A face lift can help to restore a more youthful appearance by tightening the skin and muscles of the face and neck. Surgical face lifts used to be the only option for individuals wishing to give their face an overall more youthful appearance, but as technology has moved on, more and more non-surgical options are now available.

The so called ‘non-surgical face lifts’ are usually better suited to younger candidates in their 30s and 40s, although there are some treatments that are suited for older candidates in their 50s and 60s, who don’t have excessive amounts of lax or sagging facial tissues. The benefits of a non-surgical face lift versus a surgical face lift include price, as they tend to be far less costly, recovery time, as there is no general anaesthetic, and after-care – most non-surgical face lifts will require either no after-care or just over-the-counter pain medication. The downside is that older patients with very lax skin would not be an ideal candidate for a non-surgical facelift, as the procedure would not be effective due to the need to actually remove excess skin which can only be done surgically.

One of the most common forms of non-surgical face lift procedures is to use as combination of cosmetic injectable such as botulinum toxins and dermal fillers to plump out wrinkles and any gaunt, volume lacking, sagging areas of skin on the face and provide ‘lift’ in others. In some cases, fat can also be taken from the person’s own body and then injected back into the face to treat a loss of facial volume.

The ‘Nefertiti Lift’ is a treatment name you may come across. It involves the use of wrinkle-relaxing botulinum toxin injections, which weaken the platysmal bands on the neck that pull the facial muscles downwards, causing wrinkles and sagging skin. The opposing force of the facial muscles will pull the skin upwards, causing a tightened and lifted appearance in both the face and neck, much like the long, smooth neck displayed on the sculpture of the Egyptian Queen Nefertiti.

Skin tightening treatments are also popular. They work by heating the dermis using energy such as radiofrequency or light which causes a “healing response” to the damage caused, which in turn encourages the skin to produce extra, new collagen whilst remodelling existing collagen. The underlying tissues of the skin will then contract and tighten giving the face a more youthful appearance.

You can usually return straight to your normal activities following the various non-surgical face lift techniques, making it a great choice for those who cannot afford to take several weeks off to recover from surgery.