As a facial plastic surgeon who's passion is facial rejuvenation, I perform a wide variety of facelift procedures depending on the needs, goals, and aging pattern of each individual patient. In my opinion and experience, The Silhouette Lift is a nonsurgical/minimally invasive tool which can be used to help patients achieve their goals by truly tightening, and lifting drooping volume and skin in the face without incisions. THIS IS NOT THE SAME THREAD LIFT THAT LOST FDA APPROVAL YEARS AGO Until now, the closest thing to this procedure has been the "skin-only facelift", which is a surgery that I find hard to justify performing. "Skin-only" facelifts usually require incisions that are similar to a mini-facelift, but without any muscle tightening, so results tend to last a few months to a year. A well performed mini-lift can last 3 years, and in many cases significantly longer. I view the Instalift as a procedure for patients with mild to moderate looseness of the mid and lower face, without a significant amount of loose skin, who do not have the time to recover from a facelift (about 1 week), are okay with results that can last about 18-36 months, are not open to having incisions, and find that the cost (about $3500-$6000 - which is in the same range as ulthera and thermitight) is worth the benefits. The results are subtle, but visible to both my patients and me. Patients have been happy. The procedure involves injecting dissolvable sutures with "sculptra" cones under the skin to lift the cheeks and lower face. It can be combined with fillers and botox to create an overall rejuvenated appearance. There are no incisions. Bruising and swelling is minimal if any. Patients drive themselves home. It takes about 30 minutes to perform with minimal discomfort. Very often the recovery time is similar to that of a filler (24-48 hours if any at all). Although patients may get excited to hear its done under local anesthesia, those who have become part of my practice know that I perform all of my facial plastic surgeries (including facelifts) under local anesthesia as well, which creates a level playing field when it comes to that part of it. In the right patients, I have found that the results are worth the time, effort and resources. The procedure is a minimally invasive way of tightening the skin of the face. To find out if it's an appropriate procedure for you, I suggest doing your research and seeing a board certified surgeon who regularly performs a variety of different facelifts and nonsurgical facial procedures in order to truly get an unbiased recommendation. Tweet