Plastic Surgery is often pursued by younger patients trying to optimize their already youthful appearance (think breast augmentation or rhinoplasty) and by older patients looking to roll back the years (facelift & eyelid surgery). A less commonly known procedure that falls somewhere in between is the Midface Lift, which I often perform in conjunction with Fox Eye surgery. Midface Lift is a facial contouring procedure more than an anti-aging procedure; it reshapes the middle third of the face, repositioning soft tissue volume, to create more dramatic cheek prominence and a beautiful “drop” from the middle third of the face to the lower third of the face.

My Midface Lift patients have ranged from 22 to 45 years of age; they don’t have the excess skin in the lower face and neck to warrant a full facelift, but they notice in photographs that their cheeks look low and that the area around their mouth looks “heavy.” Midface lift, especially with Fox Eye surgery (to create an enticing positive cant of the eye), promotes a sexy and youthful “V shape” to the face that draws attention to the eyes and lips. Many people seek this effect with injectable fillers, and while fillers can achieve the goal of higher and broader cheeks, they don’t reposition volume from the lower third of the face. As a result, the total volume of size of the face increases, which can lead to a worsening appearance of a “heavy face.” Conversely, a Midface lift shifts the volume a patient already has, which better exposes a beautiful jawline, and creates an opportunity for shadows between the cheeks and the jaw.