Yesterday, I had the One Stitch Face Lift – not as radical as it sounds and not one stitch either but that name is more recognisable than its other name, the Silhouette Soft Lift. I’ve added in a picture at the bottom of this post of the procedure taking place so if you are squeamish, don’t go further than the last para. 

As we age, skin gets slacker, and my area of concern was just under my chin where the skin has lost its firmness. When I say ‘concern’, I had just started not to like it, grabbing it in front of the mirror (which I am sure didn’t help anything) and wishing it wasn’t there. I’m happy to age, genuinely, but I’m also very curious about anything that can make subtle improvements to the ageing process – no trout pouts or super-size cheeks for me. What I want to do is age well and sometimes, depending on genes, it’s possible to be amazing for your age, but often, it isn’t. So, while I don’t want to be some time and gravity defying monster, I certainly would like to fall into the ageing well category.

It’s no secret that I love a bit of Botox in my forehead and have a small amount of cheek filler to just keep them plump (this also has the beneficial knock on effect of reducing nose to mouth lines) and I’m prepared to experiment with procedures. The Silhouette Soft Lift appealed because it’s a temporary procedure done with local anaesthetic (up to now I have always said I will never have anything that involves a general – a tweak here and there just isn’t worth the risk). The aim of the procedure is to place dissolvable stitches with small cones along their length which are then pulled back to anchor tissue in a more firm position. Results for permanent, similar, thread lifts are variable, whereas the Silhouette Soft, because it is temporary, is not quite such a commitment. The upshot of the stitches, inserted with a long needle, so no cutting, is that they encourage collagen growth and once dissolved, the theory is that you should have nice new collagen to keep everything tidy and firm. A cautious view is that this will last 18 months to two years, but it may well last longer.

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So, what was it like? Being as blunt as I can, because if you’re considering it, it’s what you need to know, it’s not comfortable – at all. I chose Dr Darren McKeown to do the procedure, because I’ve known him now for several years and he is a ‘less-is-more’ man and he’s spent many years in the NHS repairing and reconstructing (tendons, mainly). The most painful part was having the local anaesthetic along the jaw line – Darren described as like a bee sting and it is; bear in mind that nobody wants to be stung by a bee! Ouch. Thereafter, you don’t feel much other than some rummaging (I haven’t had a caesaerian but I imagine it’s a rather similar feeling) around in your face. It was weird. About half way through, I imagined I could feel strings hanging out of my face and to be honest, only just stayed this side of hysterical – it totally freaked me out, but I did manage to keep it together, thankfully. I am not normally squeamish at all, but there was something about it that gave me the heeby-jeebies. The procedure didn’t last long – about twenty minutes of the rummaging and Darren and I were chatting pretty much all the way through (he is delightful, I might say). Afterwards, I went straight to a launch.

As soon as Darren had finished and I looked in the mirror, I could see the effect immediately. There is absolutely no doubt that my chin looks firmer and less ‘loose’. However, now there is a little swelling a bruising so I am back to square one, but I have had a glimpse of how the final result will be and I will be delighted if it stays that way. I will of course, update in a few weeks time. Right now though, I look like a vampire has bitten me a few times!

The conclusion so far is that yes, it hurts initially, yes, it feels extremely weird, but for the small amount of time it takes and the potential results, totally worth it. This procedure costs around £1400 and I’d genuinely recommend Darren without hesitation – he was kind, gentle as he could be, and we had a bit of a laugh at the same time.

Darren’s details are HERE.

Stitch Pic
Stitch Pic

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