- Procedure time
- About an hourOperative time
- Downtime
- Several days
- Results last
- Five to seven yearsTreats skin and fat, not deep structure
What it does, and what it does not
Radiofrequency energy delivered beneath the skin causes tissue contraction. In a patient with mild laxity and good skin quality, that produces a real if modest improvement in contour without an open operation.
It contracts. It does not release ligaments, and it does not lift what has fallen.
The honest version of the trade-off
Non-surgical options are attractive because the recovery is shorter and the commitment feels smaller. That is a real advantage when the problem is small. When the problem is descent, choosing the smaller procedure usually means paying twice — once for this, and again later for the operation that was always going to be required.
Who I actually offer this to
I do not offer FaceTite to everybody, and the candidacy here is narrower than the marketing around these devices suggests.
It suits patients in their thirties and forties who are just starting to notice a little laxity. It works best when there is also some fullness or a small pouch under the chin, because part of what it does is a kind of laser lipolysis of the fat beneath the skin.
The ideal candidate has slightly fuller, thicker skin with real subcutaneous tissue underneath, is looking for something in the range of ten to twenty percent improvement, and is not ready for a face or neck lift.
Even in the right age group, the examination decides. Some patients simply do not have the tissue this works on.
What it does not reach
This treats skin and the fat immediately beneath it. It does not go below the platysma, so whatever is happening to that muscle or to the structures under it is untouched. That is the honest limit of the device, and it is why the examination matters more than your age.
There is some improvement along the jawline. I have also seen it create contour irregularities when it is used too aggressively, particularly in thinner skin, which is a further reason I keep the candidacy tight.
Common questions
- Is FaceTite a replacement for a facelift?
- No, and it should not be sold as one. It contracts tissue; it does not release ligaments or reposition what has descended. For the right patient it is a genuinely useful option. For a patient who needs a lift, it is a way to spend money and still need the lift.
- Who is a good candidate?
- Generally younger patients with mild laxity, reasonable skin quality, and a specific localised area of concern — most often along the jawline or under the chin.
- How does it compare to a neck lift?
- A neck lift addresses the platysma and the fat above and below it under direct vision. FaceTite works through small access points without that exposure. The trade-off is a smaller procedure with a correspondingly smaller change.
Not sure this is your problem? Neck bands and fullness
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