Complications happen, but thankfully not that often or people wouldn't want surgery. The complications for facelift include hematoma (more common in males), seroma, skin flap loss, nerve injury (usually buccal branch), etc. The rate for these range from around 1 to 5% depending on the patient. If you smoke, have high blood pressure, are diabetic, your risk will be increased.
That being said, I firmly believe that your complication rate will go up if you go to one of those "life-style" lift places, or get it done by a dentist who may have minimal training. Not every face is the same and not all facelift procedures are equal. One person may just need a neck lift with a MACS, another might need a midface lift, another might need a traditional SMAS plication. To get an optimal result, they might need a bleph as well as other procedures.
See someone who does this for a living and can provide a good analysis and can discuss the options. All some have is a hammer, and not everyone is a nail.
