SEATTLE -- A new type of facelift on the market promises amazing results with just an hour of surgery and minimal downtime.

The testimonials from the happy men and women are compelling and include before and after pictures.

The infomercials highlight guaranteed financing and the sales pitch hits all the right buttons, claiming it's "safer, it's quicker, without the downtime of traditional procedures." The procedure claims it requires "minimal downtime, minimal bruising or swelling."

Diane Sommer saw the infomercial and made the call.

"They offered a free consultation," she said.

We first met Sommer just prior to her surgery last October, two weeks after her consultation.

"They'll cut a little incision here first," she said, pointing to the skin beneath her chin.

The doctor will liposuction the excess fat under Sommer's chin. Then he'll make two cuts around each ear in order to reach under the skin and tighten the muscle.

The cost of the procedure in the Seattle area is about $4,000, which is less the half the price of a traditional full face lift that also addresses the upper part of the face.

But Sommer told KOMO 4 News the cost to her would only be $2,000. She says she got a deal because she agreed to do testimonials.

"So you get half price in exchange for doing testimonials?" I asked.

"Yes," Sommer confirmed.

Lifestyle Lift is a Michigan-based corporation founded by Dr. David Kent. The company licenses what it calls "surgical centers" across the country. The trademark procedure is performed by plastic surgeons in each community who contract with the company to perform the procedures on a case-by-case basis.

Dr. David Santos is one of the local doctors contracted to perform Lifestyle Lift in Seattle. According to his Web site, Santos is a head and neck surgeon with offices in Kirkland and Renton.

"What it is essentially, is a modified facelift, a mini-lift," said Santos. "The reason it's cheaper is because there's no anesthesiologist."

The procedures take place in surgical suites - rooms in professional office buildings.

Sommer's surgery started just before noon. She was hoping to be back to work in a week.

"Everybody's recovery time is different, but they say you can go back to work in four or five days," she said.

With local anesthesia, she remained awake and talking during the surgery. Sommer says she was instructed to take her prescribed valium prior to the operation. This is common with many cosmetic surgery procedures.

An hour after the operation started, Sommer's incisions were stitched and she was being bandaged and prepped to go home.

"It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. It was really interesting. You could hear all the sounds, but it wasn't bothersome," she said.

With the bandages off two days later, there was quite a bit of bruising and swelling. This is common with any facial surgery.

When we visited her at her home a full week after surgery, she was continuing to apply ice for the swelling, and take the prescribed medications. Her face was smoother and still swollen. The dark purple bruises were diminishing and more yellow in color. The saggy skin under her chin had noticeable decreased.

"There's no infection. Everything's the way it should be," she said.

Her only disappointment was that the healing time took longer than she expected.

"I really was a little disappointed that it is taking longer," she said.

Longer than expected recovery time is a common complaint on Internet blogs and medical patient feedback sites. We found several sites with entries from patients across the country. Based on the feedback, some patients are very happy with the results. Others are not happy at all.

Dr. Santos says that's the nature of plastic surgery.

"Any plastic surgery procedure, just name it, you know, rhinoplasty, breast augmentation, liposuction - there's always going to be some folks that aren't excited about the results," he said.

When we caught up with Sommer three months after the surgery, she was very satisfied and proud to have gone through it.

"I see a person that I remember in the past," she said.

She did reiterate that the post-operative recovery process was much more involved than she was led to expect.

"Well, there's a lot of icing, wearing the bandage for a month, and sleeping sitting up at a 45- degree angle -- just everything that's involved," she said. "But all in all, I'm glad I did it."

Sommer says she feels great.

The plastic surgery community has mixed reviews. Some surgeons see it as good alternative for consumers. Others call it a cookie-cutter approach to volume sales. Some local women who considered the procedure say they were put off by what they felt was a "cattle call" atmosphere in the lobby where people waited for free consultations.

Surgery of any kind is a serious health decision. Before you decide on any elective surgery, do some independent research. Examine all the pros and cons, and talk to the surgeons who'll do the work, about the best and worst results you can expect.