Face — Treatment
The cheek,
back where it was.
The first place the face loses is the cheek. The malar fat pad — the natural fullness over the cheekbone — descends with age, hollowing the under-eye and weighing down the line beside the nose. A midface lift returns it. Volume is not added; it is put back.
What it is & what it isn't
A midface lift repositions the descended malar fat pad and the surrounding cheek tissue. The approach varies — endoscopic through small incisions in the hair, through a lower-eyelid incision, or in front of the ear — and is chosen based on what specifically needs to move and how much.
What it isn't
Not a full facelift. The midface lift addresses the middle third of the face only — the lower face and the neck are separate conversations. Not a substitute for cheek filler in a younger patient with no descent. We will tell you which procedure your anatomy is actually asking for.
The practical detail
What you are actually committing to.
- Procedure time
- Typically 2–3 hours
- Anaesthesia
- General or sedation
- Stay in Antalya
- Typically 5–7 days
- Flying home
- Typically 7–10 days
- Light exercise
- Typically 2 weeks
- Full exercise
- Typically 4–6 weeks
- Final result
- Typically 3–6 months
- Scarring
- Hidden in hair (endoscopic) or in the lower-lid line
- Permanence
- Long-lasting; aging continues, but reset by years
These figures are typical ranges, for planning your trip. Your own treatment and recovery timeline is assessed and decided by Dr. Meral — at consultation, and again as your healing progresses.
How it unfolds
The consultation
Where the cheek is heavy (jowl line, nasolabial fold) versus where it is hollow (under-eye, malar). Whether a midface lift addresses both — or whether fat grafting, fillers, or a full facelift would suit you better.
The plan
Markings made with you sitting up, facing forward, with the face at rest. The chosen access route — endoscopic, transconjunctival, or pre-auricular — is decided here, not in the theatre.
The surgery
Access through the chosen route. The malar fat pad is identified, freed from its descended position, and suspended back at its original height. Internal sutures hold it; no external pull on the skin.
The first night
Cold compresses. Head elevated. Most patients sleep through the night with mild discomfort.
Recovery
Faster than a full facelift, slower than a brow lift. Bruising and swelling peak at day three. By day ten, most patients are out without explanation. The lift feels tight for two to three weeks. Final settled result at three to six months. The under-eye hollow continues to soften — the malar fat pad is living tissue, and it settles into its new home over months.
A typical course, not a promise — healing differs from person to person. Dr. Meral reviews you at each follow-up and decides when each step is right for you.
This may be for you if
- Your cheeks have descended — they sit lower than in photographs from ten years ago
- Your under-eye area is hollow because the cheek that supported it has dropped
- Your nasolabial folds have deepened in a way that makes you look heavier than you are
- You're in your forties or fifties, with the face that responds to this specifically
This is not for you if
- Your concerns are mostly the neck or jowls — a midface lift alone will leave the imbalance
- You're younger, with no descent yet — fillers are a more appropriate first step
- You smoke and aren't willing to stop for six weeks — facial healing is meaningfully compromised
- You expect no change in the lower face — the midface lift can subtly shift the jowl line; we'll tell you if that bothers you
Begin
A conversation,
not a quote.
- +90 532 508 39 50
- info@mertmeral.com
- Hours
- Monday — Saturday · 09:00 — 19:00 (UTC+3)