The high price of a fresh slice.
Driven in part by A-list celebrities like Kris Jenner and Denise Richards, facelifts are on the rise.
According to the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (AAFPRS), facelifts ranked as the second-most popular plastic surgery procedure in 2025.
While popularity is peaking, the price point of the procedure varies widely.
Rumor has it that Jenner’s lift set her back six figures, while other facelifts clock in at a fraction of that, somewhere in the $30,000 to $70,000 range.
Most would assume that when it comes to work done on one’s money-maker, the more expensive, the better the results, right? Not quite, according to Beverly Hills plastic surgeon Dr. Ben Talei.
“It could be absolutely no difference,” Talei, who’s responsible for Denise Richards’ viral facial transformation and singer Sia’s self-proclaimed “amazing” facelift, told The Post.
“The price would suggest that one would be better than the other, but it doesn’t actually mean that the more expensive one is better than the less expensive one,” the surgeon explained.
However, for one of Talei’s patients, top dollar equals top tier.
“You get what you pay for,” Los Angeles-based real estate agent Pate Stevens of The Agency told The Post.
Stevens, who underwent a facial rejuvenation by Talei last fall, to the tune of $224,000, believes that in LA, there’s more bad work than good, and the bad is…loud.
“I can spot 90% of facelifts three blocks away,” Stevens told The Post,
“The face is pulled so tight, the lips are so big, and the eyes are so open.”
The pursuit of a more natural look led Stevens to Talei, who he says offers a subtler East Coast, old-money aesthetic.
“He’s from New York, he’s not here to do stretchy face lifts with duck lips,” Stevens said.
Stevens shared that aside from a mutual aversion to duck lips, Talei’s goal for facial rejuvenation aligned with his own: to ensure he remained recognizable.
“I wanted to look refreshed, not stretched, and I wanted to look like myself,” he said.
To achieve that desired look, Stevens underwent an AuraLyft, a type of neck lift and deep-plane facelift patented by Talei that starts at around $175,000 and can reach upwards of $350,000 for the more comprehensive procedure that addresses the upper and lower eyelids, lips, the ballast, fat grafting, ptosis repair, and smile modulation.
According to Talei, surgeons, including himself, who charge top dollar often do so because they are in high demand. While being sought after can reflect a strong skill set, it is by no means a guarantee of one.
“There are plenty of surgeons who are not that great who are busy because of a lot of media and marketing,” he revealed.
Further, he says a lower price does not necessarily mean lower quality.
“You can get a fantastic facelift for $30,000,” said Talei. “There is no definitive measure that would tell you that price has anything to do with it.“
To that end, or tuck, many surgeons offer a similar service at a significantly lower price, a discount that may have more to do with address than aptitude.
“Super high prices typically, but not always, mean that you’re looking at an excellent surgeon in a high-end market like LA or NYC,” Dr. Sean McNally, a board-certified plastic surgeon based in Portland, OR, told The Post.
McNally explained that high-end markets often translate to higher overhead for rent and marketing, staffing and social media, upcharges that contribute to the final price of a procedure.
However, like Talei, he notes that patients should be aware that high dollar does not always mean high value, nor does midrange suggest subpar.
“Just because someone charges the highest prices doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re the best. There are extremely talented surgeons in high-end markets that are absolutely worth the premium, and so-so providers convincing patients that they’re great because it’s so expensive,” McNally said.
McNally, whose facial rejuvenation procedures fall in the $25,000 to $50,000 range, explained that his pricing is targeted to the region where he operates.
“Patients in Portland are extremely unlikely to pay Beverly Hills prices. If you set your prices too high for a given area, you won’t be able to convert consults to actual surgeries.”
A recent patient of McNally’s proves the point.
“I knew if I went to California I could find someone with more exposure, but I did not want to spend 100,000,” Fernando, 58, told The Post.
Fernando, whose facelift cost roughly $30,000, had never had any cosmetic work done before his surgery, chose McNally based on before-and-after photos of previous patients and the doctor’s “honest energy.”
A retired gallerist, Fernando began shopping for a surgeon three years ago when he began feeling like his aging face was a mismatch for his fit physique.
“Physically, I do as much as I can with exercise and the way I eat; but in the face, there was nothing I could do.”
Similar to Stevens, Fernando was turned off by the appearance of “bad” facelifts he had encountered and was clear about what he did and did not want.
“My goal was to look younger but to look like myself,” he said. “You see some people; they have no wrinkles but their face looks like plastic; I did not want that.”
McNally assuaged Fernando that his results would amount to looking like a younger, more refreshed version of himself.
“He said, I think we can shave between 12 and 15 years off, and he did,” the 58-year-old said.
Fernando shared that his results have been positively received; a friend recently described his new look as “timeless,” while his husband of 26 years told him, “you look like you did when we first met.”
He shared that his trust in McNally was what guided his decision to go under the knife and ensured his satisfaction in the aftermath: “I felt confident with him; he answered all my questions, and did not rush me. It just felt very good.”
His sentiments are underscored by Talei, who counts trust and the personal relationship between the patient and the surgeon as the strongest predictors of a successful procedure — not cost.
“If you have any issues, you have to have full faith and trust in them that you can seamlessly get through it,” the surgeon explained.
The high-end surgeon notes that historically, bad celebrity facelifts of the wide-eyed, pulled-tight, cartoon lip variety described by Stevens and Fernando have scared off many folks from considering or undergoing the procedure.
However, recent improvements in the field, coupled with celebrity transparency from notable recipients like Jenner and Richards about getting good work done and by whom, have led to an uptick in surgeries.
“We’re seeing, especially in the past 2 or 3 years, fantastic work being done because the bar has been set higher and higher for natural work,” he said.
As the bar continues to rise and the price gap widens, McNally, Talei, and their respective patients reinforce the importance of diligent research when choosing a surgeon.
“Patients should always do their research to be sure they’ve found the right doctor, especially when you’re talking 100s of 1000s of dollars,” said McNally.
When it comes down to it — money doesn’t dictate one’s facial outcome, a surgeon’s proven track record does.
“The easiest way to convince patients you’re the right surgeon for them is to truly listen to their concerns, come up with a comprehensive surgical game plan, and have the post-op photos to back it up,” said McNally.
