Surgery · Signature Lifting

Facelift

Where the fascia is moved, and the skin only follows

Apgujeong, Seoul | Board-certified plastic surgeon, Dr. Jonghwan Choi
SMAS-layer surgery · KHIDI-registered for international patients

Facelift Facelift Facelift Facelift Facelift Facelift 
Define

Facelift

What does a facelift at Rewind involve?

The operation, described plainly

Rewind's facelift opens along the temple hairline, continues around the ear and ends in the hairline behind it. Through that line the surgeon dissects widely beneath the skin and into the SMAS — the fibrous layer that carries the face's tension — then pulls the SMAS itself, fixes it in its new position and removes the skin that has been left over. The clinic's own description contrasts this with pulling on soft tissue alone: what is repositioned here is the layer that holds structure, which is where its durability comes from.

Source: Rewind's Korean-language surgical page for full facial lifting, which names the incision route, the dissection of the skin and SMAS layers, the direct traction on the fascia and the excision of surplus skin.

Everything else on this page follows from that one sentence about layers. The scar sits where the incision has to run, the recovery reflects how widely the tissue was lifted, and the durability the clinic records is the durability of a structural repair.

Surgery underway in the operating room at Rewind Plastic Surgery
Fig. 01 — Operating room, Richro Building, Apgujeong
Result

Before & After

Why are the facelift frames empty for now?

Rewind photographs its own patients under identical lighting and conditions, and no facelift case has been cleared for publication on this page yet. Rather than fill the carousel with cases from a different operation, the four slots below stay marked as pending until the clinic releases its own frames. When they arrive they will be captioned with every procedure performed in each case.

Rewind patients — full face and jaw line

BEFORE PHOTO
AFTER PHOTO
BEFOREAFTER
case — awaiting release
Full facelift, SMAS layer
Individual results may vary. Clinic photographs of this operation are awaited.
BEFORE PHOTO
AFTER PHOTO
BEFOREAFTER
case — awaiting release
Facelift with neck lift
Individual results may vary. Clinic photographs of this operation are awaited.
BEFORE PHOTO
AFTER PHOTO
BEFOREAFTER
case — awaiting release
Facelift, profile view
Individual results may vary. Clinic photographs of this operation are awaited.
BEFORE PHOTO
AFTER PHOTO
BEFOREAFTER
case — awaiting release
Scar line, healed, at the ear
Individual results may vary. Clinic photographs of this operation are awaited.

No before-and-after photograph on this page has been retouched, and none will be published without the patient's consent. Individual results may vary. Bleeding, infection, swelling, asymmetry, altered sensation and scarring are possible after any surgical procedure. A consultation with the surgeon is required before any decision.

Layers

Anatomy map

Which layers does a facelift move, and which are only trimmed?

Four things are handled in this operation, and they are handled differently. Reading them apart is the fastest way to understand why one lift holds for a decade while a treatment aimed only at the surface does not.

line 01
The incision route
From the temple hairline, around the ear, into the hairline behind it. Rewind states that the line is concealed by hair and by the contour of the ear, so it is hard to detect once healed.
layer 02
Skin flap
The skin is lifted from the layer below across a wide field. It is the last thing addressed, and only the surplus is removed — the skin is never the structure that carries the lift.
layer 03
SMAS, the fascial layer
The superficial musculoaponeurotic system. Rewind incises it, raises it as a flap, draws it taut and fixes it there. This is the step the clinic identifies as the source of a longer-lasting result.
layer 04
Retaining ligaments
Beneath the SMAS run the ligaments that tether the face to deeper tissue. Rewind releases them before raising the fascial flap, because an untethered layer is what allows the vector to be chosen.
Steps

In sequence

How is a full facelift performed, step by step?

Rewind publishes three surgical steps for its full lift. Set alongside the dressing that follows them, they describe an operation whose whole logic is the order of the layers: skin off, fascia freed, fascia fixed, skin trimmed last.

01Open

The line is cut, the skin flap is raised, the SMAS is opened

Rewind's first step incises along the planned line, lifts the skin flap and then incises the fascial layer beneath it. Two separate planes are entered here, and that is what distinguishes a structural lift from a skin operation.

02Release

The retaining ligaments are released under the fascia

Working below the SMAS, the surgeon releases the ligaments that hold the face down and raises the fascial layer as its own flap. Until that release is done the layer cannot travel, and the direction of the lift cannot be chosen.

03Fix

The slack fascia is drawn taut and secured, then surplus skin is excised

The stretched SMAS is pulled tight, fixed in position, and only then is the excess skin cut away and the wound closed. Because the tension lives in the fascia, the skin is closed without being stretched to hold the result.

04Dress

A compression dressing for about a week

Rewind records roughly one week of compression dressing as standard after this operation. The dressing is part of the surgical plan and not an optional extra, because the lifted planes need to settle against each other.

05Settle

Wide dissection means early swelling and tightness

The clinic states plainly that because the dissection is broad, early swelling and a tight, heavy feeling can follow. It also records that ordinary daily life returns progressively, while strenuous activity waits.

Dr. Jonghwan Choi operating with loupes and headlight
Fig. 02 — One operator, from the first incision to the closure
Rewind

Why here

Why choose a single-surgeon practice for facelift surgery?

A facelift is decided twice: once when someone judges how far the descent has gone, and once when someone chooses the plane and the vector in theatre. At Rewind both decisions belong to the same person, and the scope of the operation is allowed to be smaller than the menu's biggest item.

01Layer

The fascia is the point of the operation

Rewind's own material describes the SMAS being pulled and repositioned directly, and presents that as the reason a surgical lift holds where surface treatments fade. The clinic's published technique is a SMAS-layer operation; papers comparing SMAS with deep-plane dissection are listed at the foot of this page as the literature around that choice.

02Scope

Full, mini, or one segment — sized to the finding

The full lift covers the whole range, from the eye area down to the neck. The mini operation cuts only the segment that needs it, covering the middle and lower face, and Rewind records more than five years of durability for it against more than ten for the full lift. Each is a separate listed operation, so no scope is bundled in by default.

03Continuity

The surgeon who plans it is the surgeon who closes it

One board-certified plastic surgeon examines, operates and holds every follow-up; no case is passed to a second operator. International patients are supported in their own language throughout, and Rewind holds KHIDI registration as an institution for foreign patients.

Dr. Jonghwan Choi assessing a patient's jaw line at consultation
Fig. 03 — How far the descent has gone is decided by hand, at the chair
Theatre

In the operating room

Where does facelift surgery happen, and who is in the room?

Operating room at Rewind Plastic Surgery, Apgujeong

Fig. 04 — The theatre where the lift is performed

Recovery room at Rewind Plastic Surgery

Fig. 05 — Recovery, where the compression dressing goes on

The clinic occupies the fourth and fifth floors of the Richro Building in Apgujeong, Gangnam. Consultation, surgery and every review afterwards are held by the medical director; consultations for surgical cases are taken Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday until 19:00 and Saturday until 16:00, by appointment only. Because the practice runs on one operating surgeon, the person who assessed your descent is the person holding the instruments.

Incision: temple hairline, around the ear, behind-ear hairline
Dissection: beneath the skin and into the SMAS layer, widely
Retaining ligaments released below the fascia
SMAS drawn taut and fixed; surplus skin excised
Compression dressing for about one week
Operated by Dr. Jonghwan Choi
Dr. Jonghwan Choi, board-certified plastic surgeon

Board-certified plastic surgeon

Korean specialist certification in Plastic Surgery, ten peer-reviewed publications, and sole operating surgeon at the clinic. The clinic holds KHIDI registration as a medical institution for overseas patients — Reg. M-2025-01-08-09288.

Cost

Pricing

What does facelift surgery cost in Seoul?

Scope sets the figure, and scope is a finding. The full lift, the full lift taken together with the neck, and the smaller selective operation are three separate listings at Rewind; the quote given at consultation is the listing that matches the examination.

Full facelift — SMAS layerTemple to behind-ear incision, wide dissection, fascia fixed, surplus skin removed
₩9,000,000
Facelift with neck liftWhere the descent continues past the jaw line into the neck
₩14,000,000
Mini facelift — selective segmentListed here for comparison; the smaller operation has its own page and its own plan
₩3,000,000

List prices, VAT excluded; anaesthetic fees are included in each figure. A facelift and a neck lift are separate operations at Rewind, and the combined listing exists so that the two are never quietly merged into one price. Nothing is added to a plan at Rewind without being explained at the examination first.

Fit

Suitability

Who is a full facelift for?

Where the full operation fits

  • Nasolabial folds, cheeks, jaw line and neck descending together, so no single area explains the change
  • Elasticity far enough gone that non-surgical and laser lifting have produced little change
  • Ageing moving quickly, and a preference for one operation with a large correction over a series of smaller ones
  • Descent that has passed the point where treatments aimed at the surface can reach it
  • A patient prepared for a week of compression dressing and a month of restrictions, which this operation requires

Where the plan changes at the examination

  • One segment sagging while the rest holds: the discussion moves to the mini operation, which Rewind lists and prices on its own
  • Prevention as the motive, with little descent to correct: the surgeon says so at the chair before any date is offered
  • Volume loss doing most of the visible ageing, where repositioning tissue answers only part of what is bothering you
  • Bleeding, clotting or wound-healing conditions, and any medication that affects them
  • Pregnancy, breastfeeding, or an active infection along the planned incision line
After

Recovery

What does recovery from a facelift actually ask of you?

Rewind's post-operative sheet for facial lifting is short, and its restrictions run longer than most patients expect. The clinic records durability of more than ten years with variation between individuals, which is the longest figure in its own lifting hierarchy; it also records that swelling and a tight, heavy sensation are normal early on, because the dissection was wide.

Week one
Compression, kept on
About a week of compression dressing is standard. The face is not pressed or rubbed underneath it, and severe pain or a fever is a reason to come in without waiting.
First weeks
Swelling, tightness, then easing
Pain and swelling are recorded as part of normal healing and improve gradually. Ordinary daily activity returns progressively; the face is kept out of situations where it might be compressed or pulled.
Four weeks
No sauna, no hard exercise
Rewind's facelift sheet asks for at least four weeks away from strenuous exercise, sauna and steam rooms. Alcohol, smoking and strong massage of the operated area belong in the same period.
Months
Scar and sun
The clinic asks for sun protection and scar care to be taken seriously, since pigmentation settles into a healing line. The incision is concealed by hair and ear contour, and it still behaves like a scar.

Any surgical procedure carries risk, including bleeding, infection, swelling, asymmetry, altered sensation, nerve injury and scarring. Rewind states that its incision is concealed within the hairline and the contour of the ear; a concealed scar is still a scar, and how it heals varies between individuals. Tell the surgeon about every previous facial operation and about any medication you take before a date is set.

Doctor

Professional

At Rewind, one board-certified plastic surgeon carries every case — from the first consultation to the final follow-up. Because a face is a story, and a story deserves a single author.

Dr. Jonghwan Choi, board-certified plastic surgeonRewind,
Dr. Jonghwan Choi presenting at an academic session
Fig. 06 — Academic presentation, thread-lifting session

Rewind's Doctor

Dr. Jonghwan Choi Medical Director

One surgeon, from the first
consultation to the last follow-up.

A board-certified plastic surgeon devoted to anti-aging lifting — with the precision and restraint built through years of craniofacial practice.

Board-certified plastic surgeon (Plastic Surgery)
10 peer-reviewed publications
Medical Director, Rewind Plastic Surgery
Korean Society of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgeons
Former chief director, Apgujeong Y&T Plastic Surgery
Korean Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery
J Craniofac Surg · JKMS · Arch Craniofac Surg
Korean Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association
Voices

Google Reviews

What our patients say.

G 5.0 ★★★★★ 12 Google reviews · Rewind Plastic Surgery, Apgujeong — live-synced from Google Business Profile

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Ask

Questions

Facelift surgery in Seoul — what patients ask first

What exactly is cut, and what is pulled, in a facelift?
The incision runs from the temple hairline around the ear into the hairline behind it. Rewind dissects beneath the skin and into the SMAS layer, releases the retaining ligaments, pulls and fixes the fascia, then removes the surplus skin and closes. The fascia is pulled; the skin is trimmed.
How visible is a facelift scar afterwards?
Rewind places the line inside the hairline and along the contour of the ear, and states that hair and ear anatomy conceal it so that it is difficult to see externally once healed. It remains a surgical scar: sun protection and scar care are part of the clinic's instructions.
Does Rewind perform a deep plane facelift?
Rewind's own surgical page describes dissection under the skin and of the SMAS layer, with the fascia pulled and fixed directly. It does not publish a deep-plane description, so none is claimed here. Which plane suits a particular face is a discussion for the examination.
What is the difference between a full facelift and a mini facelift?
Scope and incision length. The full operation covers the range from the eye area to the neck through the complete incision. The mini operation opens only the segment that needs it and covers the middle and lower face. Rewind records more than ten years of durability for the full lift, more than five for the mini.
How long does a facelift last?
Rewind records more than ten years, with variation between individuals, which is the top of its own durability ladder. Ageing continues after surgery, and the clinic frames that figure as the working life of a structural repair, with ageing continuing on top of it.
Why does the SMAS layer matter so much?
Because tension held in skin alone relaxes. Rewind repositions the fascial layer that carries the face's structure and fixes it there, which is the clinic's stated reason for expecting a longer-lasting change from surgery than from treatment aimed at the surface.
What is the first week like?
A compression dressing stays on for about a week. Rewind records swelling and a tight, heavy feeling as normal at this stage because the dissection is wide, with gradual improvement from there. Severe pain or a fever is a reason to return to the clinic promptly.
How long before I can exercise, drink or use a sauna?
Rewind's post-operative sheet for facial lifting asks for at least four weeks away from strenuous exercise, sauna and steam rooms. Alcohol, smoking and strong massage of the operated area sit in the same window, and pulling the face against the direction of the lift is avoided.
Which anaesthesia is used, and how long does the surgery take?
Neither figure is published by the clinic, so neither appears here. Anaesthesia and theatre time are confirmed by the surgeon once the scope is agreed, and this page prefers to say nothing than to state a number the clinic has not published.
Is the neck included in a facelift?
Not automatically. Rewind lists the neck lift as its own operation and also lists a combined facelift-with-neck-lift line. Whether the neck needs its own work is settled by examination, because descent that stops at the jaw line and descent that continues below it are different problems.
Who should not book a full facelift?
Anyone whose descent is confined to one segment, where the mini operation is the better fit, and anyone whose motive is prevention with little descent to correct. Rewind states this at the examination instead of booking the larger operation, and volume loss is discussed separately.
Who performs the operation, and how are international patients handled?
Rewind has one operating surgeon: the medical director, Dr. Jonghwan Choi, a board-certified plastic surgeon who examines, operates and reviews every case. Interpreter-assisted consultation is arranged for overseas patients, and the clinic holds KHIDI registration for treating foreign patients.
Booking

Reservation

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Scientific evidence

Published research on SMAS facelift technique, scope and nerve safety

These papers describe facelift surgery as a class: the comparison between fascial planes, technique adapted to Asian facial anatomy, short-scar and limited-access variants, and the anatomy of facial nerve safety. Rewind's published technique is a SMAS-layer operation, and the deep-plane papers are cited as the literature around that decision and not as a description of the operation performed here. None of these studies concerns this clinic, and none predicts an individual outcome.