BEAUTY
WE HAVE LIFT-OFF
A stopgap between fillers and facelifts, the thread lift is gaining fans among people looking for a subtle, scalpel-free reshape
REPORT: CAROLINE BRIEN.
PHOTO: STOCKSY
Of all the hacks used by actresses in Hollywood’s golden age to look alluring on the big screen – think Marlene Dietrich and Sophia Loren – taping was the star. It involved using concealed sticky tape to pull up skin for an instant lifting effect.
Skip to today, swap tapes for threads and add celebrity fans such as Gwyneth Paltrow and US make-up queen Huda Kattan, and you have a more sophisticated and longer lasting modern equivalent.
Pioneered in the 1980s with fine gold fibres, thread lifts now use biodegradable material similar to surgical stitches, sewing through the layer of fat just below the skin’s surface and pulling tighter where there’s sagging. With the right placement, you can recapture a coveted cat’s eye, chiselled cheekbones or a more defined jawline for up to two years.