Facelift Abroad

Written by Saher Shodhan. Prices abroad are from clinics' own price lists, checked 6 Oct 2026. UK prices are from providers' own price pages, checked 31 Oct 2026 unless a row says otherwise. What the surgery involves, recovery and flying home are quoted from the NHS and BAPRAS. Sources are numbered at the end.

This guide sets out what a facelift costs in Turkey, Poland, Lithuania and the UK on published prices, what the NHS says about recovery and flying home, and the checks to make on a surgeon abroad. For other procedures, see our table of cosmetic surgery prices abroad.

Types of facelift

The NHS describes a facelift as "cosmetic surgery to lift up and pull back the skin on the face to make the face look tighter and smoother" [3]. It adds: "There are many different kinds of facelift" [3]. So the word alone tells you little about what you are buying. The names you will meet on price lists include:

• Full facelift: Harley Surgical Group in London lists a full facelift with one night's stay at £10,500 to £10,900 (checked 31 Oct 2026) [2].
• Mini facelift: the same group listed a mini facelift at £7,500 to £7,900 (checked 6 Oct 2026) [2]. Nuffield Health prices a mini, midi and maxi facelift separately [2].
• Deep-plane facelift: a name some surgeons use for their technique. Ask what it means for your face and whether the price differs.

Which type suits you is for a surgeon to say after examining your face, so treat any price you see online as a starting point. Ask each clinic to name the type and the areas it covers in the written quote.

How much does a facelift cost abroad?

On published prices, Turkey's clinics are the lowest of the countries here. Poland and Lithuania are in the EU and their clinics publish higher prices than Turkey's, but still well below UK prices.

Abroad: clinics' own price lists, checked 6 Oct 2026, converted at the European Central Bank rate of that day [1]. Each range abroad is the middle half of the clinics' entry prices; a clinic's entry price is the lowest it publishes for a facelift. UK: the typical range across the providers listed below, from their own price pages, checked 31 Oct 2026 [2]. The saving compares the middle of each range (for Turkey, £2,819 plus £3,917, halved, is £3,368; for the UK, £10,000 plus £17,500, halved, is £13,750) and leaves out flights and the stay while you recover. Facelift prices in every country we hold are in our clinic price index.

Comparing clinics for your own treatment? Ask us, free →

UK facelift prices by provider

Each provider's own price page, checked 31 Oct 2026 [2]. For Spire and Nuffield we re-read the lowest- and highest-priced hospital pages.

What a price includes differs from clinic to clinic. Some prices abroad are packages with a hotel and transfers, others are for the operation alone, and flights come on top either way. Neck work raises the price if it is combined, as our neck lift abroad cost guide explains. Ask for a written quote that lists what it covers before you compare.

Considering a particular clinic? See what the official records say about it, free →

Recovery and fit-to-fly

The NHS says: "It takes about 2 to 4 weeks to fully recover from a facelift. You need to take this time off work." It adds: "Bruising is visible for at least 2 weeks" [3].

On flying, the NHS says air travel and major surgery increase the risk of a blood clot, and recommends you do not fly for "7 to 10 days after facial cosmetic procedures or tummy tucks" [4]. BAPRAS, the UK association of plastic surgeons, says flying soon before or after an operation abroad combines these risks, "particularly if your flight is a long one" [5]. Build that stay into your plan, and ask the surgeon for a written fit-to-fly sign-off.

Plan for problems after you are home. The NHS says: "Overseas clinics may not provide follow-up treatment, or they may not provide it to the same standard as in the UK" [4]. BAPRAS says NHS hospitals "will usually refuse treatment for less serious complications or bad outcomes following cosmetic surgery in the UK or abroad" [5]. Agree revision terms with the clinic in writing before you pay.

How long a facelift lasts

The NHS facelift page does not give a figure for how long the result lasts. It says the procedure "can be expensive, the results cannot be guaranteed, and there are risks", and that "It could take up to 6 to 9 months to see the full effect of the facelift" [3].

Be wary of any clinic that promises a permanent result. Ask the surgeon what they expect for your face, and get it in writing.

Vetting a facelift surgeon abroad

The surgeon matters more than the country. The NHS suggests asking a surgeon abroad "how many procedures like the one you're having they have done", and says: "You should have 2 consultations with the surgeon treating you before any surgery" [4].

• Ask what training and qualifications the surgeon has, and how many facelifts they do each year.
• For a surgeon in the UK, the NHS says: "All doctors must, as a minimum, be registered with the General Medical Council (GMC)" [3]. Abroad, look the surgeon up on their own country's register where one is public.
• Ask to see before-and-after photos of the surgeon's own patients, and get a written plan that names the technique before you pay.
• Agree what happens if you need a revision, and who pays for it. The NHS says: "Occasionally, people find the desired effect was not achieved and feel they need another operation. You should check how this would be funded with your surgeon" [3].

Turkey's clinics publish the lowest facelift prices of the countries here [1], which makes the checks there more important, not less. Read our plastic surgery safety guide before booking and, for that destination, the Turkey medical tourism guide. Across procedures, our guide to cosmetic surgery prices abroad compares nine operations in Turkey, Lithuania and Poland; for related facial work see the neck lift abroad cost guide and the otoplasty abroad cost guide.

This guide is general information, not medical advice.

Clinics UK patients look at

The four with the most Google reviews among the cosmetic surgery clinics we hold. Each has a free page with its records.

Lelux HospitalNonthaburi (Bangkok metropolitan area), ThailandAntalya Yaşam Hospital (Antalya Private Life Hospital)Antalya (Şirinyalı, Muratpaşa), TurkeyLokman Hekim İstanbul HospitalIstanbul (Kurtköy, Pendik — Asian side), TurkeyAvicenna Ataşehir Hospital (Avicenna International Hospital), IstanbulIstanbul (Küçükbakkalköy, Ataşehir — Asian side), Turkey

Written by Saher Shodhan

Saher Shodhan is the founder of Thera Travel, which publishes what the official records show about clinics abroad, each fact with the date it was checked, and answers patients' enquiries, free. More about Thera → How we write and check our guides →