Can Nonsurgical Face-Lifts Zap Wrinkles?

ByABC News via logo
August 19, 2003, 9:21 AM

Aug. 19 -- Kathy and Karen Ritter, 43-year-old twin sisters, say they've shared all of their great milestones in life but the arrival of crow's feet isn't one of them.

The Ritter twins now Karen Cascadden and Kathy Fitch turned to Good Morning America to document their battle against their aging skin, with each one trying a new form of nonsurgical face-lifts.

When they were little girls growing up in Reading, Mich., Cascadden and Fitch were known as the Ritter twins, and to this day people have trouble telling them apart.

When each married and it was time to settle down, they both moved to Bradenton, Fla., to raise their families. Fitch is a teacher and Cascadden is an assistant superintendent at the Manatee County Schools and a Mary Kay beauty consultant.

Cascadden and Fitch said their spots and fine lines came from spending too much time in the sun. After the procedures, the twin sisters said they couldn't be more happy with the results of their different procedures.

Dr. Howard Sobel, a dermatologist based in New York City, used the "cool-touch" laser on Cascadden, while Dr. Michelle Copeland, a New York-based cosmetic plastic surgeon, used a "rejuvenation-combination" technique for Fitch.

The so-called non-ablative therapies, which involve no cutting, are gradually making their way onto the market in major cities.

Procedures Aimed at Younger Clientele

Unlike traditional treatments, which alter the top layers of skin and require days or weeks of healing, the nonsurgical face-lifts work on the tissue beneath the skin, and can be done in just minutes in the doctor's office.

For procedures, repeat visits are needed, but there are very few down sides, Copeland maintained. Doctors are not sure how long the treatments last, as there have been no long-term studies.

The nonsurgical techniques are aimed at a younger clientele, noted Sobel, those who are too busy to deal with the days or weeks of healing.

"It's important to know that nothing takes the place of a true face-lift if the person has totally lost elasticity in their skin," Sobel said. "The cool-touch is for people in that in-between stage."