Previously, only surgical facelifts could address ageing signs such as sagging skin or a droopy-looking face. Fortunately, it wasn’t until non-surgical thread lifts became popular in Singapore.
Patients with visible signs of ageing can improve their skin laxity now without having to undergo surgery, thanks to technological advancements. For instance, patients who want to reduce dark spots and uneven pigmentation may benefit from skin resurfacing treatment.
Patients with sagging skin and wrinkles, on the other hand, may benefit from a thread lifting procedure. Furthermore, thread lifting can be an option for patients who are hesitant to undergo surgical face lifting for various reasons, including medical conditions.
Do you belong to a group of people who have signs of ageing and want to resolve the issues without undergoing surgical procedures? Continue reading this article to get the ultimate guide to thread lifting and whether or not you are a suitable candidate for this treatment!
What is Thread Lifting?
Thread lifting is a procedure that involves the placement of a medical-grade suture beneath the facial skin. A professional will then pull the placed medical-grade sutures, resulting in tighter-looking skin.
Thread lifting is a good option for people with ageing signs that skin resurfacing procedures cannot correct. Skin resurfacing treatments (i.e., laser and light therapies) cannot always provide lifted results, as thread lifts do.
According to Healthline, if you’re in your late 30s or early 50s, you’re a good candidate for thread lifts. Medical-grade sutures placed beneath your facial skin can help to sculpt your facial contour, lifting it and making it appear more youthful.
Aside from treating ageing signs, thread lifts are also ideal for augmenting the nose without the need for rhinoplasty. Also known as nose thread lifting, this procedure involves placing medical-grade sutures beneath the nose to create a more pointed and higher-looking nose bridge.
Both general thread lifting and nose thread lifts provide temporary results. The effects of the biocompatible suture will gradually dissolve over time. On the other hand, patients who are happy with the results frequently request another session after their bodies absorb the previous sutures.
Thread Lifts VS Fillers
Patients have two options when rejuvenating skin laxity: thread lifts or fillers. Patients are frequently perplexed by the two procedures, making it difficult to decide whether to undergo the preceding or later procedure.
The results will also be different since thread lifts, and fillers use different ingredients to provide lifting effects. In addition, patients with specific conditions may be more suitable to undergo thread lifts than fillers.
Perhaps you’re wondering what sets thread lifts and fillers apart? We’ll go over the principles of these two treatments below, so you will better understand the methods for lifting your skin without using surgical techniques.
Thread lifts
- It entails inserting biocompatible, medical-grade sutures beneath the skin. When a doctor pulls the suture, it will lift your skin, giving it a youthful appearance.
- During the 60-minute thread lifts procedure, your medical aesthetics doctor may use a cannula to guide them in placing the threads.
- Provide moderate lifting results, suitable for treating sagging skin due to ageing.
- Applicable to various skin areas, including forehead, nose, cheeks, and chin.
- The results often last longer than dermal fillers, so patients do not need to do touch-ups as frequently.
Fillers
- It involves injecting hyaluronic acid into your skin. Subsequently, the hyaluronic acid injections will be useful for replenishing volume loss caused by ageing.
- Typically, the procedure will take between 15 and 30 minutes. Since it causes little to no discomfort, it rarely necessitates anaesthesia.
- It offers mild lifting results and is ideal for augmenting the skin area that appears sunken due to volume loss.
- Applicable to several skin areas, including nose, cheeks, chin, under-eye, and smile lines.
- Dermal fillers typically last for 6 – 9 months due to their natural ingredients, as your body naturally absorbs the hyaluronic acid. However, you can always schedule touch-ups to maintain the optimal results.
Type of Thread Lifts
The procedure of inserting medical-grade sutures beneath the skin refers to how the thread lifting works. However, the process will involve multiple suture ingredients. Polydioxanone (PDO), Polycaprolactone (PCL), Poly-Lactic (PLA), and Polycaprolactone (PCA) threads all work and respond differently to the body.
Thread lifts serve a variety of functions as well. For example, there is one specialised nose augmentation without a surgical procedure. On the other hand, some types of thread lifts improve the appearance of various facial skin areas, such as the forehead, cheeks, chin, and many others.
Below, we will discuss the various thread lifts, their uses, and their basic ingredients. As a result, you can better understand this type of non-surgical ageing revisions procedure.
HIKO Nose Thread Lifts
HIKO Nose Thread Lifts entail placing Polydioxanone (PDO) or Polycaprolactone (PCL) threads beneath the nose area. You can elevate your nose bridge and make your nose tip appear more pointed through this treatment.
Furthermore, the number of threads placement will depend on your nose condition and treatment goals. Therefore, it’s always a good idea to address your concerns wholly with our medical aesthetics doctor so that he can better determine the procedure.
In addition to that, HIKO Nose Thread Lifts will typically last for 12 – 18 months. Once your body dissolves the medical-grade sutures, you can always book other treatments for touch-ups and maintain the optimal results.
Happy Lift (Revitalizing)
Happy Lift (Revitalizing) is a face-thread lifting treatment that uses threads made of Poly-L-lactic acid (PLA) and Polycaprolactone (PCA). Compared to other types of thread lifts, Happy Lift (Revitalizing) provides smoother sutures capable of providing lifting effects and are relatively long-lasting.
Once your medical aesthetics doctor places the sutures beneath your skin, the sutures will support the sagging skin by lifting it. Eventually, your skin will also produce more collagen due to the lifting from the sutures, making your skin more able to hold its facial tissues in place.
Furthermore, Happy Lift (Revitalizing) is ideal for treating several skin issues, including removing fine lines, wrinkles and smoothing out nasolabial folds. On the other hand, it’s also possible to enhance your facial contour, such as defining your jawline, lifting your eyebrows, and creating more symmetry to your face through Happy Lift (Revitalizing).
Finally, the results of Happy Lift (Revitalizing) typically last for 12 months. However, longevity will depend on your body’s reactions in dissolving the sutures. You can always book another appointment to keep the best results of Happy Lift (Revitalizing).
Ultra V Lift
Ultra V Lift is yet another non-surgical facelift and skin tightening procedure that uses Polydioxanone (PDO), Poly-L-lactic acid (PLA), and Polycaprolactone (PCL) threads. It’s ideal for defining the jawline and making it appear V-shaped.
While the skin tightening and facelift effects are relatively noticeable after your medical aesthetics doctor places and pull the medical-grade sutures beneath your skin, patients will typically see more significant results after 4 – 6 months.
Patients get more visible effects because Ultra V Lift requires time to fully set and stimulate collagen production. As the skin produces more collagen tissues, it can reduce its appearance of sagging skin and wrinkles, resulting in firmer and more revitalised skin.
Finally, patients can expect to keep the final results for 1 – 2 years. Even though the medical-grade sutures will dissolve 6 – 9 months after the initial treatment, your skin will be able to maintain the lifted effects for a longer time due to increased collagen production.
Mint Lift
The Minimal Invasive Non-surgical Threads (MINT) Lift is a facial thread lifting that employs medical-grade sutures known as Polydioxanone (PDO). Patients who want to restore their jawline and give their faces a V-shaped appearance may suit this procedure.
Like other thread lifts, MINT Lift involves using medical-grade sutures to lift sagging skin and stimulate collagen production in the skin. As a result, after a physician inserts the sutures beneath the skin, the skin will gradually produce more collagen over time, making the skin tighter and more elastic.
MINT Lift will typically last 24 months, even though the threads will dissolve after six months. Your body will produce enough collagen to support your skin even after thread’s absorption.
Easy Mint
Easy Mint works in the same way that MINT Lift does. However, it focuses more on treating ageing signs around the neck. Since the neck area often shows ageing signs before the face area, placing a medical-grade suture beneath the neck skin helps revise the issue as it lifts and tightens the sagging skin.
In addition to that, Easy Mint not only lifts and tightens sagging skin in the neck but can also reduce the appearance of a double chin, making your jawline more defined.
Furthermore, your medical aesthetics doctor will typically perform this treatment between 30 and 60 minutes. Your medical aesthetics doctor may also administer general anaesthesia to alleviate any discomfort during the procedure.
Mini Mint
A Mini Mint, also known as a brow lift, involves the placement of medical-grade sutures beneath the skin to lift downturned or sagging brows. Due to the brow lift procedure, patients who undergo this treatment will have a more youthful and assertive appearance.
NovaThreads
NovaThreads is a brand of facial thread lifting threads made of Polydioxanone (PDO). Smooth Threads, Twist Threads, and Barbed Threads are the three types of sutures offered by NovaThreads.
The NovaThreads procedure is more effective at lifting moderate sagging skin than fillers and botulinum toxin injections. NovaThreads, unlike the other two injections, will revise your ageing signs by pulling and holding the sagging skin into the desired position.
According to NovaThreads, patients’ bodies typically absorb the Polydioxanone (PDO) threads naturally 4 – 6 months after placement. The results may last for 12 – 15 months even after threads dissolve because our body stimulates to produce enough collagen to support the skin’s elasticity.
Silhouette InstaLift
Silhouette Instalift, like other face thread lifting methods, involves biocompatible and medical-grade sutures to provide a temporary lift to the facial area. Unlike other thread lifts that simultaneously emphasise both lifting and collagen production, Silhouette InstaLift focuses on lifting the facial skin.
Silhouette Instalift entails using sutures dispersed with tiny cones, so it will grab more skin tissues, giving more noticeable lifting effects. In addition to that, this procedure tends to provide long-lasting results that patients can maintain for up to three years.
How Do Thread Lifts Work
After understanding the variety of thread lifts, including those for facial skin and nose augmentation, it’s time to advance your knowledge by learning how thread lifts work!
The information we will cover is listed below, starting with the procedure’s preparation and moving ahead to the aftercare.
Before Procedure Preparation
Precaution
Even though the thread lifting procedure effectively reduces sagging skin and provides a more youthful appearance, potential patients should be aware of the precautions before undergoing this procedure.
Here is the list of precautions you may want to pay attention to before receiving thread lifts, either the facial or nose ones:
- To avoid blood vessel enlargement, avoid consuming alcohol and pain relievers (e.g., ibuprofen and acetaminophen) after the procedure.
- It will help if you avoid strenuous activities because they could enlarge blood vessels.
- Your medical aesthetics doctor may prescribe antibiotics. You must take your antibiotics regularly if your medical aesthetics doctor prescribes them.
Preparation
After understanding the precautions, it’s time for you to understand what you should prepare before undergoing a thread lifting treatment. Below is the list of preparations you need to be aware of:
- Make sure that the area of thread placement is free of active inflammation.
- For the same reason, you will also need to avoid consuming alcohol and pain relievers (e.g., ibuprofen and acetaminophen) before the procedure.
- You may need to rest and avoid feeling too stressed before undergoing the procedure.
Facial Thread Lifting
The procedure for facial thread lifting will depend on the area that patients wish to target. However, according to WebMD, the fundamental technique remains the same, and it involves:
- Your medical aesthetics doctor will apply topical anaesthetic to numb your skin and reduce any potential discomfort during the treatment.
- Your medical aesthetics doctor will use a cannula to guide the process of inserting the threads underneath the skin.
- After your medical aesthetics doctor inserts the threads using the cannula, he will remove the cannula. You may experience discomfort, but there will be no scarring.
Nose Thread Lifting
Unlike facial thread lifting, which aims to improve ageing signs, nose thread lifting is popular to augment patients’ noses without surgical methods. Furthermore, nose thread lifts require less downtime and are less expensive.
Typically, the process of HIKO Nose Thread Lifts will involve the following steps:
- Your medical aesthetics doctor will apply local anaesthesia before performing the procedure, ensuring minimal discomfort that you may encounter.
- Your medical aesthetics doctor will use a cannula to guide him during the process of inserting the Polydioxanone (PDO) or Polycaprolactone (PCL) threads into your nose.
- After the procedure that lasts for 15 minutes is complete, your medical aesthetics doctor will gather and hold the underlying tissues in the desired position, delivering more symmetrical results.
What Result Should You Expect After Thread Lifts?
Thread lifting procedures can provide lifting effects to the skin without going under the knife. However, there are still some side effects that you may experience the moment after you get medical-grade sutures placed beneath your skin.
The following list is common occurrences after thread lifts and will resolve within a few days:
- Painful sensations
- Bruising
- Skin inflammation
How Long Thread Lifts Last?
Threads inserted beneath the skin can last for 4 to 6 months. After six months, your body will completely dissolve the threads. It’s relatively quick because it’s biocompatible with your body, allowing your body to absorb it naturally.
Although your body will completely dissolve the threads after six months, the collagen production from the thread placement will last for 12 – 15 months. The collagen is sufficient to support your skin, allowing it to remain lifted and youthful due to reduced skin laxity.
Risk of Thread Lifts
As previously stated, thread lifts have several side effects that only last for a few days after the treatment. The procedure also entails some risks. Therefore, you must have a licensed and experienced medical aesthetics doctor perform the procedure.
According to WebMD, here are the possible risks from thread lifting procedures:
- Skin texture changes, such as bumps and dumplings around the treated area.
- Irritation can happen, especially if you have allergic reactions to the threads.
- Stiffness, some people are more prone to experiencing stiffness in their face after thread lifts.
- Infection, since this procedure involves direct contact with the skin, it’s possible for the infection to occur due to improper sanitation.
Summary
After reading this article, we hope you understand thread lifting procedures thoroughly. You might be interested in getting thread lifts after learning what they are, how they work, and the benefits.
If this is the case, please do not hesitate to contact us. We will be available to answer any questions you may have about the procedure. Our medical aesthetics doctor will also gladly advise you on the best treatment option for you.
What exactly are you waiting for? Make an appointment with our medical aesthetics doctor, Dr Dylan Chau, right away to get your glowing and youthful facial appearance!
