natural beauty. During your consultation, he’ll walk you through his technique and show examples of typical healing.
Yes. Dr. Szachowicz uses a multi-step approach to minimize swelling and bruising after facelift surgery:
This thoughtful protocol helps speed recovery and improves comfort during the healing process.
Facelift recovery happens in three phases—swelling, stiffness, then softening. Dr. Szachowicz supports this natural healing process with a structured aftercare plan that includes:
Therapies include:
This thoughtful, multi-step approach is designed to optimize healing, comfort, and lasting results.
Most people resume routine activities within after surgery. Here’s a general recovery timeline:
Dr. Szachowicz emphasizes a thoughtful recovery plan to help you return to your life with renewed confidence.
Most patients describe the discomfort as mild and focused around the incision lines near the ears, with some neck tightness from the muscle work. This is usually well-managed with prescribed oral pain medication.
Additional comfort measures include:
By the next day, your initial dressing is replaced with a lighter Lycra support garment, which most find more comfortable. Fat transfer or a brow lift performed at the same time may add some sensation (like forehead pressure or mild abdominal soreness), but overall, most patients feel more tired than in pain.
A deep plane facelift is a specific type of facelift surgery that releases the soft tissue layer, known as the SMAS, from the underlying muscle layer in the face allowing for a more natural elevation of the sagging tissues of the face, with less chance of distortion. In a traditional SMAS facelift, the skin is separated from the SMAS soft-tissue layer is then lifted separately. This may result in a pulled or surgical look in some cases.
Deep plane facelifts usually include a neck lift, as the face and neck age as a unit.
Deep plane facelifts are often combined with other procedures such as a browlift, eyelid surgery, face and neck liposuction, fat transfer, facial implants, a lip lift and/or laser skin resurfacing for more complete rejuvenation.
The deep plane facelift technique can offer a more comprehensive and therefore more natural appearing look, especially for lifting the cheek jowls, and contouring the jawline and neck. Often, the heavy folds around the mouth, and jowls are improved more with the deep plane technique.
With a deep plane facelift, the skin and the underlying muscle is still attached. So, even when structures are lifted, the surface is smooth – not tight or pulled.
Because the amount of skin that is separated from the underlying tissues is usually less than with traditional facelifts, the deep plane technique maintains more of the natural blood supply to the skin, which can lead to less post-operative pain and faster healing.
The incisions are usually well hidden around the ears, into the hairlines and under the chin.
The deeper nature of the deep plane lift may carries a similar potential of nerve damage as less invasive lifts, but the overall rate of complications is still low.
The most common complication of a facelift is a blood collection under the skin (hematoma). You can lower your risk with good blood pressure control, avoidance of strenuous activity and being off all agents that act as blood thinners.
Because a deep plane facelift addresses the sagging of the facial tissues in a more comprehensive way, the results tend to be more enduring than other types of facelift surgery. Although the deep plane facelift improves many of the signs of facial aging, additional procedures such as laser skin resurfacing may be needed to improve skin quality.
Remember that surgery does not stop the aging process, and adjunctive treatments such as medical grade skin care and injectables such as Botox can help maintain the results over time. Healthy lifestyle choices (avoid smoking, healthy diet, sunscreen, etc.) enhance the longevity of your results.
The best candidates for a deep plane facelift are those who notice that the tissues of the face have begun to sag. A good way to gauge this relaxation is a downward view (i.e., looking down at your cell phone or at a menu). Relaxation can occur starting in the 40’s and becomes especially noticeable in women in the peri-menopausal years.
All facelift candidates should be in good general health, and should be nonsmokers. It is also recommended that for the best results, you should be at an ideal sustainable weight. For best results, your BMI (Body Mass Index) should be 30 or under.
Every patient is screened prior to surgery for high blood pressure, and should be off medications or supplements which affect the ability of the blood the clot.
