Facelift in Istanbul: a refreshed face that still looks like you

What a facelift does

With time, the soft tissues of the face descend. The cheeks slip downwards, folds deepen between nose and mouth, jowls blur the jawline and the neck loosens. Skin creams and fillers can improve the surface or add a little volume, but they cannot put tissue back where it used to sit. That is the job of a facelift, known medically as rhytidectomy.

Older facelifts relied on tightening the skin alone, which produced the "wind-swept" look many people fear. Today the surgeon works on the SMAS – the supportive layer of muscle and connective tissue beneath the skin – and lifts it as a structure. The skin is then redraped without tension. Because the deep layer carries the load, the result looks softer and tends to age more gracefully. Incisions are hidden in the hairline and around the ear.

On the facelift page of New City Clinic you will find the same principle: a refreshed, natural look rather than a different face.

Who is a good candidate?

A facelift suits people whose main concern is sagging of the cheeks, jowls and jawline – typically from their mid-forties onwards, although the face matters more than the birth certificate. Good candidates:

• are in good general health, with conditions such as blood pressure or diabetes well controlled;
• do not smoke or are willing to stop for several weeks before and after surgery, because smoking impairs skin healing;
• have a stable weight;
• want to look refreshed, not transformed.

A facelift does not change skin texture, pigmentation or fine wrinkles on its own; those are treated with aesthetic medicine and skin treatments. If the sagging is still early and limited to the lower face, a mini facelift may be enough. If the neck has loosened noticeably, a combined face and neck lift is usually the better plan.

SMAS, deep-plane and other facelift techniques

The right technique depends on where your face has aged and how much. The main options are:

Because ageing affects the whole face, a facelift is often combined with eyelid surgery, a brow lift or facial fat transfer to restore lost volume. Combining procedures means one recovery but a longer operation – your surgeon recommends only what is appropriate after examining you.

Your facelift journey in Istanbul

1. Free assessment. Send photos of your face (front, both profiles and three-quarter views, without make-up, hair tied back) and your medical history. A doctor reviews them and you receive a written plan and quote, usually within 24 hours.
2. Arrival. You are met at the airport and taken to your hotel.
3. Examination day. Consultation with the surgeon, blood tests and an anaesthetic assessment. Markings and the final plan are agreed.
4. Surgery. The operation takes about 3–5 hours under general anaesthesia at a licensed partner hospital, followed by one night in hospital.
5. Dressing checks. Drains, if used, and dressings are checked; stitches are removed around day 7–10.
6. Return home. Total stay in Türkiye is about 8–10 days. Follow-up continues with photos and video calls.

Bruising and swelling are still visible when you fly, so many people bring a scarf and sunglasses for the journey and plan two weeks off work. Tell your GP before you go. Our trip planning guide has practical tips for the journey.

Recovery after a facelift

Most people feel tightness and some numbness rather than sharp pain. The face is swollen and bruised for the first days, often more on one side than the other – this is normal and settles.

• First week: rest with your head raised, cool compresses, gentle walks around the hotel. Avoid bending and heavy lifting.
• Days 7–10: stitches out and surgeon's check before flying.
• About two weeks: bruising and swelling have largely settled and most people return to work and social life.
• Six weeks: sport and strenuous exercise are reintroduced.
• Three to six months: residual swelling and numbness fade, scars mature and the final result is seen at around six months.

Sun protection over the scars, good sleep and not smoking all help healing. Hair colouring is usually postponed for a few weeks – ask your surgeon.

Risks to know about

Temporary swelling, bruising, tightness and numbness are expected. Possible complications include bleeding or a haematoma (a collection of blood under the skin), infection, delayed wound healing – more likely in smokers – visible or widened scars, temporary weakness of facial movement, hair loss near the incisions and asymmetry. Serious nerve injury is uncommon but must be discussed. Your surgeon explains your personal risks at the examination.

A facelift turns the clock back rather than stopping it: the face continues to age naturally. Results vary with anatomy, skin quality and healing, and cannot be guaranteed. For a wider view on choosing a provider abroad, see our guide is cosmetic surgery in Turkey safe?

Facelift price in Turkey

The illustrative package price for a facelift with New City Clinic is €3,000; the final figure is confirmed after the free medical assessment. A combined face and neck lift has an illustrative package price of €4,500. Flights are not included.

The package includes surgery at an authorised partner hospital, the hospital night, hotel accommodation, airport–hotel–hospital transfers, pre-operative tests where specified, a coordinator and interpreter, and complication insurance. In the UK and Ireland a private facelift is commonly quoted at approximately £8,000 to £15,000 or more, depending on technique and surgeon – a rough indication only. See every treatment on our prices page and the New City Clinic price list, and our explanation of the all-inclusive package helps you compare like with like.

Why we recommend New City Clinic as the best clinic in Turkey for a facelift

If you are comparing options and wondering which is the best clinic in Istanbul for facial rejuvenation, we recommend New City Clinic, and we want to be clear about why. New City Clinic works only with licensed hospitals and named specialists, holds the Ministry of Health health-tourism authorisation, HealthTürkiye registration and TÜRSAB licence no. 17659, and is certified to four ISO standards (9001, 27001, 10002 and 31000) – documents you can open on the New City Clinic licences page. Complication insurance, written transparent prices and one coordinator from your first message to your follow-up complete the picture. That combination is what we look for in the best clinic in Turkey for a facelift.

New City Clinic is a Ministry of Health-authorised health-tourism agency (HealthTürkiye) in Bakırköy, Istanbul, with TÜRSAB licence no. 17659. It does not operate itself: surgery is carried out by specialist surgeons at licensed partner hospitals such as Acıbadem, Medicana, Medipol, Medical Park and Biruni. The plastic surgeon New City Clinic works with is Op. Dr. Fatih Kılıç, plastic, reconstructive and oncological surgeon with microsurgery experience.

You get the hospital and surgeon named in writing, an itemised quote, one coordinator from arrival to departure and remote follow-up once you are home. All licences can be checked on our licences and certificates page. If you are also considering body surgery, our flagship Lipo 360 page is a good starting point.

Get your free facelift quote

Send New City Clinic a few clear photos of your face and neck – front, both sides and three-quarter views, without make-up and with your hair tied back – and tell us what bothers you most. A doctor reviews them free of charge and you usually receive a written plan and quote within 24 hours. Use the form or message us on WhatsApp; there is no obligation.

Choosing the best plastic surgeon in Istanbul and the best clinic in Turkey is a personal decision – take your time, ask questions and compare written plans. When you are ready, the Facelift page of New City Clinic and the New City Clinic team on WhatsApp are one message away.