Q-Tips on.. Non-surgical facelifts

This month, our columnist, cosmetic doctor, and founder of Luxe Skin Dr Usman Qureshi (aka Dr Q) looks at what constitutes a true non-surgical facelift and why.

One of the main challenges of an ageing face is facial droop or ptosis. With time the fat pads start to shrink and reposition, resulting in the formation of jowls, nasolabial and marionette folds. I believe these features age you the most. I often get patients who approach me asking if I could lift the cheek a little bit so that this sagging goes away. However, it is not a little lift; they are pulling the skin up two to four centimetres.

There are a whole range of procedures that claim to be non-surgical facelifts, including dermal fillers, threads, noninvasive and invasive energy devices; even platelet-rich plasma treatments claim a lifting potential. So, what is a true non-surgical facelift? In my opinion, if a procedure can lift the skin at least 1cm, it may be worthy of the title.

WHAT IS A TRUE NON-SURGICAL FACELIFT?

I have investigated several procedures, and, in my opinion, there are only two which I believe produce enough lift to be called a non-surgical facelift. Many may disagree, saying if a procedure improves the overall appearance of the face, making it look younger and youthful, it deserves the title. Adding other treatments to a non-surgical facelift may improve the result, but I would regard only these two procedures as comparable to a surgical lift. There probably are others, but none that I have come across.

PERMANENT THREADS

A lot of practitioners fear permanent threads. They say with permanent threads come permanent problems. This is not strictly true. Just because the threads are permanent, the problems do not need to be. A surgical facelift is a permanent procedure, so if you are finding an alternative, you need some level of longevity or permanence. I think practitioners compare permanent threads to dissolving threads and therefore decide that the risk level is too high. I don’t believe that the two can be compared. The only thing the two have in common is the word ‘thread’. You need to compare permanent threads to a surgical facelift. You will then see that the risk profile is much more favourable and the results comparable. I used Spring Threads® for face and neck lifting. There are a couple of other manufacturers of permanent threads, but not many. I can achieve 2-3cm of lift with this procedure, which I believe qualifies it to feature in this column.

RADIOFREQUENCY ASSISTED LIPOLYSIS (RFAL)

This procedure is great for a heavier face, where you want to reduce the fat and lift the skin. RFAL uses radiofrequency to agitate the fat cells, which then results in lipolysis over three to six months. At the same time, the skin is heated, causing collagen remodelling and “shrinkage”. Although not apparent instantly, the results can be remarkable with the lifting of jowls, reduction of neck fat and tightening of the skin. I have found this treatment to have a lifting potential of 2-3 cm. I use the FaceTite machine for RFAL. Other machines may produce a similar result, but I am unable to comment on them.

COMBINED RFAL AND PERMANENT THREADS PROCEDURE

When these two procedures are combined, the result is amplified. The lift from the threads is apparent as soon as the swelling settles in a few days. The lift then keeps improving over the next six months as RFAL takes effect, with an optimum result seen at six months. In my humble opinion, this combination constitutes the ultimate nonsurgical facelift.

DR USMAN QURESHI

Dr Usman Qureshi (aka Dr Q) is a cosmetic doctor and founder of Luxe Skin by Doctor Q in Glasgow. He focuses on non-surgical and minimally invasive cosmetic procedures.