Your jawline looks ten years younger after a facelift. Your eyes still look exhausted. That’s the trap people fall into when they fix the lower face and forget the windows above it — and it’s exactly why surgeons so often pair a facelift with eyelid surgery in one trip to the operating room.
A facelift addresses the jowls, neck, and mid-face. Blepharoplasty handles the hooded upper lids and puffy lower lids that a facelift can’t touch. Do them together and the result reads as a single refreshed face instead of a mismatched one. You also pay one anesthesia fee instead of two.
According to the Aesthetic Society’s 2023 statistics, blepharoplasty was among the top five surgical cosmetic procedures performed in the US, and ASPS data shows facial rejuvenation surgeries climbing steadily among adults over 50. Pairing them is one of the most common requests at facial plastic surgery practices.
What the Combination Costs
| Combination | Cost |
|---|---|
| Facelift alone (surgeon fee) | $7,000–$15,000 |
| Upper eyelid surgery alone | $3,000–$5,000 |
| Lower eyelid surgery alone | $4,000–$6,500 |
| Facelift + upper blepharoplasty (combined) | $11,000–$19,000 |
| Facelift + upper & lower blepharoplasty | $14,000–$24,000 |
| Full combo with neck lift added | $16,000–$28,000 |
Why Bundling Lowers the Total
Here’s where the savings live. A standalone facelift carries $7,000–$15,000 in surgeon fees plus $2,500–$5,000 for anesthesia and the operating room. Book eyelid surgery on a separate day and you pay that anesthesia-and-facility overhead a second time.
Combine them and that overhead gets paid once. That’s typically $3,000–$6,000 saved on the identical procedures, from the same surgeon. You also recover once. One bruising period, one set of follow-ups, one stretch of time off.
A facelift and eyelid surgery share the same anesthesia and facility fees when done together, so the combined price usually runs $3,000–$6,000 below the cost of two separate sessions. Just as importantly, the two procedures balance each other — fixing the lower face without addressing tired eyes often looks incomplete.
What Pushes the Price Up or Down
How much eyelid work you need. Upper-lid-only blepharoplasty is the cheapest add-on. Add lower lids — which involve fat repositioning and more delicate technique — and the total climbs $4,000–$6,500.
Whether a neck lift comes along. Many “facelifts” today are technically face-and-neck lifts. If your concern is mostly the neck, that component adds operating time and cost.
Surgeon credentials. A board-certified surgeon — verify it through the board-certified plastic surgeon guide — typically charges more than a non-certified provider. For work this close to your eyes, that premium isn’t where you cut corners.
Geography. The same combo costs far more in Manhattan or Beverly Hills than in Dallas or Atlanta.
The Anesthesia Question
A facelift plus eyelid surgery usually runs 4–6 hours of operating time, which keeps it within the safety window most surgeons follow. Understanding your anesthesia cost matters here, because it’s the single fee you’re consolidating by combining. Ask whether your surgeon uses general anesthesia or IV sedation — sedation is often appropriate for this combination and can trim costs.
Recovery You Should Plan For
Don’t underestimate this. Expect significant bruising and swelling around both the jaw and the eyes for 2 weeks. Most patients take 2–3 weeks off before they’re comfortable in public. Final results settle over 3–6 months as swelling fully resolves.
The upside of combining: you go through that recovery window once. Do the procedures separately and you sign up for two rounds of bruising and two stretches away from work.
Don’t combine a facelift and eyelid surgery with a surgeon who isn’t experienced in both. Periorbital surgery is unforgiving — over-resecting lower-lid skin can cause ectropion, where the lid pulls down. Confirm your surgeon does both procedures regularly, not just facelifts with the occasional eyelid add-on.
Paying For It
Insurance won’t cover the cosmetic portion. The one exception: if your upper lids droop far enough to block your peripheral vision, a documented visual-field test may qualify that part as functional and reduce your out-of-pocket. Everything else is out of pocket.
Most practices offer financing through CareCredit or Prosper Healthcare Lending. A $16,000 combo on a 24-month plan runs roughly $700/month — but check the APR, because longer terms often carry 14–26% interest. If you’re weighing whether to do a fuller refresh, compare this combo against a broader body contouring plan only if your goals genuinely extend beyond the face.
Get an itemized quote: one surgeon fee per procedure, one shared anesthesia fee, one facility fee. That breakdown is how you confirm the bundle savings are real and not just marketing.
Frequently Asked Questions
A combined facelift and eyelid surgery procedure costs between $12,000 and $28,000, which is typically $3,000 to $6,000 less than having the two surgeries performed separately. The final price depends on surgeon experience, geographic location, facility fees, and the extent of work needed on both the lower face and eyelids.
Insurance typically does not cover facelift surgery since it is considered cosmetic, but blepharoplasty (eyelid surgery) may be partially or fully covered if excess skin is impairing vision—a medical rather than cosmetic issue. You should expect to pay the full combined cost out-of-pocket unless your surgeon documents functional impairment that meets your insurance company's medical criteria.
Most patients return to light activity within 2 weeks and see final results after 3 to 6 months, though doing both procedures together typically adds only a few extra days to recovery compared to facelift alone. Bruising and swelling peak around days 3 to 5 and gradually subside over the following weeks as the skin tightens and settles.