Would you try the 8 point facelift?

‘Before now, patients would be on the couch and the practitioner would say, “Oh, I think you need a bit of filler here and there,”’ says Dr Tapan Patel, medical director at PHI Clinic on Harley Street, who is championing the treatment and who I’m trusting to demonstrate it on me.

‘But Dr Maio said, “Look, there are specific areas of the face we can inject to get a certain look or a certain movement.” And he devised the 8 Point Lift, which is now being taught around the world.’

The 45-minute procedure is based around eight suggested injection sites – although, as Dr Patel stresses, ‘Not all points may need injecting; it is a bespoke treatment that depends on an individual’s features. It takes extensive training and an artistic eye.’

The amount of filler used errs on the side of caution, too, because volume will continue to develop over the month that follows – and too much will result in the dreaded puffy ‘pillow face’.

But I feel safe in Dr Patel’s hands. According to the new method, the first three points are along the cheekbone and under the tear trough, point four is along the nasal-labial folds down from the nostrils to the corners of the mouth, point five is under the bottom lip, six and seven are along the jawline and finally number eight is at the front of the ear.

However, while Dr Patel adheres to these points (or close to them), he chooses which to inject on a case-by-case basis, because ‘the way you use your muscles and the way your features are interrelated are unique to you.’ With me, for instance, he leaves out point eight, but adds another in the middle of my chin.

The results, according to proponents, are impressive: cheekbones are lifted, hollows under the eyes diminished, lines from the nose-to-mouth reduced and there is a tweak upwards at the corners of mouth. And symmetry, which determines the appeal of a face to another’s eye, is created or restored.

Dr Patel adds: ‘Essentially, the treatment is a reversal of the pull of gravity, because if you reinflate specific points in the face, you get the perception of lift. It’s like a hammock: if it’s sagging, you tighten the supports.’

The latest technology in fillers means that results now last around 18 months, compared to the six to 12 months of old, and there are ongoing skin benefits – ‘fillers increase the skin’s volume over time and tighten it,’ says Dr Patel.

On its own or combined with Botox, he adds that the 8 Point Lift is ‘ideal for patients who have noticed the early signs of ageing but for whom it’s too soon for facelift surgery.’ Botox and fillers are often confused, but used well together they’re as complementary as salt and pepper. Botox (which is a brand name with competitors including Azzalure) is used to lessen muscle contraction and therefore wrinkles.

Fillers, such as Restylane and Juvéderm, are made of synthesised hyaluronic acid, a naturally occurring substance in the skin that decreases with age. They were formerly used to ‘fill in’ wrinkles, but now larger amounts are used more creatively to volumise parts of the face and sculpt features. However, both have a chequered past. 

‘In the 1990s, Botox was in its infancy and it was all about ironing out the face,’ says Jill Zander, founder of the Jill Zander Skin Rejuvenation Clinic. ‘Wrinkles were eradicated and the look was very “frozen”.’

Overuse resulted in shiny, exaggerated foreheads, while droopy eyelids were caused by injecting too much around the eyes. And telltale ‘Botox bunny lines’ on the top and sides of the nose developed to compensate for the frozen muscles around the eyes. 

‘Practitioners became overconfident and used high doses, and the results were often unnatural,’ says Glasgow-based cosmetic dermatologist Dr Darren McKeown. ‘We’ve now come back to a happy medium that makes patients look rested but natural.’

Meanwhile, the fillers of the 1990s were primitive – and permanent. ‘They were made of bovine collagen or silicone and once they were in, they were there for life,’ says cosmetic dermatologist Dr Rachael Eckel. ‘The problem is that even if the filler looked fine on a 45-year-old, 20 years later the structure of the face changed and the filler slipped down the cheek, creating jowls.’ 

What’s more, says Zander, ‘Although the individual line was filled and looked better, that didn’t necessarily mean the rest of the face did.

Today, however, fillers aren’t just used to fill and are often injected to redefine the jawline and gently contour the face.’ But not everyone believes that protocols should be adopted in injectable aesthetics. ‘I loathe the 8 Point Lift,’ says Dr McKeown. ‘I look at the face as a whole and come up with an individual treatment plan tailored to each patient’s anatomy.’ 

And not helping the cause is a shocking lack of regulation. Back in 2013, Professor Sir Bruce Keogh, national medical director for NHS England, wrote, ‘Dermal fillers are a particular cause for concern as anyone can set themselves up as a practitioner, with no requirement for knowledge, training or previous experience.

‘Nor are there sufficient checks in place with regard to product quality – most dermal fillers have no more controls than a bottle of floor cleaner. It is our view that dermal fillers are a crisis waiting to happen.’ 

Despite these warnings, no new regulations have been introduced. Experts advise that you go to a medical clinic, do your research, ignore special offers and remember: you get what you pay for. 

But as a beauty journalist with access to the biggest names in the business, even I have experienced some heavy-handed filler disasters. I know all too well that due to the thick needles that used to be necessary, they hurt like hell.

And after the lumpy-lip incident, I too was a victim of the lack of regulation: the doctor who botched that treatment simply didn’t return my calls and I had signed a legal waiver that meant I didn’t have a leg to stand on (plus, frankly, I had ‘filler shame’ and was embarrassed by my own vanity). Yet now I’m approaching my mid 40s, I need all the help I can get.

I’d rate the pain of the 8 Point Lift at around five out of 10, much diminished from before because not only are the syringe needles much thinner, some fillers contain the painkiller Lidocaine. There is negligible bruising and after a week I notice a sharper jawline and defined cheekbones. What’s more, I look less tired and grumpy due to that magical lift at the side of the mouth. 

After a month, the quality of my skin is significantly improved, due to the ongoing skin-rejuvenation benefits, and I’m quite taken with my better-defined cheekbones. So subtle, but effective, is the 8 Point Lift that I suspect all those celebrities who insist they’ve never had a thing done may soon be queuing up for it. Because after it wears off in 18 months, I know I will be. 

Not up for the needle? These skincare creams offer real results

L’Oréal ParisRevitalift Filler Renew Anti-Ageing Day Replumping Care, £19.99 (Boots) Creates smooth, volumised skin immediately and long-term. 

By Terry Cellularose Liftessence Daily Cream, £105 (Space.nk)   Uses rose cells to lift and firm the skin by activating collagen and elastin, and boosting the production of hyaluronic acid. It also smells divine. 

Time Bomb Trouble Shooter Neck & Jaw Cream, £36 (Timebomb)  Plant extracts eliminate sagging, while antioxidants including truffle extract, vitamin E and olive oil fight future damage to the skin.

Fillerina Lip Volume Gel, from £40 (Marks and Spencer) This hi-tech treatment not only plumps lips instantly, but after 14 days lips are left fuller and more hydrated – with the effects lasting three months. 

Estée Lauder New Dimension Firm + Fill Eye System, £62 (Estee Lauder)  A new two-step treatment that helps to tighten, plump, lift and tone the delicate skin around the eye.