A new face cream known as a ‘facelift in a jar’ has just gone onto sale in the UK. The Athena 7 Minute Lift cream – already available in the US – is now in UK shops and claims to be the first cosmetic cream offering an injection free, non-invasive, painless alternative to Botox. The UK launch is six months behind the US thanks to six months of wrangling over licenses.

A face lift can lift sagging cheecks, smooth out your jaw line and get rid of any jowling. It will tighten the skin on the face and neck and remove any excess fat. A face lift will not eliminate any pre-existing skin conditions or remove your wrinkles.

Am I suitable for a face lift?
If you have sagging skin in the face and neck, have fairly good skin tone (elasticity) and a strong bone structure, you are a good candidate for a face lift. The better your skin tone, the more likely it is that your skin will respond well to surgery.

Procedure: Improves sagging facial skin, jowls, and loose neck skin by removing excess fat, tightening muscles andredraping skin. Most often done on men and women over 40. 
Length: Several hours. 
Anesthesia: Local with sedation, or general. 
In/Outpatient: Usually outpatient. Some patients may require a short inpatient stay. 
Side Effects: Temporary bruising, swelling, numbness and tenderness of skin; tight feeling, dry skin. For men, permanent need to shave behind ears where the beard-growing skin is repositioned. 
Risks:  Injury to the nerves that control facial muscles or feeling (usually temporary but may be permanent). Infection, bleeding. Poor healing, excessive scarring, asymmetry or change in hairline. 
Recovery: 10 to 14 days: Back to work
                  2 weeks +: Strenuous Activity
                  2 to 3 weeks: Bruising
                  Sun exposure must be limited for several months
Duration of Results: 5 to 10 years.