Deep plane facelift in Brazil, planned for patients who travel.

Why some patients choose Brazil for facial surgery

Brazil has a long tradition in plastic surgery, shaped by the school of Ivo Pitanguy, and appears consistently among the countries with the highest volume of aesthetic procedures in surveys published by ISAPS. High volume alone says nothing about any individual surgeon, so the useful question for a foreign patient is how to verify credentials.

Medicine in Brazil is regulated by the Federal Council of Medicine. Every specialist holds a registration number with a state medical board and a specialist qualification code called RQE, both of which can be checked online. Dr. Sella is registered as CRM-PR 33.018, RQE 17.984, with residency in Otorhinolaryngology at HCFMRP-USP, a direct doctorate in Morphophysiology of Facial Structures completed in 2018, and certification by the European Board in Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. His background and publications are listed on the surgeon profile page.

Cost structure in Brazil is generally lower than in the United States and Western Europe because of hospital fees, team fees and exchange rates. No figures are published online. A budget is only given after the consultation, since it depends on the surgical plan, operating time and whether grafting or neck work is included.

What a deep plane facelift is

The aging face loses volume and support at specific anatomical points. The retaining ligaments that hold the cheek to the facial skeleton stretch, and the fat compartments descend. A skin-only lift pulls the surface without addressing that layer, which explains the tight, flattened appearance that patients often want to avoid.

In a deep plane facelift, the dissection goes under the SMAS, the fibromuscular layer that carries the superficial fat. The retaining ligaments are released, the composite flap is repositioned along a vertical vector, and the skin is redraped without tension. The result is movement of the malar fat pad, the jawline and the upper neck as one unit.

Practical consequences for the patient:

• Tension sits on deep tissue rather than on the skin edges, which favors scar quality.
• Repositioning tends to look more natural in animation, since the layers move together.
• The dissection is more demanding and requires detailed knowledge of facial nerve anatomy.
• Operating time is longer than in superficial techniques.

Deep neck, eyelids and associated procedures

The neck is often what makes a patient look tired, and the skin lift alone rarely corrects it. Deep neck work, or cervicoplasty, addresses the structures under the platysma: subplatysmal fat, digastric muscles and submandibular glands, with platysmaplasty to define the cervicomental angle.

Other procedures commonly planned in the same session include upper and lower blepharoplasty, forehead lifting, facial fat grafting and Nanofat. Chin surgery with an implant or bone advancement may be discussed when the lower face lacks projection. Fractional CO2 laser is used for skin texture, usually as a separate step in the timeline.

Procedure	Usual setting	Anesthesia
Deep plane facelift	Hospital	General
Deep neck cervicoplasty	Hospital	General
Forehead lift	Hospital	General
Fractional CO2 laser	Hospital	General or sedation
Upper and lower blepharoplasty	Clinic or hospital	Local or general
Chin implant, fat grafting	Clinic or hospital	Local or general

Which combination makes sense is an individual decision taken in consultation, after physical examination and standardized photographs.

Where the surgery takes place

Facelift, cervicoplasty, forehead lift and CO2 laser are performed at Saine Health Complex, a boutique hospital in Maringá with roughly 7,500 square meters, 11 operating rooms, adult and neonatal ICU, intensivists on site 24 hours and a hyperbaric medicine unit. Admission is planned in advance and the length of stay depends on the extent of the surgery.

Smaller procedures under local anesthesia, such as isolated blepharoplasty, otoplasty, chin implant or fat grafting, can be performed at Clínica Renassance, in Zona 01, Maringá. Preoperative tests and anesthetic clearance are mandatory and can be done in your home city, provided the results are reviewed before travel.

A realistic 2 to 3 week itinerary

Flying home too early is the most common planning mistake. Swelling and bruising peak in the first days, dressings and sutures need in-person care, and air travel is only released after the surgeon evaluates the wounds.

Stage	What happens
Before travel	Teleconsultation, photographs, tests and anesthetic clearance in your home city
1 to 2 days before surgery	Arrival in Maringá, in-person consultation, final examination and surgical marking
Surgery day	Procedure at the hospital under general anesthesia, hospital admission
Days 1 to 7	Dressing care, head elevated, cold compresses, short walks, first suture removal stages
Days 8 to 14	Remaining sutures removed, bruising fading, review of the healing plan
Days 15 to 21	Final in-person check, clearance to fly, instructions handed over in writing
Months 1, 3, 6 and 12	Follow-up in person or online, with photographs

A companion for at least the first week is strongly recommended. The team can suggest accommodation near the clinic and the hospital. Full details for travelers are on the international patients page.

Recovery and honest expectations

Bruising and swelling are expected and vary with the extent of the surgery and with individual tissue. Numbness in the cheek, ear and neck is common for weeks to months as sensory nerves recover. Sun exposure must be avoided and high protection sunscreen is used for months, since fresh scars pigment easily.

Final definition of the face takes months, as edema resolves and tissues settle. Hematoma, temporary weakness of facial nerve branches, hair loss along incisions, asymmetry and delayed healing are known risks of facelift surgery worldwide. Smoking and poorly controlled blood pressure increase complication rates significantly, and both are discussed before any date is confirmed.

No surgeon can promise a result. What can be promised is a plan explained in detail, an adequate hospital structure and follow-up that continues after you go home.

Consultation, language and documentation

The first contact is usually a teleconsultation. The in-person consultation lasts about one hour and includes history, physical examination, standardized photographs, discussion of technique and the postoperative timeline. The same structure used in rhinoplasty consultations applies to facial rejuvenation, and the two are sometimes planned together or in separate stages.

The team speaks Portuguese, English and Spanish. Practice is private, without Brazilian insurance contracts, and documentation in English or Spanish can be issued on request for reimbursement claims or for your physician at home.

When to see Dr. Sella

A consultation makes sense if you notice loss of jawline definition, descent of the midface, neck banding or heaviness of the eyelids, and you want to understand which technique addresses what. It also makes sense if you have had previous facial surgery or facial fillers and want that assessed before planning anything new. Bring your questions and your timeline. To check availability and travel dates, use the contact page. Indication, risks and the surgical plan are always individual.