Deep plane facelift at RNWOOD: fifteen questions, short answers

This page collects fifteen questions about the Deep Plane Facelift by Dr. Ryu at RNWOOD Plastic Surgery in Seoul and answers each in brief. The answers draw on the clinic's published information and Dr. Min-Hee Ryu's explanations. Anything regarding your individual condition, plan or risks is answered during your in-person consultation.

About the operation

Q1) What is the Deep Plane Facelift, in one sentence?

A1) In Dr. Ryu's definition, the retaining ligaments are fully released in the sub-SMAS layer, while unnecessary dissection is kept to a minimum.

Q2) What can it improve?

A2) Midface descent, lower-face laxity and nasolabial folds, depending on each patient's anatomy and tissue quality.

Q3) Does it include a neck lift?

A3) A neck lift or submentoplasty is typically added only when the neck area also needs improvement.

Q4) Is fat grafting part of it?

A4) Fat grafting is a separate procedure for volume-depleted areas. During Dr. Ryu's Deep Plane Facelift, buccal fat may be repositioned if deemed necessary.

About the decision

Q5) When is it not recommended?

A5) When sagging is not significant and the skin still has enough elasticity, or when the change hoped for is something a facelift cannot easily or realistically achieve.

Q6) Is there an age limit?

A6) Age alone is not necessarily used as the deciding factor; the actual degree of sagging, skin elasticity and facial structure matter more.

Q7) Can repeated non-surgical treatments replace it?

A7) Where soft-tissue sagging is clearly visible, repeated laser or lifting procedures are not presented as a replacement for surgery.

About the day and the stay

Q8) How long does the operation take?

A8) About four to five hours, mostly under IV sedation, with RNWOOD's in-house anesthesiologist present throughout the entire procedure.

Q9) Do I have to be hospitalized?

A9) Not usually. After a few hours in the recovery room, most patients can go home the same day; a one-day hospitalization is possible on request.

Q10) How long should I stay in Seoul?

A10) About 7 to 10 days after surgery is recommended.

Q11) When do the drains and stitches come out?

A11) Drains on days 3 and 5; stitches on days 5 and 7.

About recovery and results

Q12) What recovery care is given?

A12) Daily dressings and personal evaluations by Dr. Ryu, and hyperbaric oxygen therapy and Healite LED therapy from day 1 to day 7.

Q13) How long does the result last?

A13) No duration is guaranteed. Sagging naturally recurs over the following 10 to 20 years due to repeated habitual facial movement.

Q14) Can I have a second facelift?

A14) If sagging symptoms are present, yes, after assessment. After a recent facelift, revision is generally assessed only after at least six months.

About the clinic

Q15) Who performs the operation?

A15) Dr. Min-Hee Ryu, the clinic's only operating doctor, a plastic surgery specialist certified in Korea since 2008. Only one facelift surgery is typically performed in a day.

What this page cannot answer

How your own face will change, how your own recovery will go, and which risks apply most to your plan. The risks of a deep plane facelift, a neck lift and fat grafting, and the general notice for post-operative care, are printed in full below. Results and recovery differ between individuals.

How to ask your own questions

Send your photographs and medical history along with any other inquiries to consult@rnwoodseoul.com. The clinic's hours are Monday to Friday 10:00 to 18:00 and Saturday 10:00 to 13:00, Seoul time.

About the Author

Dr. Min-Hee Ryu is the Medical Director and Founder of RNWOOD Plastic Surgery in Seoul and a plastic surgery specialist certified in Korea (2008). He has been Faculty of the Mendelson Advanced Facial Anatomy Course (MAFAC) since 2016, an Editorial Board Member of the Aesthetic Plastic Surgery Journal since 2019, and an Educational Council Member of the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS) since 2024.

Deep Plane Facelift — Deep plane facelift involves extensive dissection beneath facial tissues. Risks include anesthesia reactions, bleeding, hematoma, infection, seroma, delayed healing, wound separation, persistent pain, and visible scars. Swelling, bruising, tightness, and numbness can last for months, and hair loss or distortion of the hairline or ear position can occur. Poor blood supply can cause skin loss or tissue death. Nerve injury can cause temporary or permanent weakness, an altered smile, or numbness, and injury to the parotid gland or salivary duct can cause salivary leakage. A postoperative hematoma can require urgent drainage or another operation. General risks include thrombosis or embolism, and a complication can require emergency treatment or additional surgery. No result, symmetry, scar quality, or duration can be guaranteed, and sagging can recur. Post-operative Care — Swelling, bruising, pain, tightness, and numbness can continue during the postoperative care period, and recovery speed differs between individuals. If you have severe pain, rapid swelling, fever, a change in vision, or a wound that opens or drains, contact the clinical team right away using the contact details you were given. Fat Graft — Fat harvesting can cause donor-site pain, scarring, numbness, contour irregularity, bleeding, hematoma, or infection. Fat grafting can cause prolonged swelling, asymmetry, lumps, oil cysts, calcification, overcorrection, undercorrection, migration, infection, or fat necrosis. Rarely, injected fat can enter a blood vessel and cause skin necrosis, permanent blindness, stroke, or severe neurological injury. Not all transferred fat survives, results vary substantially, and no preparation or injection method guarantees better fat survival. A complication can require emergency treatment or additional surgery. Necklift — Neck lift can require extensive dissection beneath neck tissues. Risks include anesthesia reactions, bleeding, hematoma, infection, seroma, delayed healing, wound separation, persistent pain, and visible scars, as well as prolonged swelling, tightness, numbness, contour irregularity, and asymmetry. Nerve injury can cause temporary or permanent weakness, including lower-lip weakness, or altered sensation, and injury to the parotid gland or salivary duct can cause salivary leakage. A large neck hematoma can obstruct the airway and require immediate emergency treatment. Platysmal bands can remain or return. General risks include thrombosis or embolism, and a complication can require emergency treatment or additional surgery. No result, symmetry, scar quality, or duration can be guaranteed, and revision surgery can become necessary. Submentoplasty — Submentoplasty can cause anesthesia reactions, bleeding, hematoma, infection, seroma, delayed healing, pain, and scarring, as well as asymmetry, dents, waviness, loose skin, discoloration, and persistent numbness. It can injure deeper structures, and platysmal bands or neck fullness can remain. Bone structure and deep-neck anatomy limit the possible change. General risks include thrombosis or embolism, and a complication can require emergency treatment or additional surgery. No result, symmetry, scar quality, or duration can be guaranteed, and revision surgery can become necessary.