The facelift remains a favorite procedure among surgeons and cosmetic patients. It ranks fifth among cosmetic surgical procedures as reported by the latest statistics from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. And consumers have awarded the facelift with an impressive 95% Worth It rating on RealSelf.com.

But not all facelifts are the same. We talked with two surgeons who say they have honed the procedure to better address patient needs. One performs an extended deep plane face and neck lift; the other an endoscopic-assisted mid-facelift and neck lift.

Extended Deep Plane: The AuraLyft

Beverly Hills, Calif., facial plastic and reconstructive surgeon Ben Talei, M.D., says “AuraLyft” is the catchy name he gave his approach to the face and neck lift.

“Technically, it is a vertical vector modified extended deep plane face and neck lift,” Dr. Talei says. “Amongst deep plane procedures, this is the most extensive that exists to my knowledge. Extensive doesn’t mean it takes longer to do the surgery. It doesn’t mean that it’s more traumatic. All it means is that a greater release is done in order to alleviate all the tension that usually exists in a face and neck during and after facelifting procedures.”

Dr. Talei’s approach evolved to address face and neck lifting failures. In his opinion, the biggest facelift pitfall is that most facelifts done worldwide are lower facelifts, which affect only the jawline and neck. To address the midface, surgeons might add fat injections to volumize the face or do a separate midface lift through a different incisions. That’s too many variables, which increase the risk of irregular or abnormal outcomes, he says.

“It also increases the chances of failure,” Dr. Talei says. “Although most facelifts are touted to last eight to ten years, the majority of the results realistically fail after one to three years. There are a select group of surgeons who do more advanced SMAS [superficial musculoaponeurotic system] manipulating techniques and deep plane procedures who can get a more significant and durable result.”