Facelift

Linda's Full Deep Plane Facelift & Neck Lift Experience with Dr. Buonassisi | 8 West Clinic, Vancouver from Dr. Thomas Buonassisi on Vimeo.

Learn About Facelift Surgery in Vancouver, BC

If you’re considering facelift surgery Vancouver and will accept nothing less than the best results, you’ve come to the right place. 8 West Cosmetic Surgery & Skin Clinic is located in Vancouver and is the home of Facial Plastic Surgeon Dr. Buonassisi. With over 20 years experience, Dr. Buonassisi specializes in the most comprehensive and natural looking facelift techniques, offering nothing but the most high-end treatments and advanced skills to give our discerning patients the very best. 

We don’t provide a one-size-fits-all procedure—you’re unique and so are the range of specialized surgery types that we customize for your individual needs. To give the best, you need to be the best, and our patients’ beautiful, natural results say it all.

On this page you’ll learn about who we are, why we’re different, and the types of specialized facelifts for you to discover, including the Comprehensive Deep Plane Facelift, the Mini Lift, and our West Coast (ponytail) Facelift—all performed by Dr. Buonassisi, one of North America’s most respected facial plastic surgeons.

Meet Dr. Buonassisi

It’s easy to find a Vancouver cosmetic surgeon who does the occasional facelift procedure. In our opinion, that isn’t enough, and Dr. Buonassisi isn’t that type of surgeon. Get to know Dr. Buonassisi, one of the country’s most elite facial plastic surgeons:

  • 20 years of experience performing facial plastic surgery
  • 15 years of post-secondary education with a sole focus on face and neck plastic surgery
  • One of the few (less than 10%) of facial plastic surgeons in North America who is skilled enough to offer the Comprehensive Deep Plane Facelift—Dr. Buonassisi’s specialty
  • Thousands of successful surgeries performed with stellar results
  • 100% dedicated to a full-time presence at 8 West Cosmetic Surgery & Skin Clinic
  • Dual Board-Certified 

With the proven ability to excel in this extremely specialized and complex field, Dr. Buonassisi’s experience gives you the assurance that you’re in the right hands.

Our Unique Approach

Not only do we have Canada’s premier facial plastic surgeon—Dr. Buonassisi—leading our clinic, but that’s not the only thing that sets us apart from other cosmetic surgery and medical aesthetics practices. What makes us special is our comprehensive way of assessing our patients and educating you every step of the way.

  • 360 x 4D Approach – Dr. Buonassisi analyzes your face from the skin and muscles, all the way down to the fat and bones, allowing us to tailor your treatment plan to your specific needs.
  • Full-Service Clinic –  offering a full spectrum of facial plastic surgeries as well as non-surgical and medical aesthetic treatments, like fillers, skin resurfacing, medical-grade skincare products, and more.
  • Long Term Patient Relationships – Our skin’s surface and our facial composition changes as we age, which is why we offer treatment plans that suit our patients as their needs and goals change over time. 
  • Education-based Approach –  We’re here to help you make an informed decision, we give you all the resources and information you need to make your own decision that you can feel confident in.

Your Areas of Concern 

Is a facelift right for you? We all know that the face changes as we age, and for some people these changes are more pronounced, or they want to take action to address some common issues, such as:

  • Saggy skin of the mid and lower face
  • Deepening creases (also called naso labial folds and marionette lines) around the mouth and nose
  • Jowls, which look like pockets of fat along the jawline near the mouth
  • Drooping areas around the chin
  • Neck laxity

If these are areas that bother you and you want to look as good on the outside as you feel on the inside, a facelift could be the right choice for you. Contact us at 604-733-1669 or  online to book your complimentary pre-consultation to learn more about your unique facelift journey.

Why We Love Facelifts

You may have tried fillers or other treatments and have had success with them, but many people are looking for more substantial results. This is where a facelift makes an excellent choice. There are many reasons why a facelift is a fantastic option for reversing the signs of aging, and we pride ourselves on delivering these top three:

Look as Young As You Feel

You’re vibrant and full of life, so why not match that radiance on the outside? A facelift brightens your appearance and gives you subtle, youthful and natural-looking improvements. Knowing that you look your best puts a spring in your step and a smile on your face. 

Natural Looking Results That Last

A facelift is a long-term investment in how you look and feel, with long lasting results. Often, our patients get to the point where they’re trying to accomplish too much with fillers, and in many cases, a facelift looks more natural than repeated filling and trying to correct areas that are ready for a more extensive procedure. For truly long-lasting and beautifully natural results, a surgical option, like our comprehensive deep plane facelift, offers the ultimate in facial rejuvenation.

The Gold Standard For Lifting the Face

There is an endless array of ways to improve the look and feel of your face, both surgical and non-surgical. Each has its own set of benefits, and can improve the signs of aging in the face to some degree. However, nothing comes close to a facelift if you’re looking for a significant anti-aging solution, with natural results that makes you look refreshed and youthful.

Facelift Techniques

There is a lot of information on cosmetic surgery out there, as any Google search will show you. By cutting through the trendy marketing buzz-words and the technical medical jargon, we can give you an easy overview of facelifts. With the proper education, you’ll be empowered to make an informed decision about moving forward in your facelift journey. Patients have many facial plastic surgery options, and facelifts use two main techniques:

SMAS Plication Facelift

A SMAS facelift targets the superficial muscular aponeurotic system (SMAS), which is a layer of tissue that lies deep beneath the skin. Focusing on the lower two-thirds of the face, a SMAS facelift addresses issues like sagging skin, jowls, excess fat, hollowed cheeks, and loose skin around the chin. 

A SMAS facelift trims and removes fat and excess skin and tightens the muscles of the lower face. 

Deep Plane Facelift

The “deep plane” is the area that lies between the SMAS and the deeper layer of facial muscles. With a deep plane facelift, Dr. Buonassisi moves only the layer under the muscle and leaves the skin attached to the muscle. Keeping the muscle attached to the skin avoids skin pulling or tightness so you’ll have tension-free, natural-looking results. 

A Deep Plane Facelift is that it lifts and adds volume to the cheeks and the areas under the lower eyelids that can look shadowed, drooped, or hollowed as a result of aging. A Deep Plane Facelift is a fantastic choice for people with severe skin laxity and sagging who want a more comprehensive procedure to address all of their areas of concern.

Types of Facelifts

Individual faces have individual needs, which is why there’s isn’t just one type of facelift. 8 West Cosmetic Surgery & Skin Clinic takes pride in Dr. Buonassisi’s ability to perform a variety of advanced facelift techniques and that allows us to offer customized facial rejuvenation plans for each unique patient that we welcome into our clinic. 

Mini Lift

The Mini Facelift (also called the S lift) is a less invasive type of procedure with less downtime, but it also produces less substantial results than some other types. It’s often a great option for patients under the age of 45 who are just beginning to see the signs of aging and want a small “tuck up.” Mini Lifts are right for patients who are just starting to see lower face laxity, like slight jowls or a softened jawline. The Mini Lift doesn’t address the upper face, so many patients choose eye and brow treatments in addition to their surgery.

The Mini Lift produces less swelling and bruising and the recovery time is typically just one week. For the right patient, a mini lift is a fantastic choice for looking your best on the outside to match your youthful attitude on the inside.

West Coast (Ponytail) Facelift

The West Coast Facelift (also called the ponytail lift) is a type of SMAS facelift using a short incision. This incision is behind and below the ear and difficult to notice once they’ve begun to heal. The West Coast Facelift is ideal for patients in their late 30s/early 40s who are starting to see early signs of aging in the upper and mid face. A West Coast Facelift doesn’t alter the appearance of the lower face, jawline, or neck, so patients who want to address those areas will want to consider the Comprehensive Deep Plane Facelift as an excellent alternative that will produce more substantial results. 

The West Coast Facelift has a downtime of 2-3 weeks, but swelling  can last about 3-4 weeks. The incisions are easy to hide with makeup until they begin to fade, so you can wear short hair or a ponytail while confidently looking your best.

Comprehensive Deep Plane Facelift 

Dr. Buonassisi is one of North America’s exclusive group of facial plastic surgeons who can perform the Deep Plane Facelift. We’ve added the word “Comprehensive” because this type of facelift is the ultimate in facial rejuvenation surgeries. The Comprehensive Deep Plane Facelift has more significant results that benefit the volume of the face, not just the skin. Rather than just pulling, Dr. Buonassisi expertly elevates and repositions a patient’s facial structure for a highly-customized outcome. 

The Comprehensive Deep Plane Facelift has a downtime of 2-3 weeks, but swelling can last about 3-4 weeks. The Comprehensive Deep Plane Facelift is an excellent option for more mature patients in their late 40s and above who see dramatic signs of aging and severe skin laxity. These patients want to restore their youthful appearance in a natural-looking way, for results that match the energy they feel inside. 

Complementary Procedures

Depending on the type of facelift you have, you might consider additional surgeries to enhance your results. Some facelifts, like the Mini Lift, target the lower face, so a browlift or eyelid lift can make an excellent complementary procedure to rejuvenate the upper face. Other types of facelifts, like the West Coast Facelift, focus on the upper and mid face, so many patients choose to add lower facial surgeries to help round out your new, youthful appearance. 

Some of 8 West Cosmetic Surgery & Skin Clinic’s most popular complementary procedures include:

Surgical

Medical Aesthetic Treatments

Injectables

For a full list of surgical and non-surgical options, and to take the next steps on your facelift journey, visit 8 West Cosmetic Surgery & Skin Clinic for your complimentary pre-consultation. Get in touch with our online contact form   or call our clinic at 604-733-1669.