A facelift should restore you. Not redesign you.

A traditional facelift tightens the skin and the superficial SMAS layer, then re-drapes the skin over it. A deep plane facelift works underneath those layers—releasing the retaining ligaments that tether the face in its aged position and repositioning the SMAS-platysma complex as one continuous unit.

Think of it this way: a superficial lift pulls the carpet tighter across the floor. A deep plane lift fixes what’s underneath the carpet so the surface lies flat on its own. Because the deep layer carries the load, the skin closes without tension—which is what produces a natural result, the finest possible scars, and longevity measured in decades rather than years.

For the right patient, yes. A short-scar lift can suit someone with early jawline softening, good skin quality, and minimal neck involvement—typically a younger patient whose deep structures haven’t descended much.

The difficulty arises when a smaller operation is applied to a problem that is genuinely structural. If the deep tissues have descended and only the skin is addressed, the result tends to relapse within a few years. A meaningful share of Dr. Sturgill’s revision practice involves patients who had a limited lift first and returned once it relaxed. Revising is harder than doing it correctly the first time, which is why he would rather tell you honestly which category you fall into.

They can delay one, and they can complement one, but they can’t replicate it. Energy devices, biostimulators, threads, and filler act on skin quality and volume. None of them release retaining ligaments or reposition descended tissue—which is the actual mechanism of a facelift.

Used early and thoughtfully, these treatments are genuinely valuable. The problem is continuing them past the point of usefulness: once tissue has descended far enough, adding volume to camouflage it can distort the face rather than restore it. Dr. Sturgill will tell you which side of that line you’re on.

A marketing name, not a surgical technique. The term is most often attached to thread lifts or other minimal-downtime treatments promoted around a big event—a temporary tightening effect, with results measured in months rather than years.

Branded names change; anatomy doesn’t. Whatever a procedure is called, the useful questions are the same: what plane does the surgeon work in, what tissue is physically repositioned, and how long do results last in patients like you. A name that can’t be defined anatomically is describing marketing, not surgery.

A complete estimate has three components: the surgeon’s fee, the surgical facility fee, and anesthesia. Published ranges vary widely between practices in part because some quote all three and others quote only the surgeon’s fee—so two figures that look comparable often aren’t.

Within any practice, the range is driven by the scope of the operation, whether the neck requires deep work, whether procedures such as fat grafting, eyelid surgery, or resurfacing are combined, and whether the case is a revision. Dr. Sturgill builds the surgical plan around your anatomy first, then quotes it, so every patient leaves the consultation with a written, itemized estimate covering all three components. Financing options are reviewed with anyone who wants them.

Your consultation is a planning session—not a sales pitch. It lasts about 45 minutes. Dr. Sturgill reviews your concerns and goals in detail, performs a facial analysis, and gives you an honest assessment of what surgery can and cannot achieve for your anatomy.

You’ll see before-and-after photographs of patients whose anatomy resembles yours, receive a personalized surgical plan and written estimate, and have your questions answered directly. You will leave knowing whether this procedure is right for you—including, sometimes, that it isn’t. Virtual consultations are available for out-of-town patients.

No surgeon should answer that question about themselves, and any who does is selling rather than advising. Indianapolis has several genuinely excellent facial plastic surgeons, and the right one for you depends on your anatomy, your goals, and whose results look like what you want.

What can be verified objectively: board certification through the American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, whether the practice is limited to the face and neck, how often the surgeon performs your specific operation, whether they publish and teach it, and whether their unretouched before-and-after photographs show patients who resemble you. Consult two or three surgeons and compare those answers directly—that comparison will tell you more than any list.

Several Indianapolis practices describe themselves as having introduced the technique locally. Rather than compete over that, here is the documented record: Dr. Stephen W. Perkins published on the extended SMAS and deep plane approach beginning in the 1980s, practiced in Indianapolis for 41 years, and in December 2024 served as Guest Editor of the Facial Plastic Surgery theme issue devoted entirely to The Deep Plane Face and Neck Lift, writing its preface and its comprehensive technique article.

Dr. Sturgill completed his fellowship under Dr. Perkins, co-authored with him in Facial Plastic Surgery in 2024, and was hand-selected as his successor. Readers are encouraged to verify all of this independently through PubMed or the journal itself rather than take any practice’s word for it—including ours.

Regularly. Patients travel to Carmel from across the country for Dr. Sturgill’s technique. The practice provides virtual consultations, coordinated scheduling, lodging guidance, and a structured follow-up plan for patients who aren’t local. Travel home is typically cleared at two weeks post-op. The out-of-town patient guide covers the logistics in detail.

Most patients return to desk work in 10 to 14 days, depending on how public-facing the role is and how quickly bruising fades. For patients frequently on camera or in meetings, two to three weeks is a more comfortable target.

Swelling and tightness peak in the first week. Rapid improvement follows through weeks two and three, major swelling largely resolves by weeks four to six, and the neck and jawline continue settling over three to six months. Light walking is encouraged from day one, with a structured return to vigorous exercise over several weeks.

That appearance comes from skin tension, one-directional lateral pull, and incomplete deep correction—precisely what the Extended Deep Plane technique is built to avoid. Because the deep structural layer carries the entire load of the lift, the skin is re-draped without tension, and each zone of the face is repositioned along its own vector rather than swept in a single direction.

The goal is a face that looks structurally younger and less heavy, with your expression and identity intact. You should look like you—not like a procedure.

No. This one is non-negotiable.

Nicotine in any form—cigarettes, vaping, patches, pouches, gum—causes vasoconstriction that directly compromises blood flow to the elevated skin flaps. The consequences can include tissue necrosis, wound breakdown, and severe scarring.

Patients must stop all nicotine products at least four weeks before surgery and remain nicotine-free for at least four weeks afterward. Dr. Sturgill will not operate on a patient who cannot commit to this. It protects the result, and more importantly, it protects the patient.

Revision and secondary cases can be excellent candidates, though they require more planning because of scar tissue and altered anatomy. Roughly half of Dr. Sturgill’s practice is revision and secondary facelift work—one of the higher-volume revision practices in the Midwest.

Deep plane technique has a specific advantage here. Prior procedures create scarring in the superficial plane, which is the exact layer most surgeons work within. Operating beneath the SMAS often provides access to less-scarred tissue, allowing full ligament release and repositioning without relying on skin tension—so the revision can look more natural and last longer than the original lift.