Thread Lifts, Explained

Somewhere between invasive procedures like surgical facelifts and the hydrating and wrinkle-filling effects of dermal fillers lays another option: thread lifts. Going by names such as Silhouette Soft, Contour Lift, or Happy Lift, these minimally-invasive procedures use temporary sutures to lift and tighten skin, reversing these signs of facial aging.

What are Thread Lifts?

Thread lifts are dissolving sutures with cones or barbs along their length to help keep them in place. Silhouette Soft, in particular, is made of Poly-L-Lactic acid (PLA) sutures with cones made of Lactide/Glycolide. Doctors thread these sutures beneath the skin, helping physically lift and tighten the skin as the bi-directional cones or barbs help keep the sutures in place.

How Thread Lifts Work

Initially, the special sutures will help hold the skin physically in place, lifting and smoothing to reduce the look of wrinkles or light sagging, basically defying gravity. However, the sutures also help stimulate collagen growth within the skin and provide a sort of scaffold for the collagen to grow. This means that even as the sutures begin to dissolve, collagen is increasing in the same location. This helps restore thickness and strength to skin in the area, helping to maintain the results of the thread lift treatment even longer.

How Long Do Thread Lift Results Last?

Silhouette Soft threads in particular last for about a year and a half before dissolving within the body. However, since the thread lifts have left collagen behind, the results of the treatment can last even longer. The results are not permanent, so clients do not have to worry about making any permanent changes to their body that they may not still want in a few years, unlike plastic surgery.

Do Thread Lifts Have any Side Effects?

Although thread lifts are minimally-invasive, they do carry the risk of side effects. Someone who has had the thread lift procedure may experience an irregularity or depression at the location where the threads are inserted into the skin. They may also experience side effects like bruising, swelling, inflammation, pain, and possibly even infection, but most people should find these side effects go away within a few days of the treatment. Proper care, such as the use of antibiotics after the procedure, can help.

What Can Thread Lifts Treat?

Thread lifts can help smooth and lift areas such as the jowls, the nasolabial folds between the nose and mouth, the brows, and the cheeks. People in their mid-30s to 50s would be most interested in the treatments. This is because the treatments are more invasive than a dermal filler that younger patients may use to hydrate skin and fill fine lines, but the sutures are not able to have a huge effect on severely aged and sagging skin, which may require more-invasive treatments such as a surgical facelift.

How Much Downtime is There After a Thread Lift?

A thread lift is less invasive than plastic surgery but still more invasive than a lunchtime dermal filler procedure. Although someone who has just undergone a thread lift is not bedridden after the procedure, they do need to take some precautions. They should avoid running or other sports for the next couple weeks, and stay away from face and neck massages, tanning, and aesthetic procedures. For the best results after treatment, they should sleep face up with their head elevated on pillows for the next three to five nights and limit their face movements. To reduce the chance of infection, they should also remember to keep applying a prescription antibiotic to the suture insertion points.

Thread lifts are another option medical spas have for helping clients improve the look of their skin. While botulinum toxins can help relax wrinkles and dermal fillers can help fill fine lines or deep wrinkles and improve the skin's hydration, thread lifts can help lift the skin as a less-invasive alternative to a face lift. Doctors and estheticians should continue to look at each client individually to determine their needs, and if a thread lift is the right choice for that particular client, buy Silhouette Soft sutures at MedicalSpaRX.com. Since Silhouette Soft is 10% off in January, now is the time to give these tread lifts a try.