Aesthetic Procedures to Restore a Youthful Look

Youth is fleeting, but aesthetic innovations are here to recapture its bloom. Here are four popular facelift technique that deliver results — from the dramatic to the subtle.

Conventional face lift

This surgery gives the most lasting and dramatic results. It involves making a U-shaped incision from the hairline at the temples and down to the lower scalp. The surgeon then drapes, tightens and lifts any loose underlying fat or muscle. Excess skin is repositioned and trimmed. For those with ‘turkey’ necks, a second incision may be made under the chin. All the incisions are hidden in the hairline and contours of the face.

Downtime: two to three weeks
Duration: effects last seven to ten years

Silhouette thread lift

This is a minimally invasive procedure performed under local anaesthetic to lift sagging skin from the face or neck. A thin needle is used to place special surgical threads with cones under the skin. These threads are pulled in different directions; the attached cones lift and tighten underlying tissue along with the skin. This technique is especially useful for sagging cheeks, nasolabial folds (laugh lines), marionette lines, jowls and ‘turkey’ necks.

Downtime: four to five days
Duration: effects last three to five years

Brow lift

These procedures focus on correcting sagging foreheads, brows and upper eyelids. It can be performed as an open classic lift or, more commonly, as a minimally invasive endoscopic lift. An open brow lift involves a continuous incision at or behind the hairline. An endoscopic lift involves five short cuts within the hairline through which an endoscope is inserted to separate and pull up the sagging forehead skin.

Downtime: five to seven days
Duration: effects last seven to ten years

Ulthera

The only FDA-approved device for non-invasive facelifts combines focused ultrasound with real-time imaging of facial tissues to accurately target the layers of the skin responsible for contouring the face. Ultrasonic waves delivered at precise depths act as a trigger to tighten the skin. Over several weeks, new collagen forms in the treated areas, resulting in more dramatic lifting, tightening and contouring. Ulthera is effective in correcting heavy brows, hooded upper eyelids, crow’s feet, mild eyebags, as well as drooping cheeks and jowls.

Downtime: none
Duration: effects last about two years, depending on strength and area of treatment