If you are looking into cosmetic procedures at all, chances are you've heard about many different procedures that promise to be as good as facelifts, only without surgery. Many of these are scams, but some of them are legitimate alternatives that have reasonable tradeoffs against the facelift procedure, and should be considered. Perhaps the most successful facelift alternative is injectable fillers, originally collagen, but nowadays they are more likely to be hyaluronic acid, a natural material that is found in skin, spinal fluid, eyes, and streptococcus bacteria. Botox, commonly promoted as a facelift alternative, actually targets completely different areas than the facelift. Whereas a facelift works on sagging skin and facial folds in the lower face, Botox is most successful in remedying crow's feet and wrinkles in the forehead.
Other facelift alternatives include skin and subcutaneous fat treatments, such as Thermage and some components of the Sciton platform. These treatments actually apply light or radio energy to the skin in a fashion that penetrates below the surface into the subcutaneous layers of fat. These treatments can loosen the tissues of the skin and fat, causing them to rearrange themselves slightly and contract. With these treatments, some people see significant tightening of the skin and alleviation of facial wrinkles. Not everyone sees the same results, however, and doctors have not yet assembled a consistent profile of who will see the best results.