Facelift in Bordeaux
Facelift, mini facelift, brow lift or facial fat grafting: these procedures do not treat the same areas or the same degree of sagging. Dr Maxence Thomas, plastic surgeon, helps you choose the technique suited to your face and performs it at the Clinique Esthétique Aquitaine in Bordeaux.
Content reviewed by Dr Maxence Thomas on 14 October 2026
Which facelift for which concern?
Over time, the face changes in several ways: skin and muscles sag, some areas become hollow, others heavier. Each technique addresses one of these changes. The choice depends on what bothers you, how much sagging there is and the quality of your skin.
- Sagging jawline, jowls and neck: the facelift (cervicofacial lift) re-tightens the skin and muscles of the lower face and neck.
- Early sagging, usually between 40 and 50: the mini facelift, or soft lift, is a less extensive version of the facelift, with a shorter recovery.
- Drooping brows, tired or stern look: the brow lift raises the brow to a natural height to open up the eyes.
- Hollow cheeks, deep wrinkles, loss of volume: facial fat grafting fills these areas with your own fat.
These procedures can be combined in a single operation: fat grafting or blepharoplasty with a facelift, upper blepharoplasty with a brow lift. Your plan is defined with you at the consultation.
When is a facelift the right choice?
A facelift (cervicofacial lift) treats sagging skin and muscles of the face and neck: cheeks, jowls and jawline. It can also address a lack or an excess of fat. Its aim is not to change your features but to restore skin, muscle and fat so that you look as you did a few years earlier, while seeking a natural result.
The incision is largely hidden in the hair and around the ear. The surgeon re-tightens, in a precise and measured way, the musculo-aponeurotic layer called the SMAS (superficial musculo-aponeurotic system). The SMAS can be re-tightened during a deep facelift, known as a deep plane facelift. Sagging is then corrected in depth and the face keeps its expression. Depending on the case, liposuction of the neck, chin or jowls, or conversely fat grafting, may be carried out during the same operation.
The procedure takes about 2 hours, under local anaesthesia as a day case, or under general anaesthesia with one night in hospital. Recovery takes about 15 days.
When to choose a mini facelift?
The mini facelift, also called soft lift, is a less extensive version of the facelift (in terms of skin undermining). It is generally suited to patients between 40 and 50 whose face and neck are starting to sag. The steps are the same as for a classic facelift, but less skin is lifted and the surgeon works mainly on muscle tension.
The procedure takes 1 to 1.5 hours under local anaesthesia, and you leave the clinic the same day. Swelling is minimal and bruising is mild, easy to cover with concealer. Plan for 10 to 15 days away from social activities. The scars lie in the natural folds, in front of the ear and in the hair; they must be protected from the sun.
When to consider a brow lift (eyebrow lift)?
When the brows drop, especially at their outer end, they weigh down the upper eyelid and make the eyes look tired, sad or stern, even at rest. A brow lift repositions them at a natural height without freezing facial expression.
Two approaches are possible: the temporal approach, through short incisions hidden in the scalp at the temples; and the suprabrow approach.
Since a drooping brow and excess eyelid skin often go together, a brow lift can be combined with upper blepharoplasty.
The procedure is performed under local anaesthesia; its length and that of the hospital stay depend on the technique chosen and are specified at the consultation.
When to use facial fat grafting?
Micro-fat grafting involves taking a small amount of your own fat, for example from the inner knees, abdomen or inner thighs, purifying it and finely reinjecting it into the areas of the face that need filling. It is suitable for both men and women, for hollow cheeks, deep wrinkles or to restore volume to the cheekbones. Because it is your own fat, there is no risk of rejection.
It is often performed under local anaesthesia as a day case, and can accompany a facelift, in which case it is done under general anaesthesia. Swelling and bruising may last around fifteen days, but normal life resumes within a few days. Part of the injected fat is reabsorbed by the body: the rest is maintained over the long term.
How do these techniques differ?
Scroll the table sideways to compare.
| Criterion | Facelift | Mini facelift | Brow lift | Facial micro-fat grafting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Area treated | Jawline, cheeks, jowls and neck | Face and neck, early sagging | Brows and upper eye area | Hollow cheeks, deep wrinkles, cheekbones |
| Anaesthesia | Local as a day case, or general with one night | Local | Usually local, general if you prefer | Usually local |
| Duration | About 2 h | 1 to 1.5 h | About 1 h | 1 to 2 h maximum |
| Hospital stay | Day case (local anaesthesia) or one night (general anaesthesia) | Day case | Day case | Day case |
| Recovery | About 15 days | 10 to 15 days away from social life | Depends on the technique | Normal life within a few days, bruising for about 15 days |
| Indicative price | From €5,950 | From €5,450 | From €4,450 | On quote |
Indicative prices: only the quote given after the consultation is binding.
How does the consultation work?
The first consultation is a time for listening and discussion. Dr Maxence Thomas takes note of your request and medical history, examines your face and neck, then explains the possible techniques, their benefits, limits and risks. This is when the technique, or combination of techniques, suited to your case is decided. A second consultation may be offered to refine the plan.
A 3D simulation of your face can be carried out to help you express your expectations. It is a decision aid, given for information only: it is not a guarantee of results.
After the consultation, you receive a detailed quote. In France, a cooling-off period of at least 15 days applies between the quote and the procedure. Before a facelift, an anaesthesia consultation and a blood test are carried out, and you need to stop smoking and stop any blood-thinning medication.
The consultation and the procedure take place at the Clinique Esthétique Aquitaine, 49 boulevard Georges Pompidou in Bordeaux. Post-operative follow-up is provided by Dr Thomas himself.
The procedures in detail
Facelift
A facelift treats sagging and laxity of the skin and muscles of the face (temples and eyebrows, cheeks, jowls, jawline) and neck, as well as a lack or excess of fatty tissue.
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Mini facelift
The minilift, also known as a “soft lift”, is a less extensive and gentler version of the classic facelift. It is generally indicated for patients aged 40 to 50 with early skin laxity in the face and neck.
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Brow lift
A brow lift corrects drooping eyebrows (brow ptosis), which give the eyes a tired or sad look. It repositions the brow to open up and refresh the eyes, often in combination with an upper blepharoplasty.
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Facial micro-fat grafting
Micro-lipofilling is an aesthetic surgery procedure that consists of removing fat from an area of the body in order to reinject it into the face (fat autograft or autologous graft).
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Frequently asked questions
The mini facelift is a less extensive version of the facelift: less skin is lifted and the surgeon works mainly on muscle tension. It suits early sagging, usually between 40 and 50. It is performed under local anaesthesia, takes 1 to 1.5 hours and is a day case.
The facelift is intended for more marked sagging of the jawline, jowls and neck. It takes about 2 hours, under local anaesthesia as a day case or under general anaesthesia with one night in hospital.
The mini facelift is generally suited to patients between 40 and 50, when the face and neck start to sag. For a facelift, the extent of the procedure depends mainly on how much the tissues have sagged, which Dr Thomas assesses at the consultation.
After a facelift or a mini facelift, the scar is largely hidden in the hair and around the ear. It must be protected from the sun. The Urgotouch laser can be used right after the procedure to help the scars fade.
After a brow lift, the scars are hidden in the scalp at the temples (temporal approach) or placed along the upper edge of the eyebrow (suprabrow approach). For fat grafting, the injection and harvesting points are less than a millimetre wide.
Pain after a facelift is generally mild and controlled with common painkillers. Some tightness in the face and neck may be felt during recovery. After a brow lift, a feeling of tension in the forehead or headaches are possible during the first days.
Allow about 15 days after a facelift and 10 to 15 days away from social life after a mini facelift. After fat grafting, normal life resumes within a few days, although swelling and bruising may last around fifteen days. For a brow lift, the time depends on the technique and is specified at the consultation.
A facelift and a mini facelift rejuvenate the lower face and neck in a lasting way. The skin nevertheless keeps sagging over time: ageing continues. With fat grafting, part of the injected fat is reabsorbed by the body, and the rest is maintained over the long term.
Yes. A facelift can be combined with upper and/or lower blepharoplasty, or with fat grafting when the face has lost volume. A brow lift is often combined with upper blepharoplasty. The right combination for you is discussed at the consultation.
As a guide, the facelift starts from €5,950, the mini facelift from €5,450 and the brow lift from €4,450. Facial fat grafting is priced on quote. Only the detailed quote given after the consultation is binding: it sets out the proposed procedure and all related fees and costs.
Tell us about your project
A question or need advice? Contact Dr Maxence Thomas’s practice in Bordeaux on +33 5 56 68 69 70 or book an appointment online on Doctolib.