Prices: Australian price: Price on request, get quotes from clinics. Overseas prices: Price on request, get quotes from clinics.
Short answer: A facelift doesn’t stop ageing, may need repeating after 5 to 12 years, and carries risks including nerve injury and blood clots (healthdirect (opens official site)). Medicare doesn’t cover elective and cosmetic surgery (Department of Health (opens official site)). ASAPS advises Australian patients not to fly for 6 to 8 weeks after cosmetic surgery (ASAPS (opens official site)). Destination guide: facelift in Thailand.
Risks and limitations to understand first
Common side effects include a swollen or numb face, stiffness, bruising, pain, low mood, scars that fade but don’t disappear completely, a raised hairline, and reduced hair growth at the temples (healthdirect (opens official site)).
Risks include (healthdirect (opens official site)):
- nerve injury and loss of feeling or movement in your face
- uneven facial features
- problems healing
- excessive bleeding
- developing a blood clot in a vein
- infection
- an allergic reaction to the anaesthetic
You may need more surgery to correct complications (healthdirect (opens official site)).
- Medicare doesn’t cover you overseas, and basic travel insurance rarely covers medical tourism (Smartraveller (opens official site))
- ASAPS says many complications appear weeks later, after patients have flown home (ASAPS (opens official site))
- Australia’s cosmetic surgery safeguards often don’t exist overseas (ASAPS (opens official site); Ahpra (opens official site))
- In some countries, surgeon titles aren’t protected (ASAPS (opens official site))
- Fixing a procedure that goes wrong can cost more than the original trip (Smartraveller (opens official site))
What affects the quote
- Extent of surgery (face only, neck, eyelids, fat grafting or other adjuncts)
- Surgeon, anaesthetic and facility fees; overnight stay
- Whether adjunct procedures are staged or combined (ASAPS combining guidance (opens official site))
- Follow-up visits, scar care and a written plan if revision is needed
Published figures on this site: Price on request, get quotes from clinics. Thailand-specific costs: facelift costs in Thailand Price on request, get quotes from clinics.
Medicare and insurance
- Medicare doesn’t cover elective and cosmetic surgery, and doesn’t cover you overseas (Department of Health (opens official site); Smartraveller (opens official site))
- Private funds generally exclude cosmetic facelifts; confirm with your fund
- See travel insurance for cosmetic surgery, health insurance gaps and medical tourism insurance
Add these to any quote
| Cost | Notes |
|---|---|
| Flights | After written flying clearance. Price on request, get quotes from clinics |
| Accommodation | Weeks of recovery before flying (ASAPS (opens official site)). Price on request, get quotes from clinics |
| Time off work | Visible bruising and swelling are common early on (healthdirect (opens official site)) |
| Insurance | Cosmetic travel insurance |
| Follow-up and revision | Aftercare in Australia · revision surgery |
Destinations often discussed for facial procedures include Thailand and South Korea. Related: plastic surgery costs, blepharoplasty in Thailand. Use the trip budget planner.
Methodology note
We only publish AUD figures present in /workspace/mt-price-ranges.csv with source URL and access date. Empty or pending rows show Price on request, get quotes from clinics. FX converts, when used elsewhere on this site, cite RBA indicative rates and must be rechecked on publish day. This page does not invent package discounts, holiday inducements or “cheapest country” crowns.
Related tools (non-procedure trip maths only): trip cost calculator · currency converter · savings calculator (educational; not a quote).
Guides: choosing a surgeon · questions to ask · complications overseas · aftercare in Australia.
Full trip cost beyond the procedure fee
Even when a hospital or clinic tariff is later verified, Australians should add:
- Flights (return; sometimes a second trip for staged work or bridge delivery)
- Hotel for the fly-safe window your clinician documents in writing
- Companion costs, time off work, garments, medications and follow-up visits
- Buffer for delayed healing, extra nights or a revision trip (Smartraveller (opens official site))
- Travel insurance that may still exclude elective or planned-procedure complications - read the PDS (travel insurance for surgery)
Use the trip budget planner and trip cost calculator for non-procedure travel maths only.
How to compare quotes without “best price” claims
- Same procedure labels and the same inclusions on every quote
- Named clinician and facility on the consent pathway
- Revision or remake policy in writing
- Total trip maths, not procedure-only marketing figures
- Soften “cheapest country” or “best country” searches - compare credentials, aftercare and risk, not inducements
We only publish AUD figures that sit in our verified price table with a source and access date. If status is pending, this page shows Price on request, get quotes from clinics.
Paying without loan marketing
Cosmetic and hair cost pages on this site do not promote surgeryloans.com.au, BNPL or loan calculators. Use savings, a card you can repay, or licensed advice from your own adviser. Neutral trip maths: trip cost calculator.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a facelift cost overseas?
We only publish verified, dated prices. Price on request, get quotes from clinics.
Does Medicare cover a facelift?
Generally no. Medicare doesn’t cover elective and cosmetic surgery, or treatment overseas.
How long before I can fly?
ASAPS advises Australian patients not to fly for 6 to 8 weeks after cosmetic surgery because of clot risk. Get a written plan from the operating surgeon.
Will I need another facelift later?
healthdirect notes results may last 5 to 12 years and ageing continues (healthdirect (opens official site)).
Does travel insurance cover problems?
Basic travel insurance rarely covers medical tourism. See our cosmetic insurance guide.
What should be on an itemised facelift quote?
Surgeon fee, anaesthetic, facility or hospital stay, any adjunct procedures (neck, eyelids, fat grafting), garments or dressings, planned reviews, and what happens if you need a longer stay or a return to theatre. Until verified, our published figures show price on request.
What should be in a written quote?
Itemised clinician and facility fees, anaesthetic, stay length, inclusions and exclusions, revision or remake policy, and what happens if you need a longer stay.
Why does the full trip cost matter more than the procedure fee?
Flights, hotel for the fly-safe window, companion costs, time off work, insurance and a revision buffer often exceed a low procedure-only figure (Smartraveller (opens official site)).
Does this site pick a best or cheapest country?
No. We soften those anchors. Compare named credentials, facility checks, aftercare at home and total trip maths.
Sources
All accessed 24 October 2026.
- healthdirect, Facelift: https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/procedures/surgery/facelift
- ASAPS, Heading overseas for cosmetic surgery: https://aestheticplasticsurgeons.org.au/news/heading-overseas-for-cosmetic-surgery-heres-what-you-need-to-know/
- ASAPS, Combining cosmetic surgery procedures: https://aestheticplasticsurgeons.org.au/breast/combine-cosmetic-surgery-procedures/
- Ahpra, Cosmetic surgery - information for the public: https://www.ahpra.gov.au/Resources/Cosmetic-surgery-hub/Information-for-the-public.aspx
- Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, What Medicare covers: https://www.health.gov.au/topics/medicare/about/what-medicare-covers
- Smartraveller, Going overseas for a medical procedure: https://www.smartraveller.gov.au/travel-essentials/travel-health/medical-tourism
- Smartraveller, Sun, sand and surgery: https://www.smartraveller.gov.au/news-and-updates/sun-sand-and-surgery