Thread lifts have become very popular in recent years, and with them an idea worth qualifying from the outset: they are not a facelift without surgery. They are something else, with different indications and a different result.
Well indicated, they are a very useful tool. Badly indicated, they disappoint.
What they are exactly
They are threads made of polydioxanone (PDO), an absorbable material that has been used in surgery as a suture for decades. They are introduced under the skin with a needle or a fine cannula and act in two ways at once:
- A mechanical effect that is immediate, when the thread carries small barbs that allow the tissue to be repositioned.
- A biological effect that is gradual: the material itself stimulates the formation of collagen around it as it is absorbed.
That second effect is the one that tends to surprise people: the thread disappears, but the collagen it has induced stays for a while. That is why the result is not fully visible on day one.
When they can be a good option
In the clinic they tend to suit people with mild or moderate skin laxity, when the tissue has begun to drop but still has quality and elasticity. The areas where they are used most are the facial oval, the jawline, the cheeks and the neck.
There are three things I assess before proposing them:
- The quality of the skin: a thread tightens the tissue that is there, it does not create it.
- The amount of sagging: if there is a lot, the thread will not reach, and promising otherwise would be misleading.
- Volume: sometimes what looks like skin laxity is loss of volume, and then the solution is a different one.
When something else suits better
If the sagging is significant, the indication is surgical, and saying so in good time saves money and frustration. If what there is is loss of firmness without sagging, a collagen stimulator or a tightening treatment usually works better. And if the main problem is the quality of the skin — texture, dehydration, pigmentation — threads are not going to solve it.
In many cases the answer is not one treatment, but a combination planned in a particular order.
What to expect: recovery and duration
It is an in-clinic procedure, under local anaesthetic, and recovery is usually short. Over the following days there may be discomfort on opening the mouth, some tender areas, swelling or the odd bruise. These are common, temporary effects, and it is worth allowing for them when choosing the date if there is an event coming up.
How long it lasts varies, and depends on the type of thread, the area, your age and your own tissue. It is reasonable to talk in terms of months, to plan review appointments and not to expect a permanent result.
Who should carry them out
This is a medical procedure. It requires knowledge of facial anatomy, judgement to choose the type of thread and the plane in which to place it, and experience to know when not to do it. A poor indication can lead to asymmetry, visible irregularities or a result that is not worth it.
At Harmony by Agas we always start with a consultation: we look at the skin, the volume, the degree of skin laxity and what you hope to achieve. Sometimes the conclusion is that threads are the best tool; other times, that they are not. Both answers are a good outcome from a consultation.
If you are considering this treatment, book an appointment and we will go through it calmly on your own face.
