Illustrated by Pixel Pushers Share on Facebook Share on X Google Preferred Share to Flipboard Show additional share options Share on LinkedIn Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share on Tumblr Share on Whats App Send an Email Print the Article Post a Comment When 70-year-old Kris Jenner unveiled her fresh 40-year-old face last spring, she didn't just catapult her New York-based plastic surgeon, Steven Levine, to stardom. The momager also almost single-handedly ignited a worldwide facelift frenzy that has helped normalize the chatter around cosmetic surgery. Did-she (or he)-or-didn't-she threads pop up after nearly every celebrity appearance, from Bradley Cooper, who recently addressed rumors on SmartLess, to such ageless paragons as Julia Roberts, Fran Drescher and Minnie Driver and even more youthful stars like Emma Stone and Jennifer Lawrence at the Golden Globes. Related Stories Lifestyle Kris Jenner and Kourtney Kardashian Barker Talk New Year's Resolutions and Lemme Creatine Launch (Exclusive) Hollywoof! Does Your Dog Need a Facelift? With Jenner, however, there's been debate around the exact type of facelift performed by Levine. He is known for a hybrid approach of SMAS (Superficial Musculo-Aponeurotic System) and deep plane. But what's certain is that deep plane now reigns as the overwhelming favorite of the two dominant facial-rejuvenation techniques, especially in and around Beverly Hills. Fellow board-certified plastic surgeons Ritu Chopra and Marc Mani break down the differences between the two approaches. "The SMAS is the thin but strong layer just beneath the skin," Chopra tells THR. "A SMAS facelift lifts and tightens this layer by folding or plicating it, improving jowls and lower-face laxity, but provides a more surface-level correction." Among its selling points is that it's a quicker surgery with a shorter recovery, but Chopra specifies that it doesn't address the midface, and the results don't last as long as a deep plane facelift. Adds Mani: "Because a significant amount of skin is also separated from the underlying tissue, blood supply can be cut off, and this is what you want to preserve for proper healing and to avoid complications." Deep plane goes, well, deeper. "It requires more work, but the results are more natural because we're lifting from the deeper structural layers, not just the skin," says Mani. "We go beneath the SMAS and release the ligaments - bands of connective tissue that anchor the skin to the underlying bone or deeper tissues - which is the hallmark of the procedure. By bringing up all the layers of the face back where they used to be and with less tension, we restore lost volume and youthful contours to the cheeks, jawline and neck." For many surgeons, the advantages of deep plane are hard to argue with. "Having performed both, I love the deep plane and will not be going back to the SMAS," says renowned facial plastic and reconstructive surgeon Babak Azizzadeh. There's a difference in longevity, too. "On average, SMAS [effects last] eight to 10 years and deep plane 10 to 15 years," he adds. As demand for facial overhauls soars in Hollywood and elsewhere, surgeons have raised their fees dramatically. Not long ago, typical prices ranged from $50,000 to $75,000. Mani says he now charges up to $250,000 for full-face rejuvenation. In justifying the exorbitant rate, Mani emphasizes the difficulty of the procedure: "Facelifts are a right-brain surgery, and you're thinking with your hands," he says. "This is hard to teach as it's inherent, it's in your heart." Heaps of other costs are baked into the price. "There's the prestigious Beverly Hills office space, the staff and surgery center, various insurances, the latest and greatest tools and technology, and higher-level incision protocols," says Alana Ungvari, co-founder of LA Beauty Connect, a plastic surgery consultancy and concierge company. "These are all investments, and a facelift is not a one-and-done appointment - you'll have a year's worth of follow-up appointments, which are all included." Higher prices don't automatically mean better work. Says Julie Obst, co-founder of LA Beauty Connect: "Some of our clients pay upward of $150,000, and some pay between $35,000 and $60,000, and we can't say one facelift is necessarily better than the other." In other words, don't be discouraged by eye-popping fees. As with any luxury purchase, many fixate on the label and bragging rights of facial restoration. "It's like paying for a Birkin bag," adds Obst. "Some people want to be able to say, 'I went to so-and-so.' " Several surgeons have even adorned their deep plane techniques with catchy names - because nothing says expensive and exclusive like a facelift with its own trademarked brand. *** Hollywood's Deep Plane Da Vincis Meet the celebrity-approved plastic surgery artistes at the forefront of facelift revolution. Dr. Babak AzizzadehDouble board-certified facial plastic and reconstructive surgeon and president-elect, America