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Thread lifts: the Good, Bad and Ugly

Thread lifts offer a minimally invasive method to achieve lift and suspension of facial features that are a common complaint of patients. Also, they can add volume without the use of more traditional facial fillers like hyaluronic acid, calcium hydroxyapatite or fat. They are widely available at med spas, aesthetic centers and dermatology and plastic surgery offices and they carry a relatively low risk profile. The BAD: Noticeable, positive results…initially. Look at any before and after picture set of a patient that has undergone thread lifting. What do you notice? The after pictures are always immediately following the procedure. These offer basically no longevity at all. Threads are placed…

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 Forget Brows: Women Are Now Threading Their Faces

If eyebrow threading makes you uneasy, honey, you ain't seen nothing yet. Queen of off-kilter beauty extremes (remember vagina steaming?) Gwyneth Paltrow has another treatment for you to think about: The Threading Face-Lift.

 Thread Lifts: What They Are and Why We Don’t Recommend Them

Influencers and aesthetic injectors have been quick to tout the purported benefits of thread lifts online. But do thread lifts work? Patients occasionally ask me about polydioxanone (PDO) thread lifts and their popularity in facial rejuvenation. Thread lifts have gained significant attention due to their non-surgical nature and promise of lifting and tightening sagging skin. They involve the insertion of biodegradable sutures or threads beneath the skin to reposition and support the tissues, providing a subtle lifting effect. Many patients are attracted to the idea of a minimally invasive procedure with minimal downtime. However, it’s crucial to be aware that while thread lifts may yield some short-term benefits, they are not without risks and limitations.

Articles of Interest

Doctors Debate: The Pros And Cons of Thread Lifts

Experts are split on thread lifts. While some love a thread lift for its speediness and low down-time, others find that the results are not long-lasting or consistent enough to justify choosing the treatment over a traditional facelift.

Don’t Believe the Hype About PDO Thread Lifts

Social media is filled with thread lift before and after images, promoting PDO thread lifts as a quick fix for sagging skin. Often marketed as a nonsurgical facelift, this treatment claims to lift, tighten, and rejuvenate the face without surgery. While the idea may seem appealing, the reality is that PDO threading comes with significant downsides. The results are often short-lived, and the procedure can lead to complications, scarring, and irregularities. Exploring safer and more effective alternatives can help achieve long-lasting, natural-looking results.

Everything You Need to Know About Thread Lifts

Consider this your complete guide to thread lifts, including injection options, potential risks, and pricing.

Is a Thread Lift The Answer to Sagging, Crepey Skin? Experts Weigh In

Although a thread lift may seem like a great way to get subtle results, it's not for everyone. According to Dr. Evans, the natural results and minimally-invasiveness that are selling points for some may be a drawback for others. "Some patients can feel underwhelmed. It also can be difficult to have perfect symmetry and patients can feel one side is better.”

Mixed Results on a New Beauty Fix

The barbed suture lift, nicknamed the thread lift, is a quick outpatient procedure in which doctors thread serrated plastic sutures through the fatty layer beneath the face and use them to hoist sagging tissue. The idea is to pull the skin taut, so the face looks smoother and more youthful.

What you need to know about thread lifts

A thread lift is a type of procedure wherein temporary sutures are used to produce a subtle but visible "lift" in the skin. Instead of removing the patient's loose facial skin surgically, the cosmetic surgeon simply suspends it by stitching up portions of it. This has the effect of pulling the skin back slightly and therefore lifting and tightening the face. In addition to being ideal for lifting the skin, threads combat aging in another way: by provoking the body's "healing response" and causing the body to direct large surges of collagen to treated areas. This is important because of the vital role collagen plays in the aging process.

Resources

American Board of Facial Cosmetic Surgery

If you’ve been seeking a less invasive alternative to a surgical facelift, a minimally-invasive thread lift might be the ideal option for you. In the hands of a skilled facial cosmetic surgeon, thread lifts offer a subtle, natural-looking lift that can reduce sagging and enhance your facial contours. Nicknamed the “lunchtime lift,” this cosmetic procedure uses dissolvable threads to both instantly lift and promote collagen for a more youthful complexion.

American Society of Plastic Surgeons

A thread lift, sometimes referred to as a "lunchtime lift," uses absorbable, barbed sutures to offer a tighter, more youthful aesthetic appearance to the face and neck. This minimally invasive procedure works by stimulating the production of collagen in the skin in order to produce healthier, firmer skin. It can also mechanically lift tissues where the barbed sutures are placed.