Deep Plane Facelift in Manchester and Cheshire
A facelift technique that repositions the deeper layer of the face rather than pulling skin. Performed by a Consultant Plastic Surgeon.
- Mr Reza Nassab, Consultant Plastic Surgeon, FRCS (Plast)
- Repositions the SMAS layer, not just the skin
- Aims for a natural result, not a tightened look
- Manchester (Deansgate Square) and Knutsford clinics
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What is a deep plane facelift?
The face has a layer beneath the skin called the SMAS — the superficial musculo-aponeurotic system — which carries the fat pads and muscles of the cheek and jaw. It is descent of that layer, not of skin alone, that produces jowls, a heavy nasolabial fold and a loss of definition along the jawline.
A deep plane facelift releases and repositions that layer as a unit, lifting the cheek and jowl upwards and backwards along the vector in which they descended, with the skin redraped over the top under no tension. That is the technical difference from older techniques that tightened skin alone, and it is the reason a well-executed deep plane result reads as a rested version of you rather than a face that has been pulled.
Deep plane versus SMAS versus a mini lift
- Skin-only lift — largely historical. Tightening skin without addressing the layer beneath gives a short-lived result and a stretched appearance.
- SMAS facelift — the SMAS is tightened or partially repositioned. A well-established, effective operation and the right choice for many patients.
- Deep plane facelift — the SMAS is released more completely and moved as a composite flap with the overlying tissue. More technically demanding, and particularly suited to significant midface descent and deep nasolabial folds.
- Mini lift or thread lift — limited procedures with limited results. They suit early, mild laxity and are frequently oversold to people who need more. If you are being offered one for a face that has significant descent, get a second opinion.
Are you a suitable candidate?
- You have jowling, midface descent or loss of jawline definition that non-surgical treatment cannot meaningfully change.
- You are in good general health and fit for a general anaesthetic.
- You are a non-smoker, or willing to stop several weeks before and after — smoking substantially increases the risk of skin flap healing problems in facelift surgery.
- Your blood pressure is controlled, as uncontrolled hypertension increases the risk of bleeding under the skin flap.
- You want to look like a rested version of yourself rather than different. That is what this operation does well.
Recovery
- First week. Swelling and bruising, a dressing, and rest with the head elevated. Sutures and any drains are removed over the first week to ten days.
- Weeks two to four. Most people are comfortable in public at around three weeks, with makeup covering residual bruising. Tightness and numbness in front of and behind the ear are normal.
- Exercise. Gentle walking early; strenuous exercise and anything that raises blood pressure sharply avoided for around six weeks.
- Settling. The bulk of swelling resolves over six to eight weeks; fine swelling and numbness can take six to twelve months to fully settle.
Risks and complications
Discussed in full before consent. They include haematoma (bleeding under the skin flap, the most common early complication requiring return to theatre), infection, skin flap healing problems particularly in smokers, temporary or rarely permanent injury to branches of the facial nerve causing weakness, altered sensation and numbness especially around the ear, changes to the hairline, visible or thickened scars, asymmetry, and dissatisfaction with the result. Anaesthetic and thromboembolic risks apply.
Deep plane facelift at CLNQ Manchester and Cheshire
Facelift consultation at CLNQ is carried out at our Manchester clinic at Deansgate Square and our Cheshire clinic on King Street in Knutsford, by Mr Reza Nassab, Consultant Plastic Surgeon (FRCS Plast), who is on the GMC Specialist Register for Plastic Surgery. Every patient is seen face to face before anything is booked.
Patients travel to us from across Greater Manchester, Cheshire and the wider North West — Altrincham, Wilmslow, Alderley Edge, Sale, Stockport, Bolton and Warrington are all within roughly half an hour of one of the two clinics. Deansgate Square is a short walk from the Deansgate–Castlefield tram stop, and the Knutsford clinic sits on King Street with parking nearby. A third CLNQ clinic opens at Battersea Reach in London in the first quarter of 2027.
CLNQ Manchester · 11 Owen Street, Deansgate Square, Manchester M15 4YB
CLNQ Cheshire · 49–51 King Street, Knutsford WA16 6DX
Call 0800 0584558 or book a consultation. A third CLNQ clinic opens at Battersea Reach in London in the first quarter of 2027.
Deep plane facelift: common questions
How much does a deep plane facelift cost in Manchester?
It is quoted individually after consultation, since the operation varies with what is being addressed and whether a neck lift or eyelid surgery is combined with it. You will receive a written quote covering surgery, anaesthetic and follow-up. It is a long, technically demanding operation and the price reflects that.
How long does a deep plane facelift last?
Most surgeons quote in the region of ten to fifteen years for the effect of the lift, though you continue to age from the day of surgery. What the operation does is reset the position of the deeper tissues; it does not stop time. Skin quality, sun exposure, smoking and weight change all affect how long it holds.
How is it different from a normal facelift?
A conventional SMAS facelift tightens the deeper layer; a deep plane facelift releases it more completely and moves it together with the overlying tissue as one unit. In practice that means more correction of the midface and nasolabial fold, and skin redraped without tension, which is what avoids a pulled appearance. It is more demanding surgery and not every patient needs it.
When can I go back to work?
Most people take around three weeks. You will be presentable sooner than you feel ready, and residual swelling and bruising can be covered with makeup at around two weeks. Client-facing or filmed work usually needs the full three weeks or a little longer.
Will I look different or just tighter?
The aim is neither. A properly executed deep plane lift repositions your own anatomy back to where it used to sit, so you should look like yourself with less descent. The stretched, wind-blown appearance people fear comes from pulling skin under tension, which is precisely what this technique avoids.
Can I have a facelift without a general anaesthetic?
A full deep plane facelift is carried out under general anaesthetic. Shorter procedures on smaller areas can sometimes be done under local anaesthetic with sedation, but they are different operations with more limited results, and you should be clear which one you are being offered.
What about a thread lift instead?
Threads can give a modest, temporary improvement in early laxity and they suit some patients. They do not reposition the SMAS and they will not correct established jowling. If a clinic offers threads for a face that clearly needs a facelift, that is a commercial decision rather than a clinical one.
Where would I be seen?
Consultations are at CLNQ in Manchester at Deansgate Square and in Knutsford, Cheshire, with a third clinic opening at Battersea Reach in London in the first quarter of 2027. Surgery is in a registered facility with a consultant anaesthetist. Call 0800 0584558.
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