Lift Off

Created on 25th September 2008

Starting to feel that nasty gravitational pull but not ready for a full invasive facelift? A thread lift might be the option. Olivia Young investigates...

Surgery can be a daunting prospect for anyone, but facial surgery is particularly nerve-wracking, as scarring is more visible. However, as we grow older we lose facial fat and the underlying support structure of the face becomes lax. The thread lift promises to combat these signs of ageing without inducing the same fear as a traditional facelift. It can correct early flabbiness of the tissue by using non-scarring elastic sutures, pulling the skin in only one direction. This means that the recovery period is brief, as swelling and bruising is reduced and, unlike excision surgery, you are left with few punctures.

Dr Lucy Glancey of Glancey Medical Centre who has been offering this procedure for the last five years believes that, "thread lifts are best suited for patients who feel that they look tired when they look in a mirror and, although they are not ready for invasive surgery, they want something more than botox and fillers can provide."

Though you shouldn't expect the same end result to that of excision surgery, you should expect there to be much less downtime. The technique is carried out under local aesthetic so an overnight bag isn't necessary, and the results can be fully appreciated within just four weeks. 

How does it work?
The threads hold the skin in a ‘lifted’ position while the body forms a desirable type of scar tissue around it over a period of three to four months. This subdermal scar line creates a vector (line of force or ‘lift’) such that the thread is no longer needed. It remains permanently, but can be removed if desired.

The procedure

The Thread Lift (also called the Feather Lift or Aptos Lift was developed by a Russian doctor, Dr Sulmandize, who realised that if you took Prolene (a plastic non-absorbable suture) and cut barbs along its length, it could act as a truss to lift up a dropping cheek or jowl.

Aptos threads have bidirectional cogs along their length. The centre of the thread is placed below the brow, cheek fold or jowls and then gently tightened to support the soft tissue upwards until the desired correction is achieved.

It is done in the office using surface anaesthetic, ice packs, and lidocaine injections. The entire process takes about two hours, but the actual placement of the threads takes about thirty minutes. Most patients have no sedation, and experience some discomfort rather than pain. The number of threads required is also dependent on the number of areas being treated.

The thread lift has been used on parts of the body to lift and re-contour but Dr Lucy Glancey warns that the results have not been impressive enough to satisfy her and she only offers the thread lift on the face.

Results
This technique is not indicated to treat extreme cases and it is best aimed at treating areas or sites that are sunken. It is not suitable for treating excesses of skin or fat nor is it able to accentuate filling. But your doctor will advise you whether you are suitable for the thread lift treatment

Unless heavy sedation is used, you may walk out of the office immediately after the procedure. There is mild swelling, which goes away over several days. Bruising is both common and unpredictable; it fades over one to three weeks and is usually mild.

Care must be taken to avoid any force to the threaded areas, which could cause thread slippage. This risk is greatest in the first week and is eliminated after about three weeks.

The thread lift procedure offers great value compared to surgical procedures: no scars, no general anaesthesia, lower cost, minimal risk and easy recovery with little downtime.

It is not just suitable as a treatment to reverse the signs of ageing, as Dr Glancey explains: “Thread lifts can also be used as a beautification procedure as well as a rejuvenation one. This appeals to my younger patients who don’t need it to look refreshed but wish to enhance the cheek area or lift the eyebrows.” CSMUK