Who wouldn't love a facelift? But there's something about going under a knife that just sets my teeth on edge. Not to mention my issues and safety questions around general anesthetic! These days, however, there's no need for invasive surgery to achieve tighter, younger-looking skin.
A simple procedure called gold-threading is sweeping across Europe and Asia, offering women a second chance at their youth. So how does it work? A mesh of gold thread is weaved into the sub-dermal layer of the skin, quite literally just below the surface.
The skin is technically "wounded" when the thread is stitched into the subdermal layer and as a result, blood supply to the areas is increased to create new blood vessels. This in turn rejuvenates the skin cells. Because the thread is a foreign object, it also causes the body to produce more collagen in and around the affected area, firming and thickening the cells. And violà, younger-looking skin! 
The procedure usually lasts between 60 and 90 minutes, with a topical anaesthetic first being used in some cases to numb the skin and then a local anaesthetic injected into each area as the stitching progresses. Anything that doesn't make me lose full consciousness is a winner in my books. You'd also be happy to know that only pure gold (24-carat less than 0.1mm thick) is used to thread the skin, so you won't have to worry about the thread rusting and it shouldn't cause an allergic reaction once it comes into contact with your skin. But always be sure to let your doctor know if you're on any kind of medication, especially blood thinning meds.
The side effects of bruising and swelling a minimal when compared to regular invasive surgical facelifts, but this may vary from person to person, depending on the shape your skin is in and how susceptible you are to bruising. Your skin will be sensitive to the touch and have a tingling sensation, but it's nothing compared to the excruciating pain that comes with regular facelifts (ouch!).
You may have to wait a little while for the effects to kick in though (with all good things, patience is a virtue). The results of gold threading are not immediately visible, and it takes a few days before you'll notice initial results and a further 3 months for the full results to be noticeable. But did you know that the effects of gold threading last for 8 to 10 years?
I don't know about you, but gold threading sounds like a winner to me. Where do I sign up?
