Updated · Reviewed by Dr. Yakup Duman
Deep Plane Facelift Glossary
Quick Answer
What medical terms should I know before a deep plane facelift?
Key terms include SMAS (the muscle-and-fascia layer lifted in surgery), platysma (neck muscle tightened during the procedure), retaining ligaments (anchors released for natural repositioning), and rhytidectomy (the clinical name for facelift). Knowing these 40+ terms helps you decode surgeon notes and ask informed questions.
Source: DeepPlane.com
A
- Anesthesia (General)
- A medically induced state of complete unconsciousness used during surgery. Deep plane facelifts are most often performed under general anesthesia, administered and monitored by a board-certified anesthesiologist throughout the procedure.
- Anesthesia (Local)
- Medication injected into a specific region to numb sensation while the patient remains fully awake. Occasionally used for minor facial procedures or combined with IV sedation (twilight anesthesia) for select facelift candidates.
- Anesthesia (Tumescent)
- A technique in which large volumes of dilute local anesthetic (lidocaine) combined with epinephrine are infused into the surgical field before dissection. It reduces bleeding, pain, and the need for general anesthetic in some procedures.
- Anesthesia (Twilight)
- Intravenous sedation that places the patient in a deeply relaxed, semi-conscious state combined with local anesthetic. Patients breathe independently. Some surgeons offer twilight anesthesia for mini facelifts.
- Autologous Fat Transfer
- A procedure in which fat is harvested from one area of the patient's own body (commonly the abdomen or thighs), processed, and injected into the face to restore lost volume. Commonly combined with a deep plane facelift to address hollow cheeks or temples.Learn more →
B
- Blepharoplasty
- Eyelid surgery that removes or redistributes excess skin, muscle, and fat from the upper eyelids, lower eyelids, or both. Frequently performed alongside a deep plane facelift for comprehensive facial rejuvenation.
- Brow Lift (Forehead Lift)
- A surgical procedure that elevates the brows and smooths forehead wrinkles. Can be performed endoscopically (3–5 small scalp incisions) or via a coronal incision. Often combined with a deep plane facelift to address upper-face aging.Learn more →
C
- Cervicomental Angle
- The angle formed between the underside of the chin and the front of the neck, ideally 90–105 degrees. A well-defined cervicomental angle conveys a youthful neck profile and is a primary goal of combined facelift and neck-lift surgery.Learn more →
- Composite Facelift
- A variation of the deep plane facelift that also elevates the orbicularis oculi muscle (the muscle encircling the eye) to address lower-eyelid laxity and under-eye bags simultaneously. Developed by Dr. Sam Hamra.Learn more →
- Compression Garment
- A specialised elastic bandage or chin-neck wrap worn after facelift surgery to reduce post-operative swelling, minimise bruising, and help the skin re-adhere to the underlying tissue. Typically worn for 1–2 weeks.
D
- Deep Plane
- The surgical tissue plane that lies immediately beneath the SMAS layer, separating it from the deeper facial muscles and retaining ligaments. Operating in this plane — releasing ligaments and mobilising the composite tissue flap — is the defining feature of a deep plane facelift.Learn more →
- Dissection
- The careful surgical separation of tissue layers. In a deep plane facelift, dissection proceeds beneath the SMAS to release retaining ligaments and lift the entire composite flap — skin, subcutaneous fat, and SMAS — as a single unit.
E
- Edema
- Fluid accumulation in tissue causing swelling. Post-operative edema is normal after a facelift and typically peaks at 48–72 hours. Most visible swelling resolves within 2–3 weeks; residual swelling can persist for 3–6 months.Learn more →
- Extended Deep Plane Facelift
- An extension of the standard deep plane technique in which dissection continues further medially to address the midface, nasolabial folds, and malar fat pad more completely. Provides greater correction of midface descent than a standard deep plane alone.Learn more →
F
- Facial Nerve (CN VII)
- The seventh cranial nerve, which controls all muscles of facial expression. Injury to its branches during facelift surgery can cause temporary or, rarely, permanent weakness. An expert surgeon's thorough knowledge of facial nerve anatomy is the most important safeguard.
- Fat Grafting (Lipofilling)
- Synonymous with autologous fat transfer. Harvested fat cells are purified and micro-injected into areas of facial volume loss. Results can last many years; survival of the transferred fat is typically 50–70%.Learn more →
G
- General Anesthesia
- See Anesthesia (General). Listed separately because it is the most searched form used in deep plane facelift surgery.
H
- Hematoma
- A localised collection of blood outside a blood vessel, forming under the skin after surgery. Hematoma is the most common early complication of facelift surgery (occurring in approximately 1–3% of cases) and usually requires surgical drainage when significant.Learn more →
- Hypertrophic Scarring
- A raised, thickened scar that forms within the boundaries of the original incision. Unlike keloids, hypertrophic scars do not extend beyond the wound edges. Risk is reduced by careful incision placement and post-operative scar care.
I
- Incision
- The surgical cut made at the start of a procedure. Deep plane facelift incisions typically begin in the temple hairline, curve around the front of the ear (pre-auricular), behind the ear lobule, and along the lower posterior hairline — all designed to remain hidden.
J
- Jowls
- Descended soft tissue and fat along the lower jawline, disrupting the sharp angle between the jaw and neck. Jowl correction is one of the primary goals of deep plane facelift surgery, achieved by repositioning the cheek and midface tissues upward.Learn more →
K
- Keloid
- An overgrowth of scar tissue that extends beyond the borders of the original wound. More common in patients with darker skin tones. Surgeons screen for personal or family history of keloids before proceeding with elective surgery.
L
- Ligament Release
- The deliberate surgical division of retaining ligaments (zygomatic, masseteric, mandibular) that tether the overlying soft tissue to the underlying bone. Releasing these ligaments is the key step that allows the deep plane composite flap to be elevated and repositioned.
M
- MACS Lift (Minimal Access Cranial Suspension)
- A short-scar facelift technique that uses purse-string sutures placed through minimal incisions to gather and suspend facial tissue. Less extensive than a full deep plane facelift; suited to mild-to-moderate facial aging.
- Marionette Lines
- Vertical creases that descend from the corners of the mouth toward the jawline, creating a downturned or sad appearance. Named after marionette puppets. Deep plane facelift repositions the underlying tissue to soften these lines.Learn more →
- Mini Facelift
- A less extensive facelift using shorter incisions and more limited dissection, typically addressing mild lower-face laxity. Recovery is shorter (1–2 weeks) but results are less dramatic and less durable (3–5 years) than a full deep plane facelift.Learn more →
N
- Nasolabial Fold
- The crease running from the side of each nostril to the corner of the mouth, sometimes called the smile line or laugh line. Deepening of these folds is a hallmark of midface descent. The extended deep plane technique directly addresses them by lifting the malar fat pad.Learn more →
- Neck Banding (Platysmal Bands)
- Vertical cords that appear on the neck as the platysma muscle separates with age. Addressed during neck lift surgery by suturing the muscle edges together (platysmaplasty) at the midline, restoring a smooth contour.Learn more →
- Nerve Damage
- Unintended injury to sensory or motor nerves during surgery. Temporary numbness or tingling around the ear is common after facelift and usually resolves within weeks to months. Permanent motor nerve injury is rare (<1%) in experienced hands.
P
- Platysma
- A broad, thin muscle that extends from the upper chest and shoulder to the lower jaw and chin. Laxity of this muscle creates neck banding and the 'turkey neck' appearance. Tightening the platysma via platysmaplasty is a standard component of a deep plane facelift with neck lift.
- Ponytail Facelift
- A minimally invasive technique that uses small hairline incisions to achieve a subtle upward lift, mimicking the look of pulling hair into a tight ponytail. Results are less comprehensive and durable than a full deep plane facelift.Learn more →
R
- Retaining Ligaments
- Dense fibrous structures that anchor the facial soft tissues to the underlying bone and muscle fascia. The key retaining ligaments in facelift surgery are the zygomatic, masseteric, and mandibular ligaments. Releasing them is the defining step of the deep plane technique.
- Revision Facelift
- A secondary facelift performed to correct unsatisfactory results from a prior procedure — such as an operated appearance, asymmetry, or recurrent laxity. Revision surgery is technically more demanding due to altered tissue planes and scarring.
- Rhytidectomy
- The medical (Greek-derived) term for a facelift. Rhytis = wrinkle, ektomia = excision. The term encompasses all facelift techniques, from mini facelifts to the extended deep plane. 'Facelift' and 'rhytidectomy' are used interchangeably in medical literature.
S
- SMAS (Superficial Musculoaponeurotic System)
- A fibromuscular layer of tissue lying just beneath the facial subcutaneous fat. It connects the superficial facial muscles to the overlying skin. Manipulating the SMAS — whether by plication, imbrication, or the deep plane approach — is fundamental to achieving a natural facelift result.Learn more →
- Subperiosteal Facelift
- A facelift technique in which dissection occurs at the deepest plane, directly beneath the periosteum (the covering of the facial bones). Provides maximal midface elevation but carries greater risks and a longer recovery than the deep plane approach.
- Superficial Plane (Sub-SMAS Plane)
- The tissue plane immediately above the SMAS layer. Traditional facelift techniques (skin-only or SMASectomy) operate in this superficial plane, producing shorter-lasting results and a higher risk of an artificial, 'pulled' appearance compared to deep plane techniques.
T
- Thread Lift
- A non-surgical or minimally invasive procedure in which barbed dissolvable sutures are inserted under the skin to provide a temporary lifting effect. Results last 12–24 months — significantly shorter than a deep plane facelift (10–15 years). Suitable for mild laxity only.Learn more →
- Tissue Glue (Fibrin Sealant)
- A biological adhesive applied to the surgical field to reduce post-operative hematoma and seroma formation. Some surgeons use fibrin sealant at the end of a deep plane facelift to improve tissue adhesion and shorten bruising duration.
- Tri-Vector Deep Plane
- An advanced deep plane variation that repositions the facial composite flap in three independent vectors simultaneously — vertical for the jowl/neck, oblique for the midface, and lateral for the temporal region — achieving more nuanced, natural correction than a single-vector lift.Learn more →
V
- Vertical Facelift
- A facelift philosophy that lifts tissue vertically (upward) rather than laterally (toward the ear). Vertical vector lifting more closely reverses the direction of gravitational aging and reduces the risk of an unnatural, laterally stretched appearance.
Z
- Zygomatic Ligament
- A retaining ligament that anchors the soft tissue over the cheekbone to the underlying zygoma. Releasing the zygomatic ligament is an essential step in the deep plane technique, enabling the midface composite flap to be repositioned superiorly to restore youthful cheek projection.
Frequently Asked Questions
Scientific References
- [1]Hamra ST. The deep-plane rhytidectomy. Plast Reconstr Surg. 1990;86(1):53-61(Journal Article)Accessed: 2026-03-21
- [2]
- [3]Barrera A. Refinements in the deep-plane facelift technique. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2000;105(1):290-301(Journal Article)Accessed: 2026-03-21
Key Facts
Deep plane faceliftis defined asa rhytidectomy technique dissecting beneath the SMAS layer
SMASstands forSuperficial Musculoaponeurotic System
Platysmais located inthe neck region beneath the skin