Endoscopic Facelift in Seoul

What is an endoscopic facelift?

An endoscopic facelift is a lift of the upper and middle face performed through a few incisions of about 1 to 3 cm placed inside the hairline. A small camera, the endoscope, shows the deeper layers on a screen, so the surgeon can release the tissues that hold the brow and cheek down and lift them upwards and outwards.

Because the work is done from above, through the temples and scalp, there is no long incision in front of and behind the ear. It is sometimes called an endoscopic mid-face lift or endoscopic upper facelift. It is different from a traditional SMAS facelift, which works from around the ear and treats the jawline and neck.

Who is an endoscopic facelift suitable for?

An endoscopic facelift may suit you if:

• your brows and the outer corners of your eyes have started to drop;
• your cheeks have moved downwards, leaving a flatter upper cheek and a deeper fold beside the nose;
• your skin still has reasonable elasticity;
• your jawline and neck are still fairly firm.

If your main concern is jowls, loose skin under the chin or neck bands, an endoscopic lift on its own will not be enough. A facelift or mini facelift treats the lower face, and the two can be combined when the whole face has aged.

How Dr. Kim plans an endoscopic lift

Planning starts by watching how your face has changed. Dr. Kim compares the position of your brows, the outer eye and the cheek with older photographs if you have them, and checks how far each area moves when gently lifted by hand.

The aim is to restore height and support in the upper and middle face, not to create a pulled or surprised look. The direction of the lift, how much the outer brow is raised and whether the cheek is lifted as well are decided for your face, and Dr. Kim explains them to you in front of a mirror.

The technique

Usually, short incisions are placed in the scalp above each temple and sometimes one or two more behind the hairline. Through these, the endoscope and fine instruments are passed beneath the skin and the deeper layer. The ligaments that tether the brow and the upper cheek are released under direct vision, while the nerves that move the forehead are protected.

The released tissue is then moved upwards and outwards and fixed to the firm layer over the temple. Because the lift is anchored in the deep layer rather than in the skin, the result looks natural and the scars stay hidden in the hair.

How to prepare

Before surgery, Dr. Kim reviews your medical history and any medicines or supplements that affect bleeding. Some, such as aspirin, fish oil and certain herbal products, are usually paused beforehand; the guide to medications and supplements to pause explains this.

Stop smoking and nicotine for several weeks before and after surgery. Do not dye or chemically treat your hair in the week before, and bring a loose top that opens at the front.

Anesthesia and surgery time

An endoscopic facelift is usually performed under deep IV sedation or general anesthesia and takes about 2 to 3 hours, or longer if it is combined with other procedures. You go home or to your accommodation once you are comfortable.

The anesthesia options explained guide covers the differences, and the safety and anesthesia standards page explains how you are monitored at Will Be.

How long does recovery take?

A typical recovery looks like this:

• First 2–3 days: a light head dressing, tightness at the temples and swelling; sleep with your head raised.
• Days 3–7: swelling and bruising may move down towards the eyes and cheeks; gentle hair washing is usually allowed after the first check.
• Days 7–10: stitches or staples in the scalp are removed.
• Weeks 2–3: most people feel comfortable in public; the face may still feel tight.
• Months 3–6: the result settles and numbness in the scalp gradually improves.

The guide to reducing swelling and bruising has practical tips.

Risks and how they are minimised

The main risks of an endoscopic facelift are:

• Temporary weakness of the forehead or brow movement, reduced by working in the correct layer under direct vision;
• Numbness or itching of the scalp, which usually improves over months;
• Hair thinning near the incisions, usually temporary;
• Asymmetry, reduced by careful marking with you sitting upright;
• bleeding, infection and wound problems, which are uncommon.

Choosing the right operation for your face is itself a safety step: Dr. Kim will tell you if an endoscopic lift cannot give the result you are hoping for.

Endoscopic facelift or traditional facelift?

The two operations treat different parts of the face. An endoscopic facelift works from the hairline and lifts the brow, outer eye and cheek. A traditional SMAS facelift works from around the ear and lifts the jowls, jawline and neck. The endoscopic lift has smaller, hidden scars and usually a shorter recovery, but it cannot tighten the lower face.

Many people in their 40s with early upper-face change are well served by an endoscopic lift alone. Later, when the jawline and neck have also loosened, a facelift may be the better answer, or the two may be combined.

How long do results last?

Ageing continues after any lift, but the tissues are repositioned at the deep layer, so the improvement is long-lasting, typically many years. Protecting your skin from the sun, not smoking and keeping a stable weight all help. The brow and cheek remain higher than they would have been without surgery, even as the face continues to age.

Combinations to consider

An endoscopic facelift is often combined with:

• upper blepharoplasty when there is also excess eyelid skin;
• under-eye fat repositioning or lower blepharoplasty for bags and a deep tear trough;
• fat grafting where volume has been lost;
• a facelift when the jawline and neck also need lifting.

The guide to combining procedures safely explains how this is decided.

Why the one-surgeon model matters

Endoscopic surgery depends on judgement in a small space: which ligament to release, how far, and in which direction to lift. At Will Be, the surgeon who plans your lift with you is the same surgeon who operates and sees you at every follow-up, with no hand-over to another doctor. The one-surgeon principle explains why this matters.

Staying in Korea as an international patient

Most international patients plan to stay in Seoul for about 10 to 14 days, so that the scalp stitches can be removed and Dr. Kim can check the result before you fly. Stay close to Sinsa to make follow-up visits easy.

The page on how long to stay in Korea helps with planning, and after you return home Dr. Kim continues to review your progress through photographs, as described in follow-up care abroad.