The Puppet Facelift Is The Latest Plastic Surgery Trend. But What Actually Is It? And Is It Safe? | HuffPost Life

Two-Hour Non-Surgical 'Puppet Facelift' Promises Youthful Skin

Natasha Hinde— The Huffington Post UK

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Move over Botox, there's a new face primping procedure in town.

The 'puppet facelift' is the latest plastic surgery trend to take off among women who want to reverse (or at least halt) the ageing process.

The procedure involves pulling small pieces of string through the skin to lift the cheek muscles and lower face. It's proven to be particularly popular with women over 30 years old.

The facelift - a two-hour, non-surgical treatment - typically costs £950 for the first pair of threads and £700 for each additional pair (most people have two-three pairs).

The cosmetic procedure involves numbing the neck and jowl areas, and pushing the thread (attached to a needle) through the skin with the aim to lift it up and secure it.

"This is a predictable and safe way of lifting," says Dr Sarah Tonks who carries out the procedure at the Omniya clinic, London. "It's very good for the jowls and cheeks, but not so great in the brow."

The threads remain under the skin and help to pull everything together in a way that is supposedly less 'wind tunnel' and more natural.

Results are visible immediately, although, says Dr Tonks, "you don't look your best for a couple of weeks".

"The threads seem to relax over a week period and then retighten further as collagen is produced around them," she adds.

After effects include bruising or swelling to the face, and patients are advised not to smile for a week until the threads have settled. During this time, they will become fixed in place by the body's scar tissue.

All being well, the treatment should last for up to two years.

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Carole Brennan, 57, (pictured above) underwent the puppet facelift due to a fear of surgical procedures. After becoming increasingly unhappy with the sagging of skin on her face and around her eyes, Brennan decided enough was enough.

"I felt like my face was ageing me, but I didn’t feel a facelift was the right option for me. The idea of scalpels and invasive surgery made me shudder, but the idea of threads sounded perfect for me," she told the Daily Mail.

"Before the treatment I looked like I was in my 60s or worse, but now I’ve had people say I don’t look a day over 45. My confidence has never been higher, and I feel like a new woman - this treatment turned back the clock ten years for me."

Consultant plastic surgeon and BAAPS council member, Ash Mosahebi, tells HuffPost UK Lifestyle that the procedure is not without its faults.

"The benefits are that the procedure is quick and much cheaper than surgical alternatives, but it is mostly performed by non-plastic surgeons," he says.

"There can be many complications including dimpling, contour deformity, visibility of the threads, infection and threads coming through the skin - leaving permanent and visible scars and defects.

"The results are minimal and could almost be called a waste of money. Mostly these types of treatments are performed by poorly-qualified practitioners."

He adds that patients might find non-surgical treatments such as Botox or dermal fillers give better results, "as long as they are being treated by a properly-qualified practitioner".

Plastic Surgery Regrets

Gwyneth Paltrow(01 of21)

Gwyneth told Harper's Bazaar in 2013, "I won't do Botox again, because I looked crazy. I looked like Joan Rivers!" (credit:Getty Images)

Joan Rivers(02 of21)

We all know Joan Rivers is a walking plastic surgery job -- she has reportedly had over 789 surgeries! But not all operations are equal to the funny woman. In 2009, she told "People" she regretted getting liposuction. "I didn't check out the doctor and the result wasn't smooth," she said. (credit:Getty)

Sharon Osbourne(03 of21)

"I wish I'd never had my breasts done the last time," she told New Magazine. "They've put these bloody great bags in that are too f***ing round--it's like a water bed on your chest."(Getty photo) (credit:Getty)

Nicole Kidman(04 of21)

The youthful-looking actress regrets getting Botox."I didn't like how my face looked afterwards. Now I don't use it anymore -- I can move my forehead again!" (credit:Getty)

Jessica Simpson(05 of21)

The singer has been vocal about how it's important to be natural. But during an interview with "Glamour" in 2006, she told the magazine she regretted getting lip injections."I had that Restylane stuff. It looked fake to me. I didn't like that. But it went away in, like, four months. My lips are back to what they were. Thank God!" (credit:Getty)

Cher(06 of21)

She told "People" in 1992 that she regretted getting breast implants. She got them after giving birth to Chaz and did not want to part with her naturally enlarged breasts due to pregnancy. "They got so much bigger and I couldn't bear to see them deflate. My breast operations were a nightmare. They were really botched in every way. If anything, they were worse after than before." (credit:Getty)

Jane Fonda(07 of21)

The outspoken actress always said she was an opponent of plastic surgery but she caved when she 72 years old and regretted it. She got her eyes and neck restructured. "If I was really brave, I would have not. I vowed I wouldn’t -- I did, and I don’t feel proud of it. It made me look more like I feel. But I don't want to do it again." (credit:Getty)

Kathy Griffin(08 of21)

The always-hilarious Griffin wrote in her memoir that her liposuction surgery made her look like a "CSI crime scene photo."“I want women to know when you get liposuction trying to be Jennifer Aniston, this is what it really looks like.” (credit:Getty)

Denise Richards(09 of21)

"When I was 19, a doctor put in bigger implants than what I asked for. I was in such a hurry to get them that I didn't research my doctor," Richards told Us Weekly. "I just thought because they're a plastic surgeon, they must be good. You have to be your advocate for your own body and ask 100 questions."Later Richards wrote: "At 19 when I first got my breasts done, I wish that I was confident enough with my body to not have had surgery. That is something that I really want to encourage in my daughters, to embrace their healthy body and have confidence. I actually feel more confident in my skin now than in my 20's. Being confident is one of the sexiest qualities a woman can exude."(Getty photo) (credit:Getty)

Jenny McCarthy (10 of21)

"Me and my friends found a doctor in Arizona that cost about $1,500 to get our boobs done--because they didn't use anesthesia and I didn't know it," McCarthy told WENN. In a later interview with Us Weekly, the former playmate said she was "too young" when she got her implants at 19. (Getty photo) (credit:Getty)

Victoria Beckham(11 of21)

In an interview with British Vogue, Victoria was asked about the absence of her "torpedo bazookas," to which the former Spice Girl reportedly replied, "gone".(Getty photo) (credit:Getty)

Courteney Cox(12 of21)

The actress told InStyle in 2010 about how sometimes she overdos it with botox injections. She said, "I feel weird if I can't move my face, and that one time I overdid it, I felt trapped in my own skin." (credit:Getty)

Courtney Love(13 of21)

Some stars need a few operations to learn their lesson. Such is the case with Love. In 2003, Love got liposuction on her butt and said, "Nobody should lipo their butt. I've flattened my perfect fat a**!” Then, in 2007, she regretted her lip injections. She wrote on MySpace, "I just want the mouth God gave me back; it was perfectly cute, and I had nice big lips." Finally, the singer regretted her nose job saying she "hated that nosejobby nose, it was like a little beak.” (credit:Getty)

Carmen Electra(14 of21)

She regrets getting breast implants that took her from a 32B to a DD."I didn't want to go as big as that. It's nice that I don't have to wear a push-up bra any more, but I could have left myself alone. I think I was fine the way I was. I had nice breasts before -- though they were small." (credit:Getty)

Kourtney Kardashian (15 of21)

When she was 22, she got surgery to go from a B-cup to a C-cup. "It was so dumb... I just got the idea in my head one day, and that was that. There was no talking me out of it," said Kardashian in an interview with Us Weekly. (Getty photo) (credit:Getty)

Heidi Montag(16 of21)

The Hills star -- now a size "E or F" depending on the bra--had a staggering 10 procedures done in one day. "I'm obsessed with fitness but it's impossible to work out with these boobs," Montag told Life and Style Magazine. "It's heartbreaking. I can't live an everyday life."(Getty photo) (credit:Getty)

Jennifer Grey(17 of21)

The actress wishes she didn't alter her nose -- the one feature that made her a distinguishable actress. I went in the operating theatre a celebrity -- and came out anonymous. I'll always be this once-famous actress nobody recognizes... because of a nose job." (credit:Getty)

Kimberly Stewart (18 of21)

In an interview with Now Magazine, Kimberly states her famous father was supportive of his daughter when she had the implants put in at 18, and even more supportive when she decided to get rid of them. She recalls, "He's very supportive of whatever I do. He was just like, 'If you don't feel comfortable, if you don't feel safe, just get them removed.'"(Getty photo) (credit:Getty)

Jenna Jameson (19 of21)

"When I had implants, I felt uncomfortable," the former porn star told Us Weekly. "I would be shy at the beach. I know it sounds funny, but I'd wear high-necked clothes, unless I was at an adult-film convention. So I thought, 'why don't I be who I am and get my real ones back?'"(Getty photo) (credit:Getty)

Tara Reid (20 of21)

"I was a 34B, but the right one was always bigger than the left," she told Us Weekly. "He gave me Cs, and I didn't want them. At all." (Getty photo) (credit:Getty)

Tori Spelling (21 of21)

"Well, I got my boobs done in my early 20s," Spelling told Good Morning America. "If I had known that it would or could possibly impact production of milk, I wouldn't have had them. I love being a mom. I am on my third baby. We want to have more. That's my role... these don't matter."(Getty photo) (credit:Getty)

[H/T Daily Mail]

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