In her column, "Get Gorgeous with Grace Gold," our intrepid beauty reporter Grace Gold investigates products and treatments that really work to keep you looking young, sexy and fabulous.

If you're starting to see the beginning effects of gravity on your jowls and neck but are terrified of walking out of a plastic surgeon's office looking like Joan Rivers, a new technique could be your perfect answer.

Spearheaded by New York plastic surgeon Dr. Sharon Giese, the so-called "Natural Lift" uses micro-ultrasound technology and suction by way of the popular liposuction tool Lysonix 3000 to remove extra fat and activate collagen for a firmer and sexier profile and neck.

The treatment targets sag in both the neck and jowl area, which is the area at the lower perimeter of the face that collects extra turkey skin as our cheeks drop with age.

(There's a reason Bette Davis famously said "Old age ain't no place for sissies.")

The one-hour procedure requires little downtime since it's minimally invasive, with most patients going in on a Thursday and returning to work refreshed the following Monday. A small incision, typically made on the underside of the chin, remains virtually undetectable post-treatment.

"It's great for several different groups: 20's to 30's women who genetically have excess fat like a double chin usually have early jowls. 40's to 50's women almost all have jowls that are the biggest giveaway of age. And 60's to 70's women that may have had a facelift before, as the jowls are usually the first area to recur," says the plastic surgeon, who asks that patients refer to her as Dr. Sharon.

Dr. Sharon charges $5,500 for the pick-me-up without anesthesia, and $6,000 if you decide to opt for the happy drugs.

Patient Lora Lindsey, a perky 38 year-old investment banker living in New York who has received the "Natural Lift," says she is thrilled to be free of a genetic disposition to saggy skin.


"My mother has really prominent jowls, but now I don't need to age the same way. It felt very empowering to me," Lindsey tells StyleList.

I had to know: did it hurt?

"I got the little IV of local anesthesia, and didn't feel a thing. It felt like what I imagine being drugs to be on -- loopy. I laughed when the anesthesiologist told me that 'we've got the good stuff today,' he called the mix I got a margarita," says Lindsey.

And while the market for the procedure is quite large, there are certain people who won't be satisfied with the results.

"This is not a treatment to replace a facelift if someone really needs one. It is intended to put off the time when one may be necessary," says Dr. Sharon, who says the technique also has the potential to delay a facelift indefinitely for some.

As with any procedure, there are potential complications, with the most common one being that too little or too much fat is taken from the area. If that happens, Dr. Sharon performs a mini touch up to remove more fat or fill a slight dent, at no additional charge.

"The best way to prevent aging is to treat an area as soon as you start to see sagging or lines appear. Waiting or putting it off for too long can just mean more work down the line that risks looking less natural," advises Dr. Sharon.

I'll take the good doctor's word on that.

Grace Gold is a beauty writer and the author of the eBook, The Boob Job Bible: 10 Steps To A Sexy, Safe Breast Augmentation.