The mini-facelift is a much smaller procedure then the traditional facelift. I do many mini-facelifts in my office under local anesthesia whereas traditional facelifts are done in the hospital under sedation or general anesthesia. Both procedures tighten the SMAS (muscle layer). The traditional facelift has an extra incision under the chin that allows me to remove excess fatty tissue and tighten the muscle layer directly in the neck. The mini-facelift also tightens the neck, but it does so by lifting the muscle layer in the cheek. The mini-facelift is better for patients with just laxity in the face and neck, whereas the traditional facelift is better for patients with heavy/fatty necks.

I do mini-facelifts and traditional facelifts. Each of these techniques is very effective for improving the jowls because I tighten the muscle layer in each which lifts the jowls. In patients with very heavy/severe jowls, the traditional technique is better because it provides exposure to directly remove excess fat in the jowl.

In my experience, I have not seen acne scars return after Fraxel treatment. It is possible that your skin has gotten more laxity since the treatment and that this is making the depressed scars deeper. You can do another Fraxel procedure or you can have a facelift if there is significant facial laxity. I have found that the combination of Fraxel and a facelift is the best for acne scarring. Good luck.

Yes, there are 2 classes of local anesthetics-amides and esthers.  Lidocaine is an amide and if you are allergic to it, you can have your procedure with an ester type.  You can have the ester type tested by an allergist to make sure that it is not a problem.  Good luck. 

A stem cell facelift is simply a facelift with fat transfer. The survival rate for fat transfer is typically quite low and is not something that I do.