Does laser skin tightening on the face (non-surgical facelift) actually work at least close to as well as a surgical facelift would?

Ask: Ask your provider to see previous results or talk to his previous patients to get a better feel. Surgical solution gives more radical results.

NO!: A surgical facelift repositions deeper tissues, such as droopy fat pads and sagging tissues under the skin. "extra" skin after repositioning is cut off. Lasers work by tightening the collagen in the skin itself but will not come close to the results of a true surgical lift. However, skin resurfacing will often complement the results of surgery by freshening the dull, splotchy appearance of skin.

No: Skin tightening devices have minimal effect and cannot provide the same result as surgery just because they only work on the skin, not the underlying muscle layer or fat. Skin is not a firm tissue and it will follow the underlying structures. Laser power is also limited by its potential risk of burning the skin.

Laser vs Facelift: No a skin tightening procedure will never work as well as a facelift, but often will improve and maintain a facelift. https://pacificcenterplasticsurgery.com/procedures/face/facelift/.

No: Laser surgery helps with skin wrinkle and color. It also may improve laxity to a minor degree. A face lift re-positions the facial skin and deeper structures into a more youthful position. A combination of the two usually gives the best results.

Not close.: Some patients can get pleasing results from lasers, chemical peels, fillers and other complementatry procedures. None of these, however, do what a facelift does.

Depends: I agree with dr mele that, in general, noninvasive measures do not give results equal to that of a surgical facelift. For some patients, some methods of nonsurgical skin tightening (ulthera, for ex) can give a very nice improvement. One should seek consultation from a specialist well versed in both surgical and nonsurgical methods to determine which is most beneficial.

Not usually: A 15-20% improvement in ski tightening is typical with many non-surgical procedures. Anything more than this may produce an excessive risk of scarring.

No: A facelift tightens loose, sagging skin and smooths wrinkles of the face better than all other nonsurgical options.

Depends: These nonsurgical tight solutions are extremely effective in the right type of cases. It is important that you have the right height of consultation with a specialist who can provide you with this tightlipped guidance so that there are clear expectations set around the kind of results you should expect to see. I would recommend going to a plastic surgeon or a med spa with a plastic surgeon.

Laser vs surgery: While the laser can resurface the skin and cause tightening, no nonsurgical procedures matches surgery in terms of repositioning sagging tissues and removing excess skin.