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While face lift surgery is known to be the most effective and permanent method of refreshing aging faces, it's also the most costly and invasive.

A myriad of non surgical face lift options have recently flooded the market over the last few years, gaining national attention from the National Enquirer, the Today Show, Good Morning America, and Oprah.

Thermage directs radiofrequency energy just below the surface of the skin into the collagen. Over the next 6 months, the skin will slowly begin to produce more collagen, filling in the lines and grooves in your skin and producing a younger, more vibrant appearance.

The Titan ("tighten") by Cutera, is another non-surgical process that uses an infrared light source to tighten skin and reverse the signs of aging. The Titan heats the dermis to cause collagen contraction while preserving the epidermis through continuous cooling. In addition, Titan can stimulate long-term collagen rebuilding that leaves patients with younger looking skin.

Rhytec Portrait plasma skin resurfacing unlike other laser or radiofrequency treatments such as Thermage or Titan, is the first technology to use plasma to initiate a unique thermal profile at and below the skin's surface.

Portrait PSR stimulates remodeling of the skin's architecture, replacing old damaged collagen with significant amounts of new collagen. When used in combination with Thermage, the Portrait treatment can take ten years or more off the perceived age of one's face.

Refirme utilizes a combination of infra-red and electrical energy to improve skin texture virtually painlessly and almost instantaneously. The skin-tightening effects of ReFirme ST work based on the fact that when skin is heated in medium to deep degrees, the collagen contraction and production that results continue over at four to six month period. After one treatment the results will being to show though the full effect is an improvement that will continue over time.

Some other names commonly associated with thread face lift are ThreadLift, Russian threads, Aptos threads, S Lift, Curl lift, featherlift, contour lift, and string face lift. The Endotine endoscopic face lift uses similar technology but is used only to lift the upper face. Only a physician can answer questions regarding the differences in technology and efficacy.

Fillers often used in the injectable facelift include:

• ArteFill
• Juvederm
• Perlane
• Restylane
• Radiesse
• Silikon 1000
• Sculptra

Botox, the most popular cosmetic procedure on earth, can be the most inexpensive and instant non-surgical face lift when performed by an experienced Botox physician.

Other less invasive surgeries that can dramatically improve facial appearance without serious downtime are the procedures which reshape the ears, chin, or nose. People of all ages who dislike certain attributes of their facial features choose ear surgery (otoplasty) to minimize the angle of the ears to the head, or chin surgery (mentoplasty) to create a more defined jawline and eliminate that "weak chin" effect.

Rhinoplasty is also very popular for those seeking a more aesthetically pleasing nose, either post-injury or just to streamline the profile of the face.

A traditional surgical face lift will often integrate components of all of these procedures and include a reduction of excess facial skin secured above the hairline.

If your face or neck has begun to sag but you have strong well-defined bone structure and still have some elasticity in your skin, a facelift can set the clock way back on your facial appearance. The underlying facial muscles are tightened, excess fat is removed, and the skin of your face and neck is repositioned.

If a surgical face lift is too invasive for your needs or you don't have the time to undergo the lengthy recovery process, there are a number of other treatments that can produce almost the same effects.

Often the simplest and most pleasing method of bringing new life to a tired face is a cosmetic filler or injectable filler. Products like Botox, Restylane, Sculptra, Hylaform, Captique, CosmoDerm, CosmoPlast, Radiance, and Radiesse are derived from naturally occurring sources within the body, either hyaluronic acid or collagen. Results are immediate and last for several months or years, depending on the product.

If you've ever watched Extreme Makeover, you know very well that if a person's teeth were excluded from the makeover process, there wouldn't be nearly the level of results that viewers have grown accustomed to seeing on the program. Only half of all adults are satisfied with their smiles, and as baby boomers begin address the dental issues associated with aging, they do not want dentures or partials, but a full set of pearly white teeth. Newer technologies like porcelain dental veneers, lumineers, CEREC single visit crowns, da vinci veneers, and laser teeth whitening are the choice of this generation.

Dental work is the most dramatic component of a makeover, so if your smile needs help before your face, click here to find a dentist in your area.