December 11, 2020
If you’re a follower of Gwyneth Paltrow, the Korean beauty scene, or basically any other beauty guru on Instagram, you’ve likely come across a new non-surgical trend called “the thread lift.” We talked a little bit about this recently in our MD Beauty Clinic article about the fox eye trend, and we’ve heard a lot (I mean, A LOT) about it from you in the clinic.
We’re excited to let you know that come January, we will be offering this as a new non-surgical option at The Plastic Surgery Clinic and MD Beauty Clinic (the non-surgical side of our practice). You’re welcome to come for a consultation before then with Dr. Chbat, our resident thread lift expert, and then book your treatment in the new year.
A thread lift is a non-surgical lifting of the skin achieved by inserting InstaLift threads (the same ones we use for surgical stitching) via a cannula underneath the skin’s surface. We then manipulate the thread in such a way so as to lift and tighten the areas of focus. Thread lifts are extremely versatile and can be used to:
Your results from the thread lift will be instantly apparent (one reason why this is often referred to as InstaLift), and your results will improve 4-6 weeks after treatment as swelling and bruising subsides. The patient pictured above had photos taken immediately before and after her thread lift. Notice the softening of the patient’s nasolabial folds, the improved contour of her cheeks and jaw and the tightening in her neck. Well done, Dr. Chbat! The other very cool thing about the thread lift is that because your body recognizes threads as a foreign substance, this actually kick starts your body into producing collagen as well as binding or fibrotic tissue, which means that not only does the quality of your skin improve, but your body ends up being the agent that maintains the result of your thread lift for a good year following your treatment.
So although your body will naturally metabolize the threads after about 6-9 months, your result will be maintained for many months beyond that.
Like all non-surgical procedures, there are risks to this treatment as well as benefits. Your provider will review all of these risks with you during your consultation. It’s important to understand these risks and ensure you are undergoing treatment at a medical facility by a licensed healthcare professional who is specifically trained in this treatment.
You may be wondering why get a thread lift and not filler? After all, dermal fillers also fill in where volume may have been lost and can also stimulate the production of collagen. This is true, but filler, well, fills and threads lift.
We find that the thread lift is a great alternative for patients who don’t need filler but want to get a lifted look. Do you look in the mirror after you’ve put your hair into a high pony tail and think that looks really nice? Well, then, you’re probably a better candidate for a thread lift than you are for filler.
When filler is used to lift the skin you risk creating that unnatural rounded appearance in the face: the eyes start to get smaller, the face more moon shaped, and your natural bone structure starts to fade away. You know the look… puffy, unnatural, and “fake.”
The threads are extremely versatile and can treat pretty much any area of the face such as, the cheeks, jowls, neck, eyebrows, jaw line, areas under the eyes and around the nose, crow’s feet, and marionette lines. They can be used almost anywhere we use filler, but instead of filling, they lift the skin.
Threads can also accomplish the much sought after “pony tail lift” non-surgically, which lifts the tips of the eyebrows and the area around the corner of the eyes, creating that exotic look you’re probably seeing all over your social media feeds. For the right face this can produce a really beautiful result.
And let’s not forget about our lips! Threads can also be used for the lips to create a “lip flip” and to smooth out those fine lines around the mouth. By boosting collagen production in the lips, they’ll leave them with more definition and a lovely smooth texture.
You are tender for a few days, a little more tender than with filler, depending on which threads and what area you had treated. You can take tylenol for any discomfort. You may have some bruising and swelling but the swelling is generally minimal, especially relative to the swelling we see post-filler treatment.
We use a local anesthetic to ensure that the treatment is extremely comfortable. Patients describe the sensation as being a bit strange, but it is comfortable and the procedure is extremely quick.
Your results will be seen instantly, and they will improve over time. Your full results will be seen around 4-6 weeks and your body will continue to produce collagen for a good year following treatment, which is how your body can actually maintain the results of the your thread lift for several months after you threads dissolve.
Depending on your anatomy and goals, most patients receive 3 treatments spaced 1 month apart and then once yearly maintenance treatments.
It depends on how many areas are treated and how many threads are used, but likely somewhere between $1200 and $4500.
We’ll be offering this treatment with Dr. Chbat come January; in the meantime, reach out if you’re interested in a consultation or have more questions.
https://youtu.be/i0xKl9PIk2w
Did we answer all your questions? Our goal is to ensure you have the best information possible to make your decision. If you still have questions, we’re here to help.
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