The Non Surgical Facelift: Absorbable Thread Lift
While nonsurgical procedures will never completely replace the need for surgical intervention for some patients in regards to anti-aging, it’s amazing how far nonsurgical procedures have come, and how great results they provide with minimal intervention! Younger women now have more access to information, and seem to be more fixated on prevention and anti-aging at younger ages, making these nonsurgical procedures ideal. Let’s take a closer look at the non invasive Absorbable Thread Lift!
For middle aged patients displaying mild to moderate signs of aging, the nonsurgical Thread Lift proves a phenomenal option. This Thread Lift utilizes absorbable threads made of lactic acid, or dissolvable suture material. That means the threads eventually break down and are absorbed by your body, just the same as dissolvable stitches.
Areas of the face that can benefit tremendously from a Thread Lift are the jowls and jaw, marionette lines, droopy brows, sagging neck and generally the entire lower part of the face. The threads are used to tighten and lift these areas in a way that appears subtle and natural. Sagging or loose jowls are an incredibly difficult area to address non surgically. Those with severe causes usually require surgical intervention. For more mild cases, the Thread Lift proves incredibly beneficial. Fillers certainly have made a great impact in anti-aging and promoting a more youthful look, however are designed primarily to address lack of volume. Using fillers alone in an attempt to lift the face may lend results that are unnatural looking and excessive if placed in the hands of an inexperienced administrator. The Thread Lift is exciting because it fills a void that plastic surgeons simply could not fill in the past non surgically. Let’s look at the procedure in more detail!
Dr. Adibfar begins by making markings on the face where the entry and exit points of the thread will be, as well as where he’d like the threads to sit under the skin. Once satisfied, the patient will be injected with an anesthetic mixed with adrenaline that will work to stop any bleeding by closing any small blood vessels. The thin absorbable thread is strong and has small cones running along it, as well as a needle on each end to mark where the thread begins and ends.
Dr. Adibfar passes the needle through the skin along the subcutaneous tissue, leading the thread along the lines and markings on the skin. Once the needle passes through the other end at the exit point, he safely cuts the ends of the threads. Dr. Adibfar then runs his fingers over the thread to engage the thread and compress the area softly to set it in place. The cones—made of the same absorbable material—are very small and function to provide traction within the tissue so that when Dr. Adibfar pulls on the threads, it causes an elevation of the skin. These cones also work to stimulate collagen, which lasts even after the thread is absorbed by the body completely.
The threads can be used to lift the eyebrows and droopy eyelids, tighten the neck and address sagging skin, lift the cheeks and ease the shadows of smile lines. There are no incisions or stitches and minimal downtime is required. Patients will be able to see the results immediately, however full results will present themselves approximately 3-4 months later after the thread and collagen are met more cohesively. The threads last up to 18 months with the bonus of added natural collagen production. It is quite normal for patients to see slight dimpling, and/or swelling which resolves within one week.
If you’d like to learn more about getting a nonsurgical Absorbable Thread Lift with results that are subtle and natural looking, and that include very little downtime or interruption, we’d be happy to answer any questions you may have about the procedure!
Click here to learn more or to book a consultation with Elements Spa’s board-certified cosmetic plastic surgeon Dr. Adibfar.