What you need to know about thread lift

The best treatment to address problems caused by facial skin laxities such as jowls and drooping cheeks is facelift surgery. While skin rejuvenation treatments can help to restore some degree of firmness, once loose skin is present, only cutting can genuinely remove it.  Facial aging is visible on the skin, but the changes arise from the support layers beneath the skin. Therefore, achieving a fresher, natural look with longer-lasting benefits can only be attained by correcting where the aging occurs and not necessarily by operating on the skin itself.  However, suppose you are not willing or able to have surgery.  In that case, you'll be happy to know that a thread lift fills in the gap between non-invasive facial rejuvenation and facelift surgery.

What is a thread lift?
A thread lift is a type of procedure that uses temporary threads to produce a subtle but visible "lift" in the skin. For example, instead of removing the patient's loose facial skin surgically, the doctor repositions it and suspends it with strategic placement of threads, producing the effect of pulling the skin back slightly and lifting and tightening the face.

In addition to lifting the skin, threads combat aging in another way. Firstly by triggering the body's "healing response" and causing the body to direct a surge of collagen to treated areas, and secondly, the suitable thread composition can also stimulate neo-collagenesis (the production of new collagen and elastin proteins in the skin).  Collagen and elastin play a vital role in the aging process.

Collagen and elastin help keep our skin firm, voluminous and supple. But, unfortunately, as we get older, our bodies gradually produce less and less of these essential proteins. Studies have found that women lose up to 30 per cent of collagen in the first five years of menopause followed by 1-2 per cent per year, which leads to an 80% reduction in skin thickness by about age 70.

Infusing the skin of the face with fresh collagen when the signs of skin laxity are still mild can help to both reduce looseness (by thickening and hydrating the skin) and prevent it from getting worse (by strengthening the skin).

This process provides ongoing and progressive rejuvenation for the facial tissues. With collagen and elastin renewal, patients who have a thread lift will gradually improve their skin tone and firmness. Fortunately, because the threads placed under the skin during the thread lift are tiny, the patient will not feel any of this happening.

Recovery from a thread lift, on the other hand, is comparatively easy because thread lifts are performed under local rather than general anaesthesia, meaning that thread lift patients can drive themselves home and look after themselves immediately after having their procedure. Thus, this procedure is ideal for people who have children at home or busy, demanding careers.

Thread lifts are low risk, thanks to how non-invasive they are. As a result, there is virtually no risk of scarring, severe bruising, bleeding or other complications after having a thread lift. In rare cases, patients may experience irritation, infection or their sutures becoming visible under their skin. However, if this occurs, the sutures can be removed, and the patient's face will return to its initial state.

The ideal thread lift candidate is usually in their late thirties to late fifties with mild to moderate signs of skin laxities. In contrast, most patients with excessive laxities will benefit more profoundly from facelift surgery. Thread lifts can, however, provide a facelift alternative for patients who do not want surgery or are unable to have surgery for medical reasons.

Because doctors can perform thread lifts under local anaesthesia, many people with age-related medical conditions that make them unsuitable for surgery, such as heart disease and diabetes, can have this treatment.

Because the thread lift procedure is low-risk, patients who like the thread lift results can usually opt to have a fresh set of threads placed once the body absorbs their old threads.

Aptos threads.
Aptos threads are special medical grade threads.  Aptos-engineered threads create relatively long-lasting results.  Patients can expect to enjoy the impact of their Aptos lift for one and a half to two years. In addition, Aptos threads gather more skin, producing a more noticeable lift to the cheeks and jowls. Finally, research studies have confirmed that Aptos threads improve the blood flow to the area, stimulating neo-callogenesis (producing new collagen and elastin in the skin).  These are the keys to maintaining firm, youthful-looking skin.

Is it safe?
The Polylactic acid and Polycaprolactone materials in Aptos threads have over a decade long safety track record in medicine, including wound closure, medical implants, tissue engineering, orthopedic devices, and drug delivery systems.  Aptos threads have TGA registration in Australia and FDA registration in the United States.

Which areas can be treated?
Aptos thread lifting is a very versatile treatment that can be used in any part of the face and neck to treat sagging brows, nasolabial folds, vertical and horizontal forehead wrinkles, drooping cheeks, marionette lines, sagging jawline, plus wrinkles and folds on the chin and neck.

What results can I expect?
Thread lift treatments result in an instant and natural-looking improvement in the appearance of the skin. A process of protein synthesis begins after about 10-14 days. Over the subsequent weeks, results will continue to improve, peaking at around nine months and lasting for up to 2 years as your own body produce collagen, elastin and hyaluronic acid. They are making this form of non-surgical facelift a very long-lasting treatment. The thread itself is completely biodegradable and dissolves within one and a half to two years, after which new collagen has formed around the threads to continue to support results, maintaining a smooth and supple texture of the skin.

Dr Ho has many years of experience in thread lifting and is a certified Aptos trainer.  Contact Dr Hugo Ho Thread Lifting for a free consultation to determine how the Thread Lift procedure can help you.