When Heather was considering a facelift 10 years ago, she knew she wanted something natural. She didn’t want the typical "standard" facelift look—overly stretched skin stretched over frozen muscles, creating a mask-like appearance. She wanted to look "as normal and as natural as before," she says. Instead of taking the conventional route, she decided to see Dr. Nathan Newman, a Beverly Hills-based dermatologist and cosmetic surgeon, for a stem cell facelift. There was essentially no downtime. "I was able to go out to dinner that evening," Heather recalls. "There was a little bit of tenderness and swelling, but it wasn’t tremendous." Ten years after her procedure, Heather is still extremely happy with the outcome. "I’m now 65, and I’ve had a phenomenal result," she says.
So, what exactly is a stem cell facelift? Is it possible to get a facelift without any cuts? And can a non-surgical procedure offer the same results as a conventional facelift? We reached out to three experts to explore these questions—and much more—ahead.
Meet the Experts
- Dr. Nathan Newman is a board-certified dermatologist and cosmetic surgeon based in Beverly Hills.
- Dr. Julius Few is a board-certified plastic surgeon based in Chicago and the founder of Dr. Few Skincare.
- Alec Batis is the CEO and chemist co-founder of Sweet Chemistry.
What Is a Stem Cell Facelift?
Stem cells are found in every living being—plants, animals, and humans—says Alec Batis, CEO and chemist co-founder of Sweet Chemistry. “You are born with stem cells, and those stem cells can program everything about your development,” he explains. “They’re a special [category] of cell—they can turn into different types of cells; they can also self-renew to maintain the original cell.”
For board-certified dermatologist and cosmetic surgeon Dr. Nathan Newman, the goal of a stem cell facelift is to use your body’s own regenerative cells to “restore the youthful proportions and look to your skin and face.” To obtain the stem cells, Dr. Newman removes fat from the patient’s body, refines it to concentrate the stem cells, and increases the ratio of stem cells to fat before injecting it back into the body to regenerate the tissue. Because the stem cell facelift uses the patient’s own cells, rather than someone else’s, it reduces the overall risk of the procedure.
“With a traditional facelift, you’re just making things tighter, so you look different, but you don’t look younger,” Dr. Newman goes on to add. “I’m restoring what’s been lost—volume. The stem cells help rebuild your collagen and add elasticity back into the skin.”
The actual procedure itself takes about four hours. Everything—including the fat removal and stem cell injections—is done on the same day.
The Benefits
The results of a stem cell facelift, according to Dr. Newman, are much more natural than a traditional facelift. “There’s no scar and you don’t need to be put under,” he says. “With a traditional facelift, you’re stretching the skin and taking away healthy tissue. You look tighter, but you don’t look younger. We have so much new technology, why would I keep doing the same [facelift] I did 30 years ago?”
Traditional Facelift vs Stem Cell Facelift
“The facelift I did in training 27 years ago is totally different from what we’re doing now,” says Chicago-based plastic surgeon Dr. Julius Few. “If you look at the facelifts of the ‘80s and '90s, they’re so obvious. The cheeks, laugh lines, jowl area—these are areas that lose volume as we age. If you pull somebody as tight as you can, it may get rid of excess tissue, but they’re going to look strange.” The reason being that you had to replace volume, explains Dr. Few.
For Dr. Few, facelifts aren’t just about pulling things tight, but it’s also about restoring volume. So, while he may still be cutting skin when doing a facelift, there’s a fat transfer involved, too, making the modern facelift not all too dissimilar from a stem cell facelift. “It’s rare that I do a facelift where I don’t put fat in,” says Dr. Few. “And the preferred way to replace volume is with the patient’s own fat. Something I’ve noted anecdotally—and I have colleagues in Europe who have noted this anecdotally years ago—is that fat is a stem cell. It’s the basis of most modern stem cell use outside of the United States.”
The goal of a modern facelift has evolved: the aim is not to look like you’ve had a facelift, but to look like a refreshed, more youthful version of yourself, explains Dr. Few. “[The fat cell transfer] looks natural and it’s incredibly powerful to rejuvenate the skin and face because of its stem cell behavior.”
If a surgeon takes a two-dimensional approach, pulling the skin tight like a mask, the result will look exactly like that—a mask. “When you do a three-dimensional approach, you’re adding projection and definition to ultimately cast the right shadows,” says Dr. Few.
While you may not be able to go to dinner that evening, the recovery period for a traditional facelift is also shorter than it used to be. “The typical recovery 26 years ago was six to 10 weeks,” shares Dr. Few. “Now, we tell patients they can be in public without being overly self-conscious typically at 10 days.” This reduction in recovery time is due to more targeted surgery and dissection, which also reduces pain.
What Is the Best Age for a Stem Cell Facelift?
Dr. Newman sees a wide range of patients—from people in their 30s to people in their 60s. “Someone who is younger might just do one area of the face, rather than the entire face,” explains Dr. Newman.
Potential Side Effects
With a stem cell facelift, “the only thing you’re doing is putting a blunt needle into the skin,” says Dr. Newman. “That spot closes very quickly, so there’s a risk of infection, but it’s very rare.” Compared to a traditional facelift, the risk for infection is much less because you’re not cutting into the skin. “There’s no stitches, no large open wound, and no drains,” Dr. Newman says. There could possibly be some swelling and bruising. “I use a needle to numb the skin which could cause the bruising,” explains Dr. Newman. “And when we inject the cells, it causes swelling which usually lasts about two weeks.”
Aftercare
"We do some treatments afterwards to help the healing, the take of the cells, and the overall improvement of the skin," says Dr. Newman. This includes red light therapy, electromagnetic beds, and plant-based stem cell products, all working together to enhance healing, boost cell uptake, and promote long-term skin rejuvenation.
The Cost
The full price of a stem cell facelift—which includes injections in the face, neck, and hands—is about $50,000.
The Final Takeaway
Technically, a facelift is called a facelift because “you’re lifting the skin of the cheek, neck, and upper forehead area, to get access to the lining of the muscle, which is called the fascia,” says Dr. Few. “Then you remove the excess skin so that it doesn’t look wrinkled when you’ve lifted the fascia itself.” And while a stem cell facelift doesn’t involve cutting the skin, it does share the same goals as a traditional facelift: to rejuvenate the skin, restore a more youthful and refreshed appearance, address signs of aging like sagging skin, deep creases, and jowls. Neither procedure can stop the aging process, but both can provide long-lasting improvements in facial contours and skin texture. Make sure to consult a dermatologist or plastic surgeon to determine the best treatment for you.
