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Doctors Test New Facelift Procedure


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It's less painful than a trip to the dentist, takes less time than a haircut, and it could make you look years younger.

Sound too good to be true? Not if you talk to people like Jill Barry.

"I'm very happy with the results," she says.

Jill is one of about 40 people who have undergone an experimental new method of cosmetic treatment, a surgery without scalpels or cutting of any kind to get a browlift.

The device is called thermacool. It's not a laser. Instead, it uses radio frequency waves to heat up tissue below the surface of the skin, causing the tissue to shrink and pull the skin tight.

Doctor James Koch is a facial plastic surgeon at Stanford who is testing the device.

He says it's great for patients who don't want anyone to know they've had anything done.

"They don't want to have an operated look. They don't want the surprised look. They don't want the wind tunnel look," he explains.

The doctor places a grid on the patient's forehead to make sure he treats each area once. The grid washes off, leaving no sign anything ever happened.

But patients say they notice a big difference.

"It makes me look more rested. I don't look like I'm squinting all the time on the sides of my face, and my forehead up here is smooth too," Jill says.

Dr. Koch says the procedure is perfectly safe. In fact, the only downside seems to be that it is still experimental, so no one knows how long the effects will last.

The procedure costs around $1,200 for one treatment, with subsequent treatments about half that.

The number of treatments depends on how wrinkled your brow is. And of course, because it is cosmetic, it is not covered by insurance.

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