In my opinion there is no typical age. Whether you are ready for a face or neck lift depends on how far the signs of ageing have advanced in your individual case AND if these signs of ageing are bothering to an extent that they diminish your joy of life, your self- consciousness and the way you socially interact.
Generally, we can say that visible signs of ageing will show in the early 40s and worsen from then on, again in an individually different pace.
How early and how fast we are ageing are dependant on the patient's genes but also on lifestyle, smoking, alcohol, nutrition, emotional and physical stress, continuous weight gains and losses and skin care. A definite acceleration of the signs of aging will occur during and after menopause in female patients.
Having said that, most patients feel they are ready for a facelift around 50 and older. At this point many patients already show advanced signs of ageing which are visible for everyone. The trend recently is to undergo a facelift earlier in life when the signs of ageing just start to show. To have a facelift in the (early) forties is not an exception. It always depends on the circumstances of each individual patient. What is acceptable for one patient might already be too much for another.
When a patient sees me for a consultation it is important for me to hear the patient's story to understand where she/he is coming from. Most important for me as a specialist plastic surgeon is to determine if there are indeed signs of ageing which make it worthwhile performing a facelift and if I will be able to achieve a visible improvement for the patient by performing it.
I will assess my patients and will give them my honest opinion if an improvement can be achieved by undergoing a facelift. I won't give my opinion though if I think a facelift is necessary. Signs of ageing don't necessarily mean that a person is unattractive in another person's eye. It is solely the patient's decision if they can continue living the way they look or not. After all, I want my patients to be happy.