8 On Your Side: Non-Surgical Facelifts

Tulsa - Many movie stars deny plastic surgery. But, that doesn’t mean they haven’t had a little help. 8 On Your Side investigator Cindy Morrison has the scoop on two new non-surgical procedures that could make you look five to ten years younger. Not, just in Hollywood, but here in Tulsa.

Surgical face lifts can run anywhere from three to ten thousand dollars. And, then there’s the recovery time. That’s why the idea of lunch-hour face lifts really caught our attention.

First, meet Kim Hart and Vicky Johnson of Laser Light Skin Clinic, who just brought their popular Oklahoma City practice to Tulsa. Their most popular lunchtime facelift, Thermage, uses radio waves and infrared heat.

“Once you go through and destroy all the old collagen in the face, then your body will respond with a fresh rush of brand new collagen, thus thickening and tightening,” Hart says.

Nanette Youngworth works at the front desk. She’s already had Thermage on her neck. Today, it’s her face.

“If you can start now doing some procedures to make you look younger years from now, why not,” she says.

Full results can be seen in sixty to ninety days and last two to five years. Even acne scars appear less prominent. It costs 25-hundred dollars.

Now, for the second procedure. At 55, Michal Long wants to age gracefully.

“I don’t want to go under the knife,” she says. “I don’t feel I need to go under the knife. But I would like to pull this up and tighten this a little bit.”

You’re about to see her undergo one of the most unusual procedures ever seen. It’s something called Feather Lift. Her face, now deadened, she’s ready for the Feather Lift.

“Okay Michal, you won’t feel anything.”

Maybe. But, it’s not pretty to look at. Dr. Johnson slips a needle under the skin. And, yes, back out again. Then she threads through a line.

“Was that the first one and it’s done?”

So, how exactly does this work?

“There are bidirectional cogs on the suture. See as I"m pulling, they’re grabbing the skin back and forth.”

The whole thing takes less than an hour. And, as the skin adjusts, Michal should get more lift.

“I can put makeup on?”
“You can put makeup on right away.”

Feather lift runs about 25-hundred dollars. The feather lift technique was originally developed in Europe about five years ago. FDA approval is pending.

And, if you’re wondering about downtime, Michal was able to go to a party that same night. And, there were no signs she’d just had a face lift earlier in the day.

And remember, before you have any procedure like this done, you need to check out your doctor and his or her credentials.

Provided by ArmMed Media
Revision date: June 20, 2011
Last revised: by Amalia K. Gagarina, M.S., R.D.