Facial Surgery · Abu Dhabi & Dubai
The deep plane facelift releases the face’s retaining ligaments and repositions the deep tissue vertically, as one unit — so the skin is never pulled. The result is a face that looks restored, not operated, extends seamlessly into the neck, and lasts a decade or more.
Overview
A deep plane facelift works beneath the muscle layer (the SMAS), not on the skin. Dr. Paulo Michels releases the retaining ligaments that tether the ageing face and lifts the whole deep layer — cheek, midface and jowl — upward as a single composite unit. The skin is then simply redraped, never stretched.
This is why a deep plane result looks natural: ageing is a descent of the deep tissues, so repositioning them vertically restores your own younger anatomy rather than pulling the surface tight. There is no windswept, over-tightened look.
Because the lift is built on repositioned deep tissue and released ligaments — not on skin tension — it is also far more durable, typically lasting a decade or more. Dr. Paulo Michels extends the same plane continuously into the neck, so the jawline and neck are rejuvenated together.
Why it looks natural
The difference is not subtle. A traditional facelift pulls skin; a deep plane facelift repositions the deep tissue. That single distinction is why one can look tight and the other looks like you, rested.
| Traditional (skin / SMAS) lift | Deep plane facelift | |
|---|---|---|
| What is moved | Skin is pulled, the SMAS tightened | Ligaments released, deep tissue repositioned as a unit |
| Direction of lift | Backward / sideways | Vertically, upward — against gravity |
| Tension on the skin | On the skin | Tension-free — skin is only redraped |
| The look | Can look tight or “pulled” | Natural — restored, not operated |
| How long it lasts | Fewer years | A decade or more |
The technique
The ageing face descends because the retaining ligaments — the fibrous anchors that hold the deep tissues in place — weaken and let the cheek and jowl slide down and forward. A skin-only lift ignores them; the deep plane releases them.
Working in the plane beneath the SMAS, Dr. Paulo Michels frees these ligaments so the entire cheek-and-jowl block becomes mobile. It is then lifted vertically and fixed in its restored position — correcting the midface, the nasolabial fold and the jawline in one movement, because they move together as they did in youth.
Only after the deep layer is repositioned is the skin redraped without tension and the tiny excess trimmed. Because the skin carries none of the load, it heals into a fine, relaxed scar — and never takes on the stretched look of a skin-tension lift.
One continuous plane
The face and neck age as one, so Dr. Paulo Michels treats them as one — carrying the same deep plane continuously into the neck rather than lifting the face and leaving an untreated neckline behind.
Beneath the platysma muscle, the structures that blunt a sharp jawline are addressed directly: subplatysmal fat, the digastric muscles and, when needed, the submandibular gland. The platysma is then tightened (platysmaplasty) to rebuild a crisp, defined neckline.
Because the neck is lifted in the same continuous plane as the face, the jawline and neck are rejuvenated together — no mismatch between a refreshed face and an older neck, and no separate second operation.
Lift + restore
A face ages in two ways: the deep tissue descends, and it also deflates — fat pads shrink and the face hollows at the temples, cheeks and around the mouth. Lifting alone corrects the descent but not the deflation.
So Dr. Paulo Michels combines the deep plane lift with fat grafting — the patient’s own fat, refined and placed to restore the youthful fullness of the midface, tear troughs and jawline. Repositioning brings the tissue back up; grafting brings the lost volume back.
Together they rebuild the three-dimensional shape of a younger face, rather than simply stretching a deflated one flat.
The full-face approach
Our philosophy
The whole face
A facelift lifts and repositions, but it does not refresh tired eyes or resurface the skin. For a result that is complete rather than partial, these are planned together.
Heavy upper lids and lower-lid bags draw the eye and read as tired regardless of a lifted cheek. When indicated, eyelid surgery is combined so the eyes match the freshness of the rest of the face.
Fine lines, sun damage and texture live in the skin’s surface, which a lift cannot change. CO2 laser resurfacing improves skin quality — the lift restores the shape, the laser restores the surface.
Comfort & healing
The procedure is engineered to be comfortable and to heal into scars that are genuinely hard to find.
Modern anaesthesia
Total intravenous anaesthesia with local infiltration gives a safe, deeply comfortable procedure and a smooth, clear-headed wake-up with very little nausea — the modern standard for a lift of this length.
Hidden incisions
The incisions are designed to follow the natural contours around the ear — hugging the tragus and curving into the hairline — where they settle into the creases and become very difficult to see. Neck work adds only a tiny hidden incision under the chin.
Tension-free healing
Because the deep tissue carries the lift, the skin is closed under no tension — the key to a fine, flat scar that does not widen or pull, and the reason a deep plane result ages so gracefully.
Book a private consultation with Dr. Paulo Michels — an honest assessment of your face and neck, and a plan that repositions, restores and refreshes for a natural, lasting result.
Recovery
A deep plane facelift is comfortable but does need patience while the swelling settles. Most people are ready to be seen socially at two to three weeks, with makeup covering the last of the bruising.
A light dressing supports the face. Swelling and bruising peak in the first few days and then begin to fade. You rest with the head elevated; discomfort is mild and easily managed.
The sutures around the ears are removed. Bruising is fading and much of the early swelling has settled. You feel far more yourself.
Most people return to social life and work, with camouflage makeup over any residual bruising. You look presentable, if still subtly settling.
Full exercise and more strenuous activity resume. The tissues are healing well and the shape is emerging.
The final result refines as the last swelling resolves over several months and scars mature over a year. Because it is built on repositioned deep tissue, the result lasts a decade or more.
Candidacy
Good to know
Honest risks
A deep plane facelift is a major but well-established operation with an excellent safety record in experienced hands. Its honest trade-offs include several weeks of swelling and bruising, temporary numbness or tightness that recovers, the small scars around the ears, an uncommon and usually temporary weakness of a facial-nerve branch, and the normal healing risks — all minimised by meticulous technique and discussed fully at your consultation.
Patient stories
“Everyone says I look rested, no one can tell I had surgery. That was exactly what I wanted — me, not a stretched version of me.”Deep plane + neck
“He lifted the deep layer and added my own fat back into my cheeks. My face looks full and natural again, not tight.”Deep plane + fat grafting
“The jawline and neck were done together in one operation. Three weeks later I was back at work and looked a decade younger.”Face + deep neck
Investment
Every face is different, so there is no single price. A personalised quotation follows an in-person assessment. The main factors:
In line with UAE medical-advertising regulations, prices are shared privately in consultation rather than published.
FAQ
It is a facelift that works beneath the muscle layer (the SMAS), releasing the face’s retaining ligaments and repositioning the deep tissue — cheek, midface and jowl — upward as one unit. The skin is only redraped, never pulled, which is why the result looks natural and lasts.
A traditional facelift pulls the skin and tightens the SMAS, which can look tight and does not last as long. A deep plane facelift releases the retaining ligaments and repositions the deep tissue vertically with no tension on the skin — giving a natural, restored look that typically lasts a decade or more.
Because ageing is a descent of the deep tissues, repositioning them vertically restores your own younger anatomy rather than stretching the surface. The skin carries no tension, so there is no windswept or “pulled” look — you look rested, not operated.
Yes. Dr. Paulo Michels carries the same deep plane continuously into the neck, performing a true deep neck lift — addressing the subplatysmal fat, digastric muscles and, when needed, the submandibular gland, then tightening the platysma. Face and neck are rejuvenated together in one operation.
Usually, yes. A face ages by descending and by deflating. Lifting corrects the descent; fat grafting — using your own fat — restores the lost volume in the cheeks, tear troughs and jawline. Together they rebuild a three-dimensional younger shape rather than a flat, stretched one.
The incisions follow the natural contours around the ear, hugging the tragus and curving into the hairline, where they settle into the creases and become very difficult to see. A deep neck lift adds only a tiny hidden incision under the chin.
Because the lift is built on repositioned deep tissue and released ligaments rather than skin tension, it is very durable — typically lasting a decade or more. You continue to age naturally from that younger starting point.
General anaesthesia (total intravenous anaesthesia, TIVA) with local infiltration — a safe, deeply comfortable procedure with a smooth, clear-headed wake-up and very little nausea.
Swelling and bruising peak in the first few days and fade over the following weeks. Sutures around the ears come out at 7–10 days, most people return to social life and work at two to three weeks with camouflage makeup, and full exercise resumes at about six weeks. The result refines over several months.
Done well, they should notice that you look rested and well, not that you have had surgery. The deep plane technique restores your own features without the tell-tale tightness of a skin-pulling lift, and the scars are hidden around the ear.
Yes, and it often is. Blepharoplasty refreshes tired eyes, and CO2 laser resurfacing improves the skin’s surface quality — things a lift cannot do. Combining them gives a complete rather than partial rejuvenation in a single recovery.
There is no fixed age — it is guided by your anatomy, not your birthday. Most patients are in their late forties to sixties with clear descent of the cheeks, jowls and neck, but the right time is when the changes bother you and a lift will give a natural, lasting correction.
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