Non-Surgical Facelift

A non-surgical facelift is any procedure aimed to plump up, refresh, and reduce aging effects on the facial skin without incisions. It is either a minimally invasive or non-invasive procedure that usually works to stimulate collagen and elastin production and make skin cells more retentive of moisture. As a result, the facial skin becomes less wrinkled and more radiant, and its laxity decreases to a certain degree.

Difference between Surgical and Non-Surgical Facelifts

The signature difference between both these types is that a surgical facelift involves incisions while a non-surgical doesn’t. The incisions made during a surgical facelift allow your surgeon to trim away excess skin and fat, reposition the underlying tissues and muscles, and tighten the skin.

On the other hand, non-surgical facelifts use injectables, lasers, threads, and other techniques that promote skin revitalization naturally. This adds glow to the skin, improves the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, and reduces skin sagginess.

A surgical facelift leads to a relatively extensive recovery, during which you will experience swelling, bruising, and discomfort in the treated region. In contrast, non-surgical facelifts lead to fewer and milder complications and a shorter recovery duration.

That said, the rejuvenation achieved with a surgical facelift is more dramatic and longer-lasting than a non-surgical procedure.

Ideal Candidate For A Non-Surgical Facelift

A good candidate for a non-surgical facelift is generally a person with:

• Some laxity in the facial skin
• Double chin
• Lost facial volume
• Diminishing facial contour
• Fine lines and wrinkles
• A positive outlook and realistic expectations of the treatment

Types of Non-Surgical Facelift

With a wide array of treatments, Dubai Cosmetic Surgery Clinic offers a non-surgical facelift solution for anyone experiencing mild to moderate aging signs.
The most common types of non-surgical facelifts are as follows.

Ultherapy

Ultherapy is an FDA-approved non-surgical anti-aging treatment that delivers ultrasound energy to the deeper skin layers. When this energy reaches the targeted depth, it transforms into heat, accelerating collagen production. This treatment tightens and lifts the facial and neck skin and improves the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles on the face, neck, and décolletage.

Dermal Fillers

Dermal fillers are hyaluronic acid injections that, when administered into the strategic areas of the face, help restore volume and reduce aging signs. These injections rejuvenate the skin on a cellular level by improving its ability to retain moisture. This helps reduce skin sagginess and smooth fine lines and wrinkles. What you get as a result is a lifted-up, radiant facial appearance.

HIFU

HIFU, or High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound, is a non-surgical treatment to tighten the skin and reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. This treatment uses focused ultrasound energy that produces heat in the skin, resulting in thermal injury of the tissues. This injury activates skin recovery that stimulates collagen and elastin production, helping you achieve a more lifted-up and firmer facial appearance.

Thread Lift

A thread lift is a minimally invasive procedure during which a surgeon uses medical-grade threads (inserted under the skin and latched onto its inner side) to lift the facial and neck skin manually. This treatment effectively and immediately reduces the skin’s saggy appearance. These threads also stimulate collagen production, further increasing the anti-aging effect.

Botox

Botox is an injection-based treatment that uses a neurotoxin called Botolinumtoxin to reduce the aging effects on the face. This neurotoxin works by relaxing muscles responsible for fine lines and wrinkles. It effectively treats prominent frown lines, forehead creases, and crow’s feet.

Chemical Peels

Chemical peels can improve the aged appearance by removing the old superficial skin layer. It is a clinical treatment involving the topical application of a chemical peeling solution of particular strength to the facial and neck skin. This solution dissolves the top skin layer and causes controlled inflammation in dermal tissues, stimulating collagen production. This treatment smoothens the skin texture and produces a more tightened, lifted-up facial appearance.

Laser Skin Resurfacing

Laser skin resurfacing, or laser peel, is one of the advanced treatments that help reverse aging signs on the face and neck. It uses a laser beam that targets and removes the outer skin layer and heats the underlying layer called the dermis. This multi-faceted action reveals a fresh skin layer, induces tissue recovery, and stimulates collagen production. The tissue regeneration effect makes the skin smoother, firmer, and less saggy than before.

Microdermabrasion

Microdermabrasion is a non-surgical procedure that performs mild abrasion to smooth and tighten the skin. This treatment often involves using a handheld device that sprays tiny Aluminum oxide (corundum) crystals onto the skin to ablate the topmost layer. These crystals also cause mild inflammation in the skin that accelerates collagen production, improving the skin texture and reducing laxity.

Microneedling

Microneedling is a minimally invasive procedure that smoothens and tightens the skin by stimulating collagen production. It involves using tiny, sterilized needles that painlessly pierce the skin, creating micro-punctures. This needle-piercing causes controlled inflammation only to activate a healing response that accelerates collagen and elastin production. This treatment helps clear fine lines and wrinkles and gives facial skin a firmer, tightened appearance.

Benefits

Non-surgical facelifts offer numerous benefits. Some of them are as follows:

• These treatments can effectively reduce aging signs, such as fine lines, creases, acne scarring, lack of facial volume, and skin laxity.
• Most of them cause little to no pain and often lead to no downtime.
• They do not require general anesthesia. Topical anesthesia or numbing may be needed in some cases, however.
• These treatments are less expensive than other invasive options.

Risk and Complications

Non-surgical facelifts are generally safe and cause minimal complications. However, they have a few risks, such as:

• Bleeding
• Bruising
• Swelling
• Dry skin
• Itchiness
• Redness

It is important to note that these side effects are often mild in nature and subside in a few days. But if you are still wary, you can communicate your concerns to your dermatologist.

How can I maintain the results of a non-surgical facelift?

The results of non-surgical facelifts are not as long-lasting as those of surgical ones. However, you can still work on a few measures to keep looking fresh and rejuvenated for longer. Here is what you can do:

• Avoid smoking, as it can compromise healing and accelerate collagen degeneration.
• Use sunscreen with a high SPF rating.
• Maintain a healthy body weight.

When should I see my healthcare provider?

It is a good idea to see a healthcare provider before a non-surgical facelift because this is when they establish your candidacy for the treatment. They may recommend you not to get a non-surgical facelift or ask you to wait if you have one or more of the following pre-existing skin conditions:

• Cold sores
• Active acne
• Psoriasis
• Eczema
• Skin rashes
• Burns

Furthermore, a non-surgical facelift may be ineffective in specific scenarios. During the initial consultation, your doctor will examine your skin to rule out issues that make this treatment futile. Those issues include the following:

• Severe skin laxity
• Severe scars
• Deep wrinkles

How Long Does A Non-Surgical Facelift Last?

Non-surgical facelifts do not drastically modify the skin tissue structure. Therefore, their results tend to last only a few months. In general, the outcome of non-surgical facelifts lasts six months to a year.

Non-surgical Facelift FAQs

Our Surgeons

Prof. Dr. Dr. Wolfgang Funk

Plastic, Reconstructive and Cosmetic Surgeon

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Prof Dr. Robert Hierner

Aesthetic and Reconstructive Surgeon

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Dr. Federico Di Francesco MD

Consultant Plastic & Reconstructive Surgeon

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Consult an Expert

Regain the looks of your younger self with non-surgical facelift treatments at Dubai Cosmetic Surgery Clinic, where we have highly skilled board-certified dermatologists and top-of-the-line medical equipment to assist you in your journey towards rejuvenation. For details or to book a consultation, please call +971 4 348 5575. If you want to schedule an appointment online, please fill in the form below.