7 Questions About Thread Lift Treatment

The Thread Lift is a popular treatment at our CQC registered Skin Clinic (Hertfordshire); those noticing that their lower face is starting to look ‘heavy’, have lost the definition around their jawline, are noticing jowls and marionette lines forming, and feel like their skin has lost its bounce and is starting to sag. 

Our medical practitioners who perform this treatment are asked lots of questions during skin consultations about the Thread Lift, so I thought I’d share some of the ones we’ve been asked the most recently and those questions that have stuck in their minds.

Here goes…

What Does Thread Lift do?

The Thread Lift uses a PDO thread that has a physical lifting effect on your skin, these threads are made from complex carbohydrates which safely and gradually break down and are removed from the body; this means that, although the treatment offers long-lasting results, it is not permanent.

The area you want to treat is numbed with a powerful local anaesthetic before the treads are placed strategically in your skin and your skin lifted by a medical practitioner.

This blog will give you some more information on this. Scroll down for Thread lift before and after images of one of our clients.

What Happens to the Threads in a Thread Lift?

This is a great question. The treads are made of complex carbohydrates so the body can gradually and safely break down the threads and remove them from your body. These are the same material that medical sutures are made of.

When people hear that the threads break down, they then ask me if their face noticeably drops as a result, to which I always reassure them that no, that doesn’t happen. It is a gradual breakdown of the threads so you will not wake up one day and look completely different from the day before.

Most of our clients decided to have another treatment about 12 to18 months on. 

Which Thread Lift Lasts the Longest?

Threads will last a different amount of time for different people; it depends greatly on factors such as an individual metabolic rate. However, there will be threads of different quality.

At our skin clinic in Hertfordshire, we predominantly use Honey Derma threads which are from a reputable medical-aesthetic supplier based in the UK. We like to use their threads because they have a 360-degree cog thread which provides greater lifting than standard barbed threads. 

From a safety point of view, the Honey Derma treads have received the safest 4th rank (the highest rank) by the KFDA (Korean Food and Drug Administration); are CE marked; are non-toxic; are heavy metal free; non-pyrogenic; and more. So, we’re assured that that they are safe, quality products.

There are some other well-known, authentic brands such as Silhouette Soft. My advice would be to go with a clinic that offers safe and reputable threads such as these.

Are Thread Lift Results Immediate?

Yes, although, they can improve in the months following the Thread lift as new collagen in stimulated, resulting in smoother, firmer skin.

Does A Thread Lift Hurt?

This treatment should not be painful. At our skin clinic, we always use local anaesthetics, so our clients are comfortable throughout their treatment. What you are likely to feel is pressure and movement in the area being treated.

A few clients who have had the Thread Lift with us have had this elsewhere and mentioned that they found it painful but were pleasantly surprised when having it with us. I would suggest looking for a skin clinic and practitioner who have lots of experience so that their technique makes you feel comfortable, and make sure that they use a local anaesthetic during the treatment.

Thread Lift or Mini Facelift?

This depends on what you want to achieve and which treatment you are a better candidate for; this would become clearer after an assessment and skin consultation. Let’s discuss both options…

The mini facelift is a surgical procedure which is performed by a surgeon who will make cuts in your skin and pull the tissues up to tighten the appearance of the lower part of your face and cut away any excess tissue. After the treatment, you may have some scarring where the skin was cut, but usually, the surgeon will try to make this as minimal as possible. 

The ideal person for this treatment is someone with moderate skin ageing on the face; some surgeons suggest that this can be best to have in your late 40s or early 50s before signs of ageing become severe, in which case you may be more suited to a full-face lift. The mini facelift requires surgery so it’s important to remember the risk of infection and general anaesthetic or sedative and other complications. 

The Thread Lift treatment is much less invasive than the mini facelift surgery and is therefore ideal for those not wanting to undergo surgery. It is important to remember that a Thread Lift will produce less dramatic results and will consequently be more natural-looking; this means that it might not give you the results you’d like if you are a better candidate for surgery.

The Thread Lift is usually best suited to men and women who are in their mid-30s to mid-60s, however, there can be exceptions to this depending on the condition and quality of the skin.

A typical Thread Lift treatment involves your medical practitioner placing a number of ‘threads’ into your tissue via a cannula. The design of the treads allows them to lift your skin and stimulate the production of new collagen to further boost your results. 

The threads used in this treatment are made of complex carbohydrates, the same material that is used in heart surgery, which very gradually breaks down and is removed from your body.

This treatment is a regulated procedure which means anyone offering you the Thread Lift treatment must legally be registered with the CQC. Do be vigilant as there are people offering this skin treatment who are not registered with the CQC and are not medical professionals.

Thread Lift for Hooded Eyes

No, we don’t use it to treat hooded eyes. It can be used to elevate the eyebrows, and this may have an impact on the eyelids but not guaranteed. For heavy, hooded eyelids we recommend the Thermage eye treatment which treats directly on and around the eyelids to tighten, smooth, and retract ageing skin, without any recovery time. 

Thread Lift Before And After Photos:

A little bit of extra advice I’d like to pass on to you whilst you’re researching the Thread Lift treatment is to only go to a skin clinic that is CQC (Care Quality Commission) registered; the Thread Lift treatment is a regulated treatment that’s legally required to be performed in a CQC setting by trained, experienced, medical practitioners. Sadly, the aesthetic industry is filled with those trying to make money from treatments without abiding by the rules and regulations, which unfortunately means that clients’ safety and results can be seriously compromised. If you’re unsure, please ask to see proof that your chosen clinic or practitioner is CQC registered. 

Interested in seeing if the Thread Lift treatment is right for you? If so, come along to our thread lift Hertfordshire clinic for a no-obligation consultation where we can discuss what you’d like to achieve and discuss the most appropriate treatments for you.