The Lunch Time Face Lift - Too Good to Be True?
It’s called by many names, the thread lift, suspension lift, feather lift, etc.,
and it’s been performed live on TV shows like
Oprah and the
Today Show. In fact, after watching a recent Friday
Today Show segment where a 57 year old woman underwent the procedure at the start of the
show, and an hour later was chatting with Katie, and then appeared that very next
Monday looking like she was in her early forties,
The Three Tomatoes were ready to rush to their nearest plastic surgeon. But on second thought,
actually several thoughts, we have questions. And as much as we still love Katie,
(and hate all the Katie bashing these days) she didn’t ask all the questions.
But first, for those of you have not heard about this procedure, let us elaborate.
The technique, commonly know as suspension lifts, are performed in the doctor’s
office, usually under local anesthesia. The procedure uses a needle and specially
designed knotted suture threads, which are “sewn” into the skin to lift the face,
neck, jowl line, etc. The tiny suture knots are “hidden” by the hair near the
scalp line. There is minimal swelling or bruising and most people return to normal
activities the next day. The cost depends on how many areas of the face are lifted,
but the “full lift” runs about $5,000.
So to many of us who are still squeamish about a face lift that requires real
surgery, several weeks of downtime, permanency (what if we hate it?) and a hefty
price tag to boot, the suspension lift sounds like Nirvana. But wait, what’s
the flip side? So, The Three Tomatoes had questions and went in search of answers.
First we learned that while the sutures are designed to remain in place permanently,
they don’t always hold. Not to worry says the doctor, we simply retighten the
knot. But picture this…you’re in a really important business meeting, or you’re
at some fancy black tie gala and suddenly a suture pops. Does half your face drop? And
as you go through your meeting or dinner looking like a poor stroke victim, you’re
wondering how quickly you can get a hold of your doctor. Does he meet you immediately
in the ladies room of the ballroom and tighten your knot? Or does it take days
for you to get into his office for your retightening? And sometimes the sutures
are sewn in too tightly, leaving the face looking like a mannequin. There’s also
the risk of infection from the sutures. And listen to this. Over time, the sutures
may become visible on the skin’s surface. This is definitely starting to sound
like the bride of Frankstein look.
Another thing we learned is the procedure is considered an “interim step” to
a face-lift (not an “in-place of”.) Some patients see diminished results in one
to two years, while apparently some lifts will hold for five years. So let’s
think about that one for another second or two. Let’s say you get your suspension
lift and you look great -- at least ten years younger! Now you reach the five-year
mark. What are your options? Let’s say you decide to remove the sutures. Imagine
the shock of that??? Does your face suddenly age 15 years? Talk about a Dorian
Gray nightmare. And let’s not forget this is called the “interim facelift”. Would
you be ready for a full surgical face-lift? What if you’re not healthy enough,
or can’t afford one, or whatever. And the other little “warning” is that this
lift can actually impair the outcome of a traditional facelift.
So tomatoes, we think the jury’s still out on this one. If any tomato has been
brave enough to try this or knows someone who has, or has some of these answers
we’d love to hear from you. Email us at
tomato@thethreetomatoes.com
Copyright© 2005. The Three Tomatoes. All rights reserved.
