the rise of the one stitch mini facelift and t lift lunchtime surgery

What’s behind the rise of the one stitch facelift?

FACELIFT SURGERY

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THE TREATMENT YOU CAN HAVE WHILE YOU’RE AWAKE

With the traditional facelift dying a death, the One Stitch Facelift and the T-Lift are the subtle treatments everyone’s talking about.

When we were gathering up the biggest wellness trends for 2020, one particularly piqued our interest – the T-Lift, and the ‘One Stitch Facelift’. The Private Clinic in London has seen a 400 per cent increase in the number of people asking for lunchtime surgical procedures. They’re part of a move towards the rise of tweakments over the traditional go-into-hiding-for-weeks facelift – the latest stats from The British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons reported a 44 per cent drop in traditional facelift procedures in 2018.

WHAT ARE ONE STITCH FACELIFT AND T-LIFTS?

A One Stitch Facelift is a mini-lift procedure for lifting up a sagging mid-face and it’s performed under local anaesthetic. The surgeon makes a small incision just above the hairline, a small sliver of skin fat and muscle tissue is removed (it differs from the Thread Lift in that skin is actually removed, rather than just hoiked up) and a stitch is passed through the deep tissue within the cheek, which is then tightened and secured before the incision is closed with dissolvable stitches.

The One Stitch Facelift is less invasive than a full facelift and offers lasting results – around two years – with minimal downtime. There’s little-to-no swelling and many people return to work the next day.

The T-Lift (or Temporal Lift) is a very similar procedure but targets the upper face instead. “There are a variety of single stitch facelifts available, depending on where the stitch is placed,” says aesthetic doctor Sophie Shotter. “The temple lift or T lift gives the best results of these options. The incision is in the hairline, and so can be easily disguised. They can be a great addition to a treatment programme for patients who are struggling with sagging but aren’t yet ready for a facelift.”

Temporal One Stitch Facelift by Mr Davood Fallahdar *

WHO IS THE ONE STITCH FACELIFT FOR?

Anyone who’s seen their naso-labial lines between nose and mouth deepen with age (collagen, where did you go?) and wants to soften them, or if you’ve noticed your cheeks sagging. It delivers a subtle lift rather than a dramatic change and is an option for anyone who wants to look refreshed but doesn’t have time or inclination for major surgery.

“This mini-lift will look natural if mid-face droop is the main giveaway of ageing in your face,” says journalist and author of The Tweakments Guide Alice Hart-Davis. However, she cautions, it’s not a straight swap for a full face-lift. “If you really need a full facelift and just have the mid-face done, it could look a bit unbalanced.”

HOW LONG DOES A ONE STITCH FACELIFT TAKE?

Both the One Stitch Facelift and the T-Lift take up to 40 minutes, including the anaesthesia – it really is a lunchtime treatment, but most people go home afterwards rather than heading back to work.

DOES A ONE STITCH FACELIFT HURT?

Since it is carried out under local anaesthetic, you shouldn’t feel any pain during the surgery. The local anaesthetic injection can sting and you might feel some discomfort during the surgery but it won’t be painful.

ARE THE RESULTS IMMEDIATE?

Yes, you will see a more lifted appearance to your face straight away.

DO YOU GET A SCAR FROM A T-LIFT OR ONE STITCH FACELIFT ?

A tiny scar in the hairline is the only sign you’ve had any work done, which adds to the popularity of this procedure. Nobody needs to know.

HOW IS IT DIFFERENT FROM A THREAD LIFT?

“It’s a more definitive result than a thread lift as a slice of skin is being excised, so the skin is actually tightened up so it will last for longer,” explains Hart-Davis.