Polydioxanone is an absorbable suture material that has been used in surgery for decades. In a thread lift, it is placed in the tissue under the skin, either to hold repositioned tissue or to prompt collagen. Learn more about combination treatmentsThe American Society of Plastic Surgeons puts the effect at a few millimeters, which is a subtler result than surgery gives. Threads suit mild to moderate looseness. They do not replace a facelift and they do not restore lost volume.
See combination treatments Threads are not a facelift. The difference matters. Everything else on this page follows from that.
Smooth threads have no barbs, so they do not pull tissue anywhere. They are placed in a mesh pattern and work by triggering a mild healing response that lays down collagen along their path. They are used for skin quality rather than lift.
Twist threads are smooth threads coiled around the needle, which increases the surface in contact with tissue. They are used to add a little fullness in hollow areas rather than to lift. Like smooth threads, they do not grip, so they cannot reposition anything. The evidence behind them is thinner than for the barbed type.
Barbed threads carry small hooks along their length. Those hooks catch the tissue, which lets the provider draw it upward and hold it there. This is the type used when the goal is an actual lift along the cheek, jawline or brow. It is also the type most associated with dimpling and with threads you can feel.
Months, not years. You will see one to three years quoted for thread lifts. The larger clinical series report something shorter, commonly six to twelve months, with polydioxanone threads sitting at the shorter end.
The thread material itself absorbs within roughly four to eight months, and the lift softens gradually rather than ending on a particular day. Long term studies are still limited, which is why we describe a range and why nobody can honestly promise you a duration.
The area is marked, then numbed with local anesthetic. Threads are introduced through a fine needle or cannula along planned lines. Most appointments run somewhere between thirty minutes and an hour, depending on how many areas are treated. You are awake throughout.
Most people are back to ordinary routines within a few days. The activity restrictions run longer than the visible recovery does, and following them is a real part of how the result holds.
Your before and after photos appear here
Your before and after photos appear here
Your before and after photos appear here
Threads carry risk. Most settles quickly. Swelling and bruising are the most common experiences after treatment. Dimpling or a small pucker in the skin happens fairly often and can usually be corrected. Threads that can be felt, or occasionally seen, are less common. Asymmetry, a thread working its way out, infection and altered sensation are all possible.
Published reviews report an overall complication rate that is not small, though the great majority of what they count is minor and short lived. Rare serious problems have been reported, including nerve injury and skin damage. This is a medical procedure, and it deserves a proper conversation about risk before you decide, not after. Your provider will go through the ones that apply to you.
No. A facelift is surgery that lifts and repositions deeper tissue and holds for years. A thread lift is an in office procedure that gives a few millimeters of change and softens within months. If you are hoping for the result surgery gives, threads will disappoint you, and we would rather say that now.
Less than commonly claimed. Here is why.Three things drive it.
Large clinical series most often land between six and twelve months.
Local anesthetic handles the procedure itself, so most people describe pressure and tugging more than pain. Afterwards expect soreness, swelling and often bruising for several days. Ordinary routines usually resume within a few days, but the restrictions on chewing, sleeping position and facial movement run for weeks, and they matter.
Often, yes. Threads can be withdrawn, and dimpling can frequently be released with massage or a small in office correction. It is not always simple, and it is one more reason to have this done by someone who places threads regularly and knows how to fix things.
A thread lift is a good answer for some faces and the wrong answer for others. You will know.At consultation we look at how much laxity there is, how your skin behaves, and what you are actually hoping for. If threads fit, we will explain what to expect and what they will not do. If something else fits better, or if nothing does yet, that is what we will tell you.
Lumen Skin & Aesthetics aesthetic center brings together injectables, lasers and dermal fillers, laser skin resurfacing, and skin treatments in a calm, unhurried setting built around consultation.
