Dr. Dominic A. Brandy, the developer of the QuickLift, coined the term to describe his adaptation of an S-lift, an operation that uses teardrop-shaped sutures to suspend sagging features. Dr. Brandy said he improved on the S-lift by pulling the face vertically instead of toward the ears.

Currently, 25 to 30 doctors receive patients through QuickLift.com. The doctors attended a one-day workshop priced at $1,950 (and sometimes a few other days of training) taught by Dr. Brandy, a cosmetic surgeon with a background in emergency medicine.

Teresa Bradley, 47, found her QuickLift surgeon on the company's site. Even before meeting him, she had decided QuickLift was for her. "I researched the procedure," she said. "It was excellent." But she has agonized over the results. "He lifted one side very high and left the other side hanging," she said. Now Ms. Bradley said she realizes the QuickLift is only as good as the surgeon doing it.

In response, Dr. Brandy said, "When you teach somebody a procedure, even if they use the basic same procedure, skill levels are so different."  The American Society of Plastic Surgeons hasn't taken a stand on branded procedures. But its president, Dr. John W. Canady, advised, "Go get a second opinion from someone who doesn't have a big ad."

Patients should be presented with a range of options, said Dr. David S. Kung, a board-certified plastic surgeon in the Washington, D.C., area. He considers deeper-plane face-lifts "the gold standard," because they "last the longest and they can effect the maximal change," he said. But he sees a place for middle-of-the-spectrum face-lifts, which in his opinion, include the QuickLift, Lifestyle Lift and another (nonbranded) lift, the minimal access cranial suspension.

Dr. Kent said that before patients meet a Lifestyle Lift surgeon, they see a consultant and watch a video in which the company's medical director explains its philosophy. Then they meet with a surgeon before deciding whether to proceed.  But three Lifestyle Lift patients and Dr. Mario S. Yco, a board-certified otolaryngologist who was an employee of the company for about a year, said that patients were urged to put down a deposit before they met with a surgeon.

"The consultant sold the surgery," said Dr. Yco, who practices in Encinitas, Calif. Often by the time he saw patients, the surgery was booked. "There were many patients I had to cancel," he said, explaining that he didn't deem them appropriate candidates. In response, Dr. Kent said, "It's never a consultant that decides whether or not a patient should have surgery." He described the company's consultants as "people-friendly people." They make sure patients "understand what they are getting into, explain the things we offer, talk about the doctor," he said.

Dr. Yco said he was amazed at the power that advertising had over Lifestyle Lift patients. "They are sold by the concept, they are not sold by the surgeon's credentials," he said. "Unfortunately if they are not satisfied, it's a big drop for them." He added, "It's like lemmings going down a cliff."

In May, on the job site Monster.com, the Manhattan branch of Lifestyle Lift ran an ad seeking applicants to be plastic surgery consultants. "No medical experience needed," it said, adding that the right candidate would have an "ability to match the offerings of Lifestyle Lift with the desires of Clients."

Sharron Bryant, a manager for Lindt Chocolates in Dallas, who got a Lifestyle Lift in 2007, said she had a "high pressure" consultation and put down a deposit before meeting a surgeon. Ms. Bryant, then 59, paid $6,100 for a Lifestyle Lift and chin liposuction. She never needed pain medication during her weeklong recovery, she said. But she disliked the loose skin that remained on her jowls and neck. "I got nothing for the money," she said. She later paid $8,200 for a traditional face-lift from a different surgeon. With "every plastic surgery procedure, there's a certain number of people afterwards that are unhappy," Dr. Kent said. "There's nothing wrong with them medically. They are just dissatisfied."

On Realself.com, a Web site where patients discuss cosmetic surgery, 37 percent of the 170 people who reviewed the Lifestyle Lift said the procedure was "worth it," while 63 percent didn't think so.  Leigh Floyd, 46, a technical writer in Houston, is an "extremely satisfied" customer of Lifestyle Lift, which she partly attributed to her realistic expectations. "You won't look 20" afterward, she said, "because it's still your 40-year-old skin."  But she was most impressed by the skill of her surgeon, Dr. Kevin R. Smith, a Houston otolaryngologist. "His sutures were so tiny," she said. "I just know I picked the right doctor."

Here's some advice for those considering face-lifts.

Check whether your surgeon is certified by one of the boards of the American Board of Medical Specialties at abms.org. They require physicians to complete residency training in a specialty and to pass rigorous oral and written exams.

Before you schedule an operation, meet the surgeon to make sure you're on the same page. "The best surgeons will give you their honest opinion whether they can achieve what you're looking for," said Dr. John W. Canady, the president of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

Don't settle for a hasty consultation. The downside as well as the upside of an operation should be covered, said Dr. Robert Singer, a plastic surgeon in La Jolla, Calif.

You should never feel as if you're being sold a procedure. "If you're getting a high-pressure sales pitch for a procedure, personally that would worry me," Dr. Canady said.

It never hurts to get a second opinion.