HOUSTON – If you're looking to reverse the hands of time, a facelift can be costly and invasive.
One Houston area doctor says for those looking for a more youthful appearance without surgery, a liquid facelift may be the answer.
Diane Morgan is hoping Father Time will cut her a break.
She told KPRC Channel 2, "(I'm) just fighting that aging process without having to actually have surgery."
Dermatologist Dr. Sherry Ingraham with Advanced Dermatology recommended a liquid facelift.
Dr. Ingraham said, "A good candidate for a liquid facelift is a patient who has facial loss of volume due to subcutaneous fats being lost. As we age, subcutaneous collagen is being lost and (patients) have essentially pockets or areas like the temples or cheek where they need some volumization or if someone has some asymmetry and we just want to rebalance their face."
The liquid facelift includes a stimulating filler.
Dr. Ingraham said, "Sculptra is a really unique product. Unlike other fillers where the filler itself is the substance providing lift, what it does is it stimulates the body to produce its own collagen to give that lift and give that fill."
After the third treatment over a nine month period, patients should start seeing the Sculptra work.
Dr. ingraham explained, "It's actually made of ground up suture material which is polylactic acid that we've used for years in absorbable sutures. That material is laid down and then it stimulates your body's own collagen to come in and form its own network which replumps the skin."
Diane added, "As you age nothing is going to be permanent I don't think. So it will refreshen me hopefully and this is supposed to last longer than some of the other procedures, so I'm looking forward to seeing what results I get."
Dr. Ingraham said if a patient has loose, hanging facial tissue, a facelift may be a better option.
The liquid facelift can also be used to help maintain the results of a traditional facelift. It typically costs less than half of a surgical facelift.