Cosmetic Surgery

Before Saffe Lift only

After Saffe Lift only by Dr Seit

The SaFfe (combined Stitch lift with Aptos threads technique) Lift

There has been a constant move towards less invasive rejuvenating techniques for cosmetic treatments with fewer and lesser side effects. The sagging face, jowls and droopy eyebrows can now be lifted without extensive incisions and long post operative recovery associated with traditional face lifting techniques.

Facial aging doesn't just occur on the skin's surface. The underlying soft tissues start to lose their elasticity and volume. By treating the underlying tissues the whole face can appear rejuvenated. Unless there is a significant amount of redundant, sagging skin (as occurs in the 60 plus age group) there is no need to remove excess skin - the face can be 'lifted' simply by tightening the soft tissues beneath.

Various cosmetic/plastic surgeons have named different variations of techniques of using a suture to lift the face, neck, brow etc, each with their advantages & disadvantages. The SafFe lift combines techniques adopted from all these variations (Stitch lift, Aptos threads, Giampappa's lift etc) to give you a secure anchored lift with little chance of slipping.

The SafFe Lift elevates the soft tissues of the face through the placement of stitches into the fat beneath the skin (Stitch lift technique). The sutures are introduced through a small 1cm incision in the crease behind each ear, in the scalp or on the mastoid process where it is not visible to others. The sutures (or stitches) are inserted using a fine spinal needle in a series of loops, extending towards the corner of the mouth and looping back to the ear, where they are anchored into the hard cartilage of the ear or to the adjacent periosteal cover of the bone behind the ear.

They are placed at varying distances from the ear so as to provide multiple points of traction. As the loops radiate from the lower part of the nasolabial groove (the groove extending from the nose to the corner of the mouth) to the jaw, it lifts the skin and smoothes not only fine lines and wrinkles but also the nasolabial fold, the corner of the mouth and the jawline. While the sutures tighten the soft tissues and therefore the overlying skin, further skin tightening occurs over time through a physiological reaction to the presence of the sutures.

There are small cogs (Aptos threads component) being cut throughout the length of the thread to help support the facial tissue in place. Collagen forms around the sutures and the cogs and in time is a major factor in maintaining traction on the skin. As collagen matures it contracts with the potential to further enhance the effects.

What kind of thread is it?

The thread that is used is the same material that is commonly used worldwide for suturing. This thread has microscopic hooks that can't be felt or seen, but when the needle is removed, the thread that is left behind attaches to the underside of the skin and causes a contraction of the skin. Within six weeks the skin creates an envelope around the thread, which causes further contraction and retraction of the skin.

The end result is very similar to a facelift without an operation, without general anaesthetic, without scars and the results are long lasting. It's like support scaffolding for the area you want to improve. The threads can be used anywhere on the face and in fact anywhere on the body where the skin needs tightening. Commonly it is placed in the brow, the cheek area and the jowls.

The sagging of tissue of your face is carefully assessed to determine which areas of the face and/or neck are to be treated. A local anaesthetic is used, so there is minimal discomfort. A special suture thread, which has microscopic cogs, which hook onto the underside of the skin, are implanted under the skin through small incision points which are about 1-2 millimetres in size. Careful implantation, and tightening of these sutures takes about 1-2 hours.

The SafFe Lift can be used for the soft tissues of the lower face, neck and also a browlift. The procedure is performed under local anaesthesia with or without mild oral sedation, taking around one to three hours to perform depending on the number of areas to be treated.. The SafFeLift does not produce the dramatic tightening as with most standard facelifts and thus no windblown-type appearence post-operatively. The change produced is significant yet subtle, and natural in appearance. It does not require the extensive undermining, skin excision and subsequent long scars typical of a facelift.

As the procedure is minimally invasive, there are fewer possibilities for potential complications, and the recovery period is relatively short. Most patients can return to work after a few days to one week. When further lifting is required in the future, we simply put more sutures in the required positions.

For a one to one assessment to see if you are suitable for this procedure, please ring us up and make an appointment with Dr Seit.