PARIS Add the curl lift technique to the growing list of so-called lunchtime face-lifts.
First popularized in the 1970s by René Guillemain, M.D., in Paris, the curl lift technique is being rediscovered, thanks to the use of a double-bevel needle like those used by upholsterers, according to Jean-Luc H. Vigneron, M.D., of the Centre Villabianca Dermatologie, Saint Paul de Vence, France.
The needle has two tips and a central eye that allow the surgeon to place stitches or long portions of threads subcutaneously, without an incision. The curl lift uses one loop of thread to lift selected parts of the face and a second loop of the same thread to anchor it to the more resistant tissues of the scalp, typically the galea. The procedure is done under local anesthetic, with little downtime, and leaves only a small scar in the scalp near the hairline.
"The future of the curl lift is clearly the lateral part of the neck," Dr. Vigneron told SKIN & ALLERGY NEWS. "My first five cases are really amazing."
The first line of polypropylene threads is placed in the upper subcutaneous layer. The needle is rotated 180 degrees and then moved upward in a second line parallel to the first. The 230-mm to 250-mm threads are knotted once the desired tension is obtained, then the knot is slipped 5 mm below the skin surface.
The main problem encountered using this technique is dimpling at the lifted area of the face, Dr. Vigneron said at the 4th International Academy of Cosmetic Dermatology World Congress. The dimples tend to disappear after 3 months, he said.
About 200 dermatologic and plastic surgeons have been trained in the curl lift technique in the last year through the American Society of Aesthetics and Mesotherapy or the Vitality Institute, both of Miami Beach.
ASAM chair and president Abdala Kalil, M.D., said in an interview that he has performed more than 300 curl lifts in the last 2 years, and that dimpling occurred only once or twice when he first began. He has modified the technique to carry his institute's name, Vitality Lift, and said it offers dramatic, lasting results that are far superior to those seen with Aptos threads.
The Aptos threads or FeatherLift technique is more widely known in the United States and gained Food and Drug Administration approval in March 2005.
Both procedures take about 1 hour, require good vascularization in the skin, and are best suited to patients without heavy ptosis.
Dimpling is seen 8 days after a curl lift was done from the hair of the temple to the cheek. Courtesy Dr. Jean-Luc H. Vigneron