Deep Plane Facelift at Two Months: Mid-Healing Progress

Patient Overview

• Patient: Iwona

• Age: 53

• Gender: Female

• Procedures: Deep plane facelift, neck lift, fat injection, upper blepharoplasty, temporal browlift

• After photos taken at: 2 months post-op (still healing, some residual oedema)

• Origin: Canada (Polish heritage)

• Profession: Nurse

• Location: Istanbul, Turkey

Two Months: An Honest Mid-Recovery Photograph

Not every before and after photograph represents a final result, and Iwona's two-month images are presented with that transparency. At this stage, the deep tissue repositioning is complete and the structural improvement is clearly visible, but residual oedema — particularly along the jawline and in the midface where the deepest surgical manipulation occurred — is still present and actively resolving. Showing a result at this intermediate stage serves patients who are researching what to genuinely expect during the weeks and months between surgery and the fully settled outcome. The two-month mark is real life, not a curated endpoint.

A Nurse's Decision to Trust a Surgeon

Iwona is a Polish nurse living and working in Canada. Her professional background is relevant not because it makes her a different kind of patient anatomically, but because medical professionals approach surgical decisions with a particular lens. They understand tissue healing, surgical risk, anaesthetic considerations, and postoperative recovery in ways that most patients do not. When a healthcare professional researches surgeons internationally, travels to Istanbul, and proceeds with a comprehensive facial rejuvenation, the decision reflects a level of clinical scrutiny that goes beyond aesthetic preference.

Dr. Cem Berkay Sinaci, a fellow of the European Board of Plastic Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery (FEBOPRAS) and member of ISAPS and ASPS, performed Iwona's deep plane facelift, neck lift, fat injection, upper blepharoplasty, and temporal browlift in a single session. Read Iwona's full patient story.

The Deep Plane Facelift and Neck Lift

Iwona presented with the lower facial and cervical changes typical of the early fifties — jowling, loss of jawline definition, and neck laxity. The deep plane technique addressed these through sub-SMAS dissection, releasing the retaining ligaments and elevating the descended facial tissues as a single composite flap. The neck was tightened through platysmal correction and skin redraping, restoring the cervicomental angle.

At two months, the jawline improvement is clearly evident despite the residual oedema. The jowls have been corrected and the mandibular contour is significantly more defined than preoperatively. The neck shows a cleaner, more youthful transition from chin to cervical area. As the remaining swelling resolves over the next two to three months, these improvements will become progressively more refined and the final contour will establish itself.

Having trained in advanced facial rejuvenation through fellowship with Raul Gonzalez in Brazil and cadaver dissection courses in Bangkok, Dr. Sinaci approaches the deep plane technique with the understanding that the two-month result is a reliable preview of the final outcome — the structural foundation is set, and only surface-level refinement remains.

Fat Injection: Restoring Volume Alongside Structure

A facelift repositions descended tissue but does not replace volume that has been lost over the decades. Iwona's face showed the volume deflation common in the fifties — hollowing in the temples, reduced cheek fullness, and thinning in the perioral region. Fat injection addressed this directly, using Iwona's own harvested fat to restore the three-dimensional fullness that gives a lifted face its natural, youthful appearance rather than a simply tightened one.

The grafted fat integrates as living tissue, maintaining its volume long-term once the initial survival period is complete. At two months, the fat grafting result is stabilising — the volume that remains at this stage represents approximately the permanent take, as the reabsorption of non-surviving fat cells is largely complete by six to eight weeks. The contribution of the fat injection is visible in the overall facial fullness and contour, complementing the structural lift with restored volume that softens the result and avoids any hollow or over-corrected appearance.

Temporal Browlift and Upper Blepharoplasty

The temporal browlift elevated the lateral brow to a more youthful position, relieving the heaviness that was compressing the outer upper eyelid area. This was performed through small incisions within the temporal hairline, concealed by hair regrowth. The upper blepharoplasty, performed after the brow was repositioned, removed the true eyelid skin excess — precisely calibrated now that the brow-related component of the hooding had been addressed.

Non-dissolvable sutures were used for the blepharoplasty closure, removed at four to six days. At two months, the upper eyelid result is well established — the crease is defined, the lids are open and refreshed, and the incision within the crease is already fading toward its final, inconspicuous state.

Understanding Residual Oedema at Two Months

The swelling visible in Iwona's photographs is normal for this stage of recovery after a comprehensive multi-procedure facial surgery. Deep plane facelift recovery follows a predictable but often underestimated timeline. The acute swelling of the first two weeks resolves relatively quickly, and most patients feel socially presentable by week two to three. However, deeper tissue oedema — a subtle firmness and fullness that is more apparent to the patient than to observers — persists longer.

At two months, this deeper swelling is still present, particularly along the jawline, in the preauricular region, and in areas where fat injection was performed. It is not visible as dramatic puffiness but rather as a slight softness or lack of the final crispness that the settled result will show. Over months three to five, this residual oedema resolves completely, and the tissues achieve their final, natural softness and contour.

For patients researching facelift recovery timelines, this is an important reality to understand. The face at two months looks good — significantly improved from the preoperative state — but it is not yet showing the full refinement of the final result. Patience during this period is rewarded by a continued, gradual improvement that often surprises patients who assumed the two-month appearance was the endpoint.

The Returning Patient: Coming Back for Rhinoplasty

The strongest measure of a patient's experience is whether they return for additional surgery. One year after her facelift, Iwona came back to Dr. Sinaci in Istanbul for a revision rhinoplasty — a separate procedure addressing nasal concerns unrelated to her facial rejuvenation. The decision to return to the same surgeon, travelling internationally a second time, reflects a level of trust and satisfaction built through the entire first experience: the consultation process, the surgical result, the recovery support, and the long-term outcome.

For international patients considering facial surgery in Istanbul, Iwona's story illustrates the kind of ongoing surgeon-patient relationship that can develop even across continents — a relationship built on results, communication, and the confidence that comes from a positive first experience.

Canadian Patients Choosing Facial Rejuvenation in Istanbul

Iwona's journey from Canada to Istanbul for comprehensive facial surgery, followed by a return trip for rhinoplasty, demonstrates the commitment that international patients make when they find a surgeon whose expertise and approach align with their goals. For Canadian patients researching facial rejuvenation options, the combination of board-certified expertise, facilities certified by the Turkish Ministry of Health for international health tourism, and the personalised surgical planning shown in Iwona's multi-procedure case represents the standard of care that justifies travelling beyond local options.