At 36, New York-based celebrity stylist Liza Lieberman booked an appointment with a high-end Upper East Side plastic surgeon — and it was not about surgery. A facelift was still far off for her, but she wanted to be sure the choices she was making now would not close doors later. Five years earlier, she had under-eye filler for the first time; it migrated and never fully dissolved. So she went in with a practical question: what should she do — and just as importantly, what should she avoid — if a facelift might one day be part of her plan?
What the surgeon told her was measured, not alarming. Lieberman shared his advice in a series of Instagram Reels: if filler migrates, he said, it can be difficult to locate and fully dissolve before a facelift, and whatever product is left behind can get in the way of a smooth, natural-looking result. Overfilling certain areas, he added, can stretch the skin. His point, as Lieberman put it, was not that a facelift becomes impossible after filler — it was that filler “makes it harder on the doctor,” and that anyone who has had filler for a long time needs to be “very careful about who you choose for a facelift.” Lieberman, for now, has decided to avoid filler entirely.
Lauren Levinson’s Byrdie piece, published March 7, 2026, takes that question to three doctors — board-certified plastic surgeon Lara Devgan, MD, FACS; board-certified dermatologist Doris Day, MD, FAAD; and double-board-certified plastic surgeon Michael Stein, MD — and the answer turns out to be more nuanced than social media makes it sound. Devgan notes the question has become increasingly common over the past few years, “largely driven by social media sound bites and oversimplified messaging,” with patients hearing phrases like “filler ruins your face” or “filler makes surgery impossible” — claims she says are “not accurate in a blanket sense.” What patients are responding to, she says, “is not an invented fear, but a distorted version of a more nuanced surgical reality.” Levinson notes the piece did not speak directly with the surgeon who advised Lieberman, but all three doctors agreed on one point: filler does not inherently compromise a facelift.
Meet the experts: Dr. Lara Devgan is a board-certified plastic surgeon and founder of Dr. Lara Devgan Scientific Beauty; Dr. Doris Day is a board-certified dermatologist at Day Dermatology & Aesthetics; and Dr. Michael Stein is a plastic surgeon at The Stein Center for Facial Plastic Surgery. Here is what they said, in the order the piece lays it out — the worry, the filler type that matters, whether surgery is still on the table, and how to plan.
Why People Think Filler Can “Ruin” a Facelift
The fear usually comes down to three recurring concerns: migration, overfilling, and the type of filler used. Devgan puts the worry plainly: “Patients are usually worried that filler permanently stretches the skin, migrates everywhere, or somehow makes surgery unsafe or ineffective.” The valid part of that concern, she says, is that poorly placed filler, excessive volume, or filler used repetitively in the wrong planes can complicate surgical planning. The invalid part is the idea that filler automatically disqualifies someone from a facelift.
Day adds that filler placed badly can leave an overfilled look and distort the face’s natural contours — and she frames the whole thing with a comparison. “Just because it’s more complex doesn’t mean it’s impossible under the right doctor’s knife,” she says. “If you’re a plastic surgeon and you want to do facelifts, you want it to be as easy as possible. It’s like if you want to make a wig, it’s better to have virgin hair that’s never been colored. But you can work with hair that’s been colored; it’s just a little different.” Harder, in other words — not impossible.
The Type of Filler to Get If You Plan On a Facelift
Yes, the type of filler matters too. There are two main categories: non-permanent hyaluronic acid (HA) fillers and long-lasting, non-dissolvable biostimulatory fillers. HA fillers break down over time and can be dissolved if needed. Biostimulatory fillers last much longer and cannot be dissolved — and that is where the trouble starts for a future surgeon.
Stein explains why: “Certain biostimulatory fillers function by creating scar tissue. It is possible that the repeated injections of these types of filler trigger fibrosis that makes dissection longer.” In plain terms, some long-lasting fillers work by getting the body to form scar-like tissue, which creates volume — and if those fillers are injected again and again, that buildup leaves thicker, less flexible tissue for a surgeon to work through later. For that reason, all three experts agree on one point: if filler is part of your plan and a facelift may be in your future, hyaluronic acid fillers, used conservatively and strategically, are the safer bet.
Can Filler Compromise a Future Facelift?
The idea that filler will ruin your chances of a facelift is a myth. In most cases, it is totally fine. Devgan is clear on this: “Filler does not inherently make a facelift more dangerous or less effective, but it can add complexity. Surgeons may need to account for altered tissue planes, residual volume, or prior expansion of soft tissue. These factors do not preclude surgery, but they do require thoughtful planning and experience. For a seasoned surgeon, these are variables, not obstacles.”
That complexity is real, though. If you have had filler injected, it may require more careful evaluation, and the procedure itself may take longer. When filler is not dissolved or removed during surgery — Day notes it can be taken out while you are under the knife — it may add extra swelling. And there are exceptions: in rare situations, extensive, poorly placed filler may limit how much improvement can be achieved without additional steps, such as dissolving filler first. But those cases are exceptions, not the rule. As Devgan puts it, “With appropriate planning, filler and surgery can coexist thoughtfully within a long-term facial strategy.”
Can You Get Filler Instead of a Facelift?
There is also a myth that filler can work in place of a facelift to create a more lifted look. Day says patients come in asking for exactly that: “Put the filler back here, and I’ll get a lift.” Her answer is blunt: “It doesn’t work that way. Filler can make your face wider and create projection, which can look lifted. But that’s different than a facelift, which is actually creating an upward lift.”
Each has its role, she goes on: “Fillers can accomplish things that facelifts cannot, and facelifts can accomplish things that fillers cannot. They can coexist beautifully together.” If you want to use both, the key is finding an injector who understands filler’s limitations and a surgeon who is comfortable working with or around filler.
When to Use Filler After a Facelift
Even patients who have never had filler may choose it after a facelift. Day explains that some people experience fat loss near the ears after surgery: “When they have a facelift, there’s tension in that area. That tension limits the blood supply, and over time, they end up with atrophy of the fat over there.” In those cases, filler can help restore balance.
Devgan sees the same thing from the surgeon’s side: “When done well, filler is an essential part of facial optimization. It allows for thoughtful structural support and balance in the face, complementing surgical outcomes rather than undermining them. The issue is not filler: It is how, where, and by whom it is used.”
How to Plan for a Facelift After Filler
If a facelift is part of your long-term plan, the experts recommend thinking ahead before getting filler and choosing your injector carefully. Devgan suggests asking these questions before any treatment:
- Is the filler dissolvable?
- Does the provider have true expertise in facial anatomy?
- What is the goal of the treatment: structural support or superficial volume?
- How does the treatment fit into a long-term plan?
- How could it dovetail with future procedures?
Devgan says she thinks that way with every patient she injects: “When I treat a patient with filler, I am always thinking about how that decision will affect future surgery. My goal is to keep all options open. Patients deserve a provider who is thinking several steps ahead, not just about the immediate result.”
Stein adds a practical step for anyone with a facelift on the horizon: dissolving hyaluronic acid filler beforehand is often recommended. “This may take multiple sessions and can delay surgery,” he explains. “It allows me to see a facial anatomy that is more in keeping with the patient’s baseline. It ultimately improves surgical planning and outcomes.” Still, there is no one-size-fits-all rule. As Devgan puts it, “Each face, and each history of filler use, requires individualized planning. The goal is always to optimize surgical conditions while preserving healthy tissue.”
The Bottom Line
Filler does not automatically ruin your chances of a facelift, but careless application can make things harder than they need to be. The key is choosing the right product, a skilled injector, and a provider who is thinking beyond the immediate result. When used thoughtfully, filler and surgery can play well together.
Day has seen it firsthand over a long career: “I see patients whom I’ve been injecting filler for decades, and they look amazing. Their skin isn’t aging faster or having inflammation. It’s the rare patient who has any issues.” The takeaway is simple: you do not need to write off filler if you want a facelift one day — but it can be smart to be like Lieberman and ask a skilled provider all your most pressing questions first.
This guide follows Lauren Levinson’s Byrdie article “Can Filler Sabotage Your Future Facelift?”, published March 7, 2026, with insight from board-certified plastic surgeon Lara Devgan, MD, FACS; board-certified dermatologist Doris Day, MD, FAAD; and double-board-certified plastic surgeon Michael Stein, MD.
