Lunchtime neck lift on a shoestring divides the experts

IT TAKES less than an hour, doesn’t involve a scalpel and promises to restore youthful good looks. But a new “shoestring” neck lift that uses a permanent thread to tighten sagging skin under the jawline has divided doctors and patients’ groups.

The new facial cosmetic surgery procedure, which costs £2,850, is designed to eliminate the “turkey neck” that afflicts many older people, and can be performed under local anaesthetic in less than 60 minutes.

Taimur Shoaib, who owns La Belle Forme cosmetic surgery clinic in Glasgow and Edinburgh, is the first in Scotland to carry out the procedure, also known as the iGuide lift.

Shoaib, who is also an NHS surgeon whose speciality is head and neck surgery, said: “It is revolutionary because there is hardly any cutting at all and, therefore, hardly any scarring. A typical neck lift would require a general anaesthetic and an overnight stay in hospital, but the iGuide neck lift is a minimally invasive procedure with a quick recovery time.”

However, Rajiv Grover, president elect of the British Association of Plastic Surgeons and a consultant plastic surgeon, said its effects could be minimal, and carried some risk. He said: “Perhaps this treatment could be useful for patients with good skin tone and slight sagging in the neck, but those with jowling may be better served with a surgical face or neck lift. Plus it is not entirely fair to call it risk-free. Any treatment that inserts a permanent material into the body comes with the risk of infection. There is also no indication of how long the results will last.”

The shoestring lift claims to give a smoother and younger appearance to the neck, an area often cited as a problem by older women, and uses a single, continuous thread to elevate and define the jawline.

While most neck lifts involve cutting into the neck area and repositioning muscles and soft tissue, the shoestring lift is said to be less invasive, meaning there is reduced swelling, bruising and scarring and a reduced risk of nerve and muscle damage. Those carrying out the procedure claim the results are comparable to traditional, invasive neck surgeries.

Karen Stevenson, an accountant from Bridge of Weir, Renfrewshire, had the procedure in June. She said: “I didn’t want to go down the traditional neck-lift route because I’d be off work for a number of weeks, then I heard about this new procedure. With the iGuide, I only took two days off work. Afterwards I was a lot better than I expected – I felt great. I am pleased with how it looks so far.”

So-called “lunchtime lifts” have become popular in recent years, as women look for quick ways to improve their appearance without requiring weeks to recover from major plastic surgery. Popular lunchtime lifts include brow lifts, eye lifts and lifts that address facial jowls as well as non-surgical cosmetic procedures including Botox, lip fillers and Restalyne fillers, laser skin resurfacing and collagen implants.

However, Margaret Watt, who chairs the Scottish Patients’ Association, advised caution. “When something goes wrong it’s never a quick in and out for a patient,” she said. “It’s wonderful to sell this as a procedure that can be done quickly but it’s not, because something can go wrong and that can have major repercussions.”