The most important facts about thread lifting in a nutshell
Thread lift at a glance
| Duration: | 60-90min |
| Effect holds: | 9-12 months |
| Anesthesia: | local |
| Downtime: | none, but swelling, tightness pain and mimic restrictions for several days can be considerable |
| Prices: | approx. €280-€800 with PDO threads, approx. €620-€4000 with Silhouette Soft threads |
Find complementary information about thread lifting in these blog articles
Thread Lift in the Blog
Skin tightening in the face and on the body without surgery
What is thread lifting?
A thread lift is an innovative treatment to reduce the signs of skin aging. Whether wrinkles, sagging tissue, drooping cheeks or a facial shape that no longer resembles the youthful “V” but increasingly the “O” of old age: thread lifting can provide a visible improvement. The treatment rightly is known under the synonym “facelift without surgery” because in numerous applications needing only moderate work it has replaced surgical skin tightening. And not only on the face, but on various zones all over the body.
Preparation of a thread lift of the cheeks with Silhouette Soft.
Known for over 20 years
Thread lifting has been a proven and safe technique for over 20 years. Current materials and protocols incorporate the learnings of more than 2 decades, ranging from the choice of thread material to insertion techniques. Like several other minimally invasive treatments, thread lifts have long been enjoying strong popularity in South Korea and owe much of their development to the continued research of Korean practitioners and thread manufacturers.
Lower cost and risk
Whereas in the past a surgical facelift was the only way to counter sagging skin on the face, today a thread lift offers a less invasive method of tightening up loose skin. It rejuvenates the internal tissue in an organic way and gets rid of skin flabbiness.
As a minimally invasive technique, thread lifting not only carries fewer risks, but also incurs lower costs.
PDO vs. SILHOUETTE SOFT Lift
As an effective alternative to surgical skin tightening, I offer thread lifts in two variants: PDO thread lift and SILHOUETTE SOFT lift. The two treatments differ in terms of material and tensile strength of the threads. A Silhouette Soft lift comes at significantly higher costs than a lift with PDO threads, but also yields much stronger effects. What both techniques have in common is that the sutures are completely absorbed. After 6-12 months, the body has broken them down. What remains is the tightening effect of new collagen and elastin in the tissue, the formation of which was stimulated by the inserted threads.
Different threads for increased collagen synthesis and strong skin tightening effect
PDO threadlifting and silhouette soft
Thread lifting is a versatile treatment and suitable for many applications. Thread lifts are particularly popular in South Korea and and are constantly being developed by aesthetics practitioners there. Whereas the thread lift of a few years ago would mainly make use of “mono” threads, today’s treatments rely primarily on so-called “COG” and “cone” threads. They are anchored in the tissue through small resistance bodies and exert real traction on the skin. With their help, subtle lifting effects can already be achieved. The effect can be improved if the muscles involved are weakened with a small dose of Botox. Silhouette Soft represents a further increase in terms of tensile strength and is also suitable for more ambitious skin tightening goals.
PDO mono threads
PDO mono threads are smooth and do not exert any tensile force on the surrounding tissue. They are made of Polydioxanone (PDO), a material originally developed as a surgical suture material and still used as such today. Their effect is based on a slight lifting effect, similar to an injection with hyaluronic acid. They also stimulate collagen production, achieving a subtle skin tightening effect. To enhance the effect, mono threads are also available in spiral form. A thread lift with mono threads incurs the lowest cost, even if a dozen or more threads are inserted per side.
pdo COG and CONE threads
COG and cone threads use the principle of barbing. They are not smooth, but resemble a barbed wire. This makes it possible to anchor them in the tissue and create a much stronger lifting effect than possible with Mono threads. The resistors of today’s COG filaments are arranged in more than one plane. Threads are accordingly called 3D, 5D or 6D filaments. The choice of thread determines the strength of the effect and also the cost of the thread lift. Cone threads are even stronger than COG threads. They can also be used, for example, to perform a “Fox Eyes” brow lift. In addition to their tensile effect, these threads also stimulate the production of collagen, thus achieving a complementary effect that will last beyond the point of the thread’s complete absorption.
silhouette soft threads
Silhouette Soft threads are not made of PDO, but of PLLA, a poly lactic acid. The material is known to stimulate the production of new collagen in the tissue. It is also found in a dermal filler marketed by the same manufacturer under the name “Sculptra”. Like PDO, PLLA is completely degradable. However, it has a longer lifetime. A Silhouette Soft thread achieves its high lifting power through resistance bodies in the form of hollow cones, of which either 8 or 12 are threaded. These threads are also suitable for demanding skin tightening procedures. However, a Silhouette Soft thread lift is significantly higher in cost than conventional PDO threads.
Skin tightening on the face, neck and décolleté and body
WhEN thread lifting?
Thread lifts are particularly suitable for those areas of the body that are difficult to treat with other procedures, especially when the aging process is far advanced. These are:
Crow’s feet
Eyebrow lift
Lip Lines
perioral lines
Marionette folds
Jawline Contouring
Neck and décolleté
Turkey neck
Other areas of the body are also suitable for thread lifting. Especially the thighs, buttocks, armpits, abdomen and back. However, the achievable results are often not in reasonable proportion with the treatment costs, which can be considerable in these areas.
The prerequisite for good results is always that the skin has sufficient thickness to absorb the sutures well. A suitable candidate for a thread lift is someone who has a mild to moderate skin laxity. Otherwise, alternative treatments must be considered. Thread lifting is not very promising if there is real excess skin in the narrower sense, which can no longer be treated with tissue stimulation, e.g., a fat apron. In such cases, satisfactory skin tightening will indeed only be achievable surgically.
Fox Eyes Lift, Bella Eyes Lift
Fox eyes thread lifting eyebrows
The “fox eyes” thread lift of the eyebrows is currently very trendy. Brow lifts have long been a classic because drooping eyebrows, as a typical sign of aging, are frequently perceived as unattractive. Thread lifting of the eyebrows therefore quickly established itself as a viable alternative to injections with Botox or surgical procedures.
However, young women today also have their eyebrows and forehead lifted using thread lifting to achieve a special look. This was apparently coined by the American model Bella Hadid, and therefore also circulates on the net under “Bella Eyes” or “Bella Eyes Brow lift”. This type of eyebrow lift primarily involves lifting the outer thighs of the brows, to produce a typical “fox eyes” look. However, fox eyes are not suitable for every face.
Moreover, a Bella Eyes thread lift is not as trivial as it may seem on YouTube or Instagram. This is because the muscle pull in this area of the face is strong, but the skin is thin, and these are not good conditions for a thread lift. Only forceful Cone or even better Silhouette Soft threads are suitable to achieve a significant lifting effect. In addition, a simultaneous treatment with Botox is recommended to relax the muscles somewhat. However, this ultimately makes Fox Eyes a money issue. Supposedly cheap offers for Bella Eyes with simple COG threads carry a high risk of disappointment in my opinion.
The video below shows the treatment of a young woman in her early 20s, using thread lifting to subtly lift eyebrows and widen the eye area to achieve the signature “fox eyes” look. I used cone PDO threads for this and also injected with Botox.
