'Pretty remarkable': Thread lifts growing in popularity

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) -- The future of facelifts is here and it's not a facelift at all. In the ever-present attempt to preserve youth but still look natural, people are rediscovering the thread lift.

The thread lift, which InStyle magazine calls a revolutionary treatment, ranks in the top five for minimally invasive cosmetic procedures along with botox and soft tissue filler, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

Despite the fanfare, this procedure isn't all that new. It's just evolved to become something much more appealing to patients.

Dr. James Chan, the owner of Reviance Plastic Surgery, says this is a preferred procedure for patients medically ineligible for surgery but still want to achieve that lift.

Anna, who underwent the procedure last week, says getting numbed at the dentist is worse than the procedure, which in total took 45 minutes for her. She was out that night and back at work the next day.

"It was pretty remarkable," said Anna. "You can see it right away. And a little swelling, in the morning especially, but hardly anything."

One of the biggest appeals of the thread lift is the recovery time which compared to a full facelift is nothing. Patients are fully conscious during the procedure and are able to drive themselves home from the clinic the same day. Dr. Chan says some people can experience soreness or bruising and swelling, but that will go away after a couple of days.

Meanwhile, a facelift can put someone out for 3 months.

"The days of the full-on facelift and hiding out for three or four months are gone. We can do things where you can be back to work in less than a week," said Dr. Chan.

With the rise in popularity, Dr. Chan says he's seeing people buy thread lift kits online and attempt the procedure themselves. He says not only will they not get the same results they would from a medical professional, but this also increases the likelihood of infection.