What is a Deep Plane Facelift: Plastic Surgeon Dr. George Toledo Explains 

What Exactly is a Deep Plane Facelift?

At the Highland Park Plastic Surgery Center in Dallas, TX, Dr. George Toledo’s facelifts involve lifting and tightening the lower face and neck in two layers. The muscle and fascial layer, called the superficial musculoaponeurotic system (SMAS), is tightened separately from the skin and fat layers. This technique, today more popularly known as a Deep Plane Facelift,  avoids tension on the skin, minimizing the artificial look and reducing the appearance of scars. This approach aims to achieve an elegant, angular neck with a tight jawline. In contrast, the upper face and cheek areas are not "pulled" as tightly as in the outdated approach. The area around the eyes often needs tissue volume replacement, whereas the lower face and neck should be lifted, elevated, and oftentimes, have fat reduced. To achieve this, Dr. Toledo will either gently reposition fat from the jowls and nasolabial folds to the cheeks or transfers fat from other areas of the body to the upper face, orbits and temple areas.

Dr. Toledo is a double board-certified plastic surgeon in both Plastic Surgery and Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery and Facial Plastic Surgery with over three decades of experience in aesthetic facial surgery. Dr. George A. Toledo performs facelifts using advanced SMAS and deep structural techniques tailored to each patient’s anatomy. His Dallas, Texas practice is known for delivering natural-looking facelift results with long-lasting improvement in the jawline, cheeks, and neck. What Is a Deep Plane Facelift?

A deep plane facelift is an advanced surgical technique that goes beneath the SMAS (Superficial Musculoaponeurotic System) layer of the face. Instead of simply tightening skin, this approach:

1. Releases key facial ligaments

2. Repositions deeper facial tissues as a composite unit

3. Restores youthful midface volume and contour

4. Improves jowls, nasolabial folds, and neck laxity

This technique is widely considered one of the most natural and comprehensive methods of facial rejuvenation because it avoids the “pulled” or overly tight appearance sometimes associated with older facelift methods. The deep plane, SMAS, facelift is not new, as it was described by Dr. Tord Skoog in 1974, and has been performed by Dr. Toledo since 1985.

With decades of experience and thousands of surgeries, Dr. Toledo has gained valuable insight to precisely refine his facelift technique. Dr. Toledo's deep plane face and neck lifts provide the most natural facial expression and movement, improved jawline definition, reduction of jowls and neck laxity, midface lifting and cheek rejuvenation, long-lasting results and a balanced facial harmony without over-tightening.

Experience matters!

 DR. TOLEDO'S PHILOSOPHY

At the Highland Park Plastic Surgery Center, Dr. Toledo will analyze every detail of your aging face, from your collar bone to the top of your scalp. The effects of gravity and aging can impact all aspects of your face. Dr. Toledo focuses on restoring youthful balance to the entire face rather than just tightening skin, helping patients achieve a refreshed and natural appearance. The procedure targets deeper layers of facial support to reposition sagging tissues in the midface or cheeks, jawline, and neck. By addressing structural facial aging, deep plane techniques typically provide results that last longer than traditional skin-only facelifts. Each facelift is customized based on, degree of facial aging, skin quality, neck laxity and facial bony structure.

Dr. Toledo believes that correcting one area of the face without addressing the others will leave your face appearing disproportionate. For example, lifting the cheeks without lifting the neck or performing eyelid surgery without a forehead lift may not result in a balanced, harmonious appearance.

The following areas may also need to be addressed during your procedure:

-Lifting the forehead and brow (Forehead Lift)

-Correcting extra skin and fat bags around the eyelids (Blepharoplasty) 

-Removing excess skin and fat from the neck and jowls (Neck Lift) 

-Fat grafting to the upper cheeks, orbital rim, and temples (Fat Transfer) 

-Lifting and narrowing the nasal tip (Rhinoplasty )

-Augmenting thin lips to their more youthful fullness (Lip Augmentation) 

-Decreasing the size and lifting earlobes

Skin resurfacing with laser, dermabrasion, or chemical peels  to address fine lines, wrinkles, or discoloration.

Fortunately, most patients do not have all these signs of aging, but a discerning plastic surgeon who is keenly aware of these issues, is able to correct them to obtain a naturally stunning, total facial rejuvenation.