What Can Be Done to Refresh an Aging Facelift?

Kris Jenner has spent the past year talking about what happens when facelift results start to change. At 69, she opened up about pursuing a second facelift, roughly a decade and a half after her first, and the internet immediately had opinions about “slippage,” a term used to describe the way facelifts can settle as skin continues to age.

The good news is that a tired facelift can be successfully refreshed years or even decades later to achieve a youthful, balanced look that still ages gracefully. At Eastern Shore Cosmetic Surgery in Fairhope, Alabama, board-certified cosmetic surgeon Dr. James Koehler expertly performs facelift revisions, often using the advanced deep plane facelift technique to achieve smooth, natural-looking results.

Why Facelift Results Change Over Time

No facelift stops the aging process altogether. While it can reset the clock, gravity, sun exposure, volume loss and skin laxity continue afterward, just as they would in someone who never had surgery. A facelift that was done using an older, skin-only technique is especially likely to show its age, since pulling the surface skin tighter without addressing the deeper tissue tends to relax again fairly quickly and can leave a stretched or windswept look as the years pass.

Even a well-executed facelift has a lifespan, and most surgeons agree that 10 to 15 years is a realistic window before a patient starts noticing the jawline softening, the neck loosening or the midface dropping again. This continuation of the natural aging process is exactly what Kris Jenner saw, spurring a decision to get a second facelift. It doesn’t mean her original facelift failed, only that her face continued to age as normal.

The Kris Jenner Effect

Jenner has been unusually candid about aging on her own terms, telling reporters that her version of aging gracefully includes surgery and that she wants to “be the best version” of herself rather than follow anyone else’s rulebook. That openness is refreshing, and we talked about it on our podcast. It has helped to normalize the idea that a facelift is not a one-and-done procedure that lasts a lifetime, and that going back in for a refresh years later is a completely reasonable decision.

Dermatologists have pointed out that what people are calling “slippage” is often just normal healing and settling that can continue for up to a year after surgery, combined with the ordinary effects of time. For patients who had a facelift years ago and are noticing similar changes, Jenner’s story has opened the door to a conversation that used to be seen as taboo: facelift revisions are normal and even necessary as aging continues after the initial procedure.

More Patients in Their 70s and 80s Are Choosing Surgery Than Ever Before

Jenner is not an outlier. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, patients aged 66 and older saw a 24% increase in cosmetic procedure volume in 2025, the largest jump of any age group, while demand from patients in their late teens and twenties actually declined. Facelifts themselves rose 13%  and the ASPS points to a shift toward what it calls “authentic restoration rather than transformation.”

In practical terms, that means more people in their 70s and even into their 80s are deciding that a facelift, or a revision of a facelift they had years earlier, fits their goals and their health profile. Better anesthesia protocols, more conservative surgical planning and a longer, healthier retirement window are all part of why this age group is now driving so much of the growth in facial surgery.

Why a Deep Plane Facelift Is Often the Right Choice for a Refresh

For patients coming back for a second facelift, technique matters more than it did the first time around. A deep plane facelift repositions the SMAS layer and the deeper connective tissue as a unit, rather than simply pulling the skin tighter, which is why it tends to hold up longer and age more naturally than a traditional facelift.

Dr. Koehler has spent more than 20 years performing this technique and the past decade teaching it to other surgeons in an anatomy course at St. Louis University. Because the deep plane approach lifts skin and muscle together, it also tends to produce shorter recovery times and less visible scarring than repeat surface-level lifts, both of which are common priorities for patients who are older or who are returning for a second procedure and want a smoother recovery this time.

What a Facelift Revision Consultation Looks Like

A revision consultation with Dr. Koehler starts with an honest look at what has changed since the original surgery, including skin quality, volume loss and how the deeper tissues have settled. From there, the conversation usually covers whether a full deep plane facelift is the right fit or whether a more limited refresh, paired with fillers or laser resurfacing, would accomplish the same goal with less downtime. Health history plays a bigger role in these conversations for older patients, but age alone is rarely a disqualifier when someone is otherwise healthy and has realistic expectations.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it normal to need a second facelift years after the first one? Yes. Most facelifts last 10 to 15 years, and a second procedure is a routine part of aging rather than a correction of a mistake.

Am I too old for a facelift or a facelift revision? Not necessarily. Overall health matters more than age, and a growing number of patients in their 70s and 80s are choosing surgery.

What makes a deep plane facelift different for a revision? The deep plane technique repositions the deeper tissue layer instead of just the skin, which tends to produce more natural, longer-lasting results, an important consideration when tissue has already been operated on once.

Ready to Start Planning Your Revision Procedure?

If your facelift results have started to soften and you are wondering what your options are, Dr. James Koehler can walk you through what a refresh or a full revision would involve. Contact Eastern Shore Cosmetic Surgery online or call our Fairhope, AL office at 251-929-7850 or through the practice’s contact page to schedule a consultation today.