Historically nicknamed the ‘lunchtime lift’, a facial thread lift seems to promise minimal invasion and very little downtime, so what is it and could it be right for you?
Firstly, let’s look at what they’re not. A thread lift is not and cannot replace a surgical face lift which is an invasive procedure carried out by a surgeon.
Put very simply, a surgical facelift procedure involves an initial hairline incision near the temples that continues round the ears and on to the lower scalp. Then, excess skin and fat can be removed, while connective tissue and muscle can be tightened and redistributed to smooth out wrinkles and tighten facial tissue.
A surgical facelift requires dressings, drains and medication for pain, and although normal activity can usually resume after about 2-4 weeks, the whole recovery procedure can sometimes take a few months.
Clearly, opting for a surgical facelift is a big and costly commitment.
Although a facial thread lift can’t replace a surgical face lift, it may be appropriate for people who don’t want to go through a surgical facelift but still want to take advantage of an innovative anti-aging treatment – so long as they manage expectations in terms of the results they can expect compared with a surgical face lift.
Thread lifts have actually been around since the 1990s, but the materials and techniques used in the procedure have evolved over time to the point where the facial thread lift takes under an hour to perform, requires no invasive surgery or general anaesthetic, and achieves natural-looking results which can last up to 2 years.
A minimally invasive procedure, a facial thread lift involves placing small surgical threads under the skin which are designed to provide a lifting and tightening effect by catching, holding, and realigning sagging tissue while adding definition to facial contours.
PDO thread lifts use threads that are made from the same materials as the surgical sutures used to close wounds. One advantage of PDO (or polydioxanone) threads is that although they are reabsorbed over time by the tissue underneath the skin, through a controlled inflammatory reaction, they stimulate the production of new collagen, elastin, and hyaluronic acid.
Taking less than an hour to perform, the area to be treated in injected with a local anaesthetic and the threads are inserted into the face and neck using a needle which is removed as soon as the threads are in place.
Although people should expect a little inevitable bruising, swelling, bleeding and discomfort for a couple of days where the thread was injected, recovery is minimal, there is a far lower risk of infection than with surgery, and you can go straight back to normal life – although you should avoid exercise for a few weeks.
Nevertheless, the effects should be visible immediately and could be the ideal, non-surgical facial aesthetic treatment for things like fine lines and wrinkles, smile lines, crow’s feet, under eye bags, or sagging jawlines, and cheeks.
If you’re interested in a PDO thread lift, remember that it is a Quality Care Commission regulated surgical aesthetic treatment so make sure that you talk to an experienced, fully insured, and qualified advanced aesthetic practitioner.