SMAS
 Facial musculature (Commons). The SMAS is the fibromuscular plane modern facelifts work on, continuous in spirit with platysma.
| |
| Field | Anatomy |
|---|---|
| Also known as | superficial musculoaponeurotic system
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| Related | Facelift; SMAS facelift; Deep plane facelift; Platysma |
The SMAS (superficial musculoaponeurotic system) is a fibromuscular layer in the face and neck that plastic surgeons use as the working plane of a modern facelift.[1] It is continuous in spirit with the platysma in the neck. A skin-only lift skips it; a SMAS facelift plicates or excises it; a deep plane facelift goes under it and releases ligaments.
Looksmaxxing marketing that sells a “non-surgical SMAS lift” with threads or machines is borrowing the word. Threads hitch; HIFU heats; neither is a surgical SMAS dissection. See thread lift and HIFU.
Surgical versus marketing
A skin-only lift skips SMAS. A SMAS facelift plicates or excises it. A deep plane facelift goes under it. Threads, HIFU, and “non-surgical SMAS lift” ads borrow the acronym. They are not a surgical SMAS dissection. See thread lift and HIFU.
See also
References
- ↑ Superficial musculoaponeurotic system. Wikipedia. Retrieved 11 September 2026.