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Facelift Hairline Changes: Will Your Sideburns or Temples Move?

9 hours ago
7 min read

Quick answer. Yes, a facelift can change your hairline if the incision is not planned for it. When cheek and temple skin is lifted upward and backward, hair-bearing skin can move too, raising the sideburn or pushing the temple hairline back. Careful incision placement usually prevents this. Hair loss near incisions is often temporary, and lasting thin patches can be treated.

Key takeaways

  • A facelift can shift the temporal hairline, raise or narrow the sideburn, and create a step in the hairline behind the ear.

  • Where the temple incision runs matters most.

  • Some hair follicles right beside any incision can be lost, temporarily or permanently.

  • Temporary thinning near the incision is fairly common and often recovers within about three months.

  • Lasting gaps can be improved with scar revision or hair transplantation.

Why can a facelift change the hairline?

In a facelift, the skin is redraped upward and backward and the excess is removed along the incision. But the skin in front of the ear and in the temple carries the sideburn and temple hair.

If the incision runs inside the temple hair and the skin is pulled up, the sideburn is carried upward and the temple hairline moves back. In some people the sideburn disappears, leaving bare skin in front of the ear.

The British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) warns: "It is possible to get changes in the pattern of the hairline or location of hair bearing skin" (BAAPS, 2022).

  • Facelift and midface: before and after
  • Deep plane facelift and facial ligaments: patient result

What problems can appear around the hairline?

A surgeon writing in 1984 listed the problems seen with routine temple incisions: a bald area just in front of the ear, a wide scar in the temple hairline, hair loss in the temple, and distortion of the temple hair and sideburn (Lewis, 1984).

  • Raised or lost sideburn — Common cause: Temple skin pulled upward through an incision inside the hair

  • Receding temple — Common cause: Hairline moved backward with the skin

  • Step in the hairline behind the ear — Common cause: Skin shifted without matching the hairline

  • Thin line or patch along the scar — Common cause: Damage or tension on follicles

  • Visible scar at the hairline — Common cause: Incision at the hair edge without camouflage

How does incision design prevent hairline shift?

There is no single correct incision. The choice depends on how much skin must move and how your hair grows.

  • Incision inside the temple hair. It hides the scar well, but if a lot of skin is removed, the hairline and sideburn move. It suits people who need little vertical skin movement.

  • Incision along the edge of the hairline. The hairline stays where it is because the skin is trimmed at the hair edge rather than pulled into the hair. The 1984 report used this approach in over 200 patients (Lewis, 1984). The trade-off is a scar at the hair edge.

  • Incision below or along the sideburn. Some designs keep the cut under the sideburn so the sideburn stays in place (Le Louarn and Cornette de Saint-Cyr, 1994).

Angling the incision along the direction of the hair follicles also helps camouflage (Bosch and Fakih-Gomez, 2026).

Men need extra planning. If the beard is pulled up toward the ear or the sideburn is lost, a male face can look feminised. A 2026 review described ways to keep the width and position of the male sideburn, with scars hidden in the hair and beard (Muller et al., 2026).

Video: Facelift and midface: before and after. Watch on YouTube

How common is hair loss after a facelift?

BAAPS states that "it is normal to lose hair follicles 1 to 2mm either side of a skin incision" and that "such loss may be temporary or permanent" (BAAPS, 2022).

Larger patches are less common, and many recover. In a 2026 series of 100 limited-incision lifts with incisions inside the temple hair, 14% of patients had hair loss at the temple incision. In 11 of those 14 it recovered by itself within three months. The other three needed a minor revision (Bosch and Fakih-Gomez, 2026).

A review of hair loss after cosmetic procedures pointed to several causes: pressure on hair follicles and their blood supply, the materials used, an existing hair disorder the patient was not aware of, and surgical technique (Barrera-Ochoa et al., 2023).

What can be done if hair is lost?

Wait first. Much early hair loss is temporary shedding. In the series above, most cases recovered within three months, so it is reasonable to wait before further treatment.

Minoxidil. This topical treatment encourages hair growth, though it has not been well studied after facelifts. In a series of 100 hairline-lowering operations, which also involve an incision along the hairline, temporary hair loss occurred in 14% and all cases resolved with minoxidil (Abrahamson et al., 2025). That is indirect evidence, so ask your surgeon before using it.

Scar revision. A wide scar or small bald area can sometimes be cut out and closed again.

Hair transplantation. Hair can be moved into a scar or bare patch, but results in scar tissue are less predictable than in normal scalp. In a small study of hair transplantation for scarring hair loss after various operations, 21.4% of patients were dissatisfied after one session. The authors noted that more than one session may be needed (Zhu et al., 2024).

Contact your surgeon promptly if scalp skin near the incision turns dark, blistered or crusted in the first weeks, as this can mean poor blood supply.

Video: Deep plane facelift and facial ligaments: patient result. Watch on YouTube

What should you ask before surgery?

  • Where exactly will the incision run in my temple and behind my ear?

  • Will my sideburn move, and by how much?

  • How do you protect the hairline if a lot of skin needs to be removed?

  • What happens if I lose hair along the scar?

  • If I am a man, how will you keep my beard and sideburn in a male position?

How Prof. Dr. Suleyman Tas approaches this

Prof. Dr. Suleyman Tas performs deep plane face and neck lifts under local anesthesia, with you awake and without general anesthesia. He operates on one patient per day and performs each operation personally. His TAS Signature Lift can include a temporal and forehead lift together with the deep plane facelift and neck lift, and only the parts your face needs are added. Ask him at consultation to show you where your incisions would run. See facelift scars: where the incisions go and how to avoid a pulled facelift look.

Patients stay in Istanbul for about 10 to 14 days, with daily hyperbaric oxygen sessions and a private nurse. Online follow-up continues for one year, so you can raise any hair or hairline changes after you return home. See facelift recovery timeline and preparing for a deep plane facelift.

Sources

Frequently Asked Questions

Will I be able to wear my hair up after a facelift?

Most people can once the scars have matured, because a well-placed scar follows the natural hairline and the crease around the ear. In the first months the scars are pink and more visible. Discuss your usual hairstyle before surgery, since it can affect where your surgeon places the incision.

Can a facelift make my sideburns disappear?

It can happen if temple skin is pulled upward through an incision placed inside the hair. Incisions along the hair edge or under the sideburn are designed to prevent this. If a sideburn has already been lost after an earlier facelift, it can sometimes be rebuilt with hair transplantation or a local scalp procedure.

Is hair loss after a facelift permanent?

Usually not. Shedding near the incision often recovers within about three months. A narrow band of follicles right next to any incision may be lost permanently, which is why scars are placed where hair can hide them. Larger permanent patches are less common and can be treated with scar revision or hair transplantation.

Do I need to cut or shave my hair for a facelift?

Practices differ. Some surgeons trim a narrow strip along the incision lines, while others only part the hair. Ask your surgeon before you arrive, and avoid a very short haircut just before surgery, because longer hair helps cover the scars while they heal.

Does a temple lift move the hairline too?

A temporal lift also repositions skin and tissue in the hair-bearing temple, so hairline planning matters here as well. Done together with a facelift, the incisions and the direction of pull need to be planned as one, so that the temple, sideburn and brow tail stay in proportion.

About the Author

This article was written and medically reviewed by Prof. Dr. Suleyman Tas, a plastic, reconstructive and aesthetic surgeon in Istanbul with over 20 years of experience. He is the author of Rhinoplasty in Practice (CRC Press, 2020), has more than 40 peer-reviewed scientific publications and five patents, and teaches facelift and rhinoplasty techniques to surgeons at international courses. Read more about Prof. Dr. Suleyman Tas.

Individual results vary. Before and after photos and videos are shared with patient consent. This article is for general information and does not replace a personal medical consultation.

See More Before and After Results

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