PDO Thread Lift

One of the biggest advantages of thread lifting is that it doesn’t require general anesthesia. This makes the procedure particularly gentle. Only local anesthesia is used at the insertion site. This eliminates the anesthesia risk for the patient, and she can leave the practice immediately after the treatment.

The threads are made of polydioxanone, or PDO for short, a material that has been used for years in absorbable surgical sutures. The body breaks down the threads over months, and the end products are water and carbon dioxide.

One of the great advantages of thread lifting is that no cutting is involved. Therefore, typically no scars are visible.

As with any medical procedure, thread lifting can have unwanted side effects. That’s why I discuss all the risks and the pros and cons of the method with you in my practice. Together, we decide whether a thread lift is the best option for you, and what alternatives might also be considered.

The most common side effects are bruising and slight swelling, which subside within a few days. When using threads with barbs, small indentations in the skin may also occur for a few days, but these also disappear.

Rare side effects can include infections and wound healing disorders.

Plan for about 45 minutes to an hour for a thread lift. The procedure itself takes about 20 to 30 minutes, but you must also account for time for the consultation and photo documentation. Since not every patient is suitable for a thread lift, I recommend first booking a non-binding consultation. During this, we can discuss your wishes and ideas together and select the most suitable treatment.

In addition to general contraindications such as pregnancy, existing infectious diseases, wound healing disorders, or autoimmune diseases, which are all ruled out during the consultation, it’s also important to clarify whether the thread lift can meet your expectations.

Patients who complain about severely sagging facial contours may be better advised to have surgical lifting, as a significantly stronger lift is possible here. Also, if you desire strong tightening of the neck or jawline contours, surgery is the right choice.

A thread lift can be excellently combined with other minimally invasive aesthetic treatments such as Botox or hyaluronic acid fillers. However, it is advisable to spread the various treatments over several appointments to minimize side effects and risks and to achieve optimal and natural-looking results.

Generally, there are no age restrictions for thread lifting, assuming the patient is of legal age. However, very young patients simply don’t need it yet, as they don’t yet complain about sagging cheeks or other sagging areas of the face. For patients with significantly sagging facial contours, on the other hand, thread lifting may reach its limits, and surgical lifting might be advisable in these cases.

The result of a thread lift lasts up to two years, depending on the treated facial region.

It depends on the facial areas being treated. When using simple threads that promote collagen production, usually 10-20 threads are used.

When threads are used for a lifting effect to raise individual parts of the face, usually two to four threads are used per side.

A thread lift can be performed multiple times if desired. With simple threads, collagen production in the skin is repeatedly stimulated, achieving sustainable skin tightening. With barbed threads, sunken facial areas can be gently lifted in multiple steps, achieving an overall fresher appearance without overly straining the tissue.

In both cases, the result is visible immediately after treatment. With simple threads, the skin is plumped up due to the immediate volume effect. However, the improvement continues to increase in the following weeks and months because collagen production in the skin is stimulated.

With a thread lift using barbed threads, you also see the lifting effect immediately, but the final result can be assessed after about two weeks when any swelling has subsided.

After the treatment, you should not apply makeup on the same day. For two weeks, you must avoid saunas, steam baths, and tanning beds, as you risk more severe swelling.

Facial care products must be applied very gently, and massages or aesthetic facial treatments should be avoided for about four weeks.

After a thread lift with barbed threads, it’s additionally important to sleep on your back if possible and avoid strong facial expressions. If necessary, food should be cut into small pieces.

This question can only be answered individually.

Stimulating collagen production with simple threads is a minimal procedure suitable for everyone and has a wonderful anti-aging effect over many months.

If a stronger lifting effect is desired, one has the choice between surgery and thread lifting with barbed threads. The advantage of thread lifting is that you don’t need anesthesia and have no scars. However, if you really want a strong lift of individual facial areas, surgical treatment by an experienced plastic surgeon is the more promising alternative.