Alternative to facelifts are frequently presented in the media. The interviewed doctor remarks, “My patients do not want radical surgery.” It may not be disclosed that the physician being interviewed is a non-surgeon, perhaps a dermatologist, who does not perform facelifts. It is no surprise that he or she does not recommend them! Few operators recommend procedures they don’t do.

It is true that there are many celebrities who look altered or unnatural, and some have been outspoken about their negative plastic surgical experiences. But there are many more who have been very pleased with their results and could not imagine passing up surgical options to keep their appearance from deteriorating. A facelift does not have to have a negative connotation. Performed expertly, it can have a profoundly positive effect.

Perhaps no other plastic surgical procedure carries as much mystique as the facelift. A facelift is popularly understood as rejuvenation. The word is loosely used even to describe renovation of inanimate structures – "shopping mall gets a facelift." For patients, though, the word "facelift" may conjure an invasive procedure that may radically change one's appearance and not always for the better. Most of us already have a preconception of what a facelift is, or more at least what it has been in the past. The negative impact of the word facelift is reflected in the facial expressions and responses from many patients after I recommend a facelift: "Do you really think I need a facelift, doctor?" Much of my time in consultations is spent dispelling common myths about facelifts. Patients ask me about alternative procedures they have seen advertised that promise the results of a facelift but without surgery. In promoting products that have questionable anti-aging benefits, cosmetic companies take advantage of the public's fear of surgery.