Would you like to tighten up sagging skin without the hassle and inconvenience of undergoing surgery? Are you searching for a long-lasting solution that doesn’t require frequent maintenance appointments? PDO Threads may be just what you’re looking for. This rejuvenating treatment can be used to add firmness and contour to the cheeks, eyebrows, jawline, and neck. Best of all, it’s a non-surgical option that offers results that last a year or more. This injectable treatment is one of the many services offered at Biotech Cosmetic Surgery & Laser Center in Aventura, FL.
Understanding PDO Threads
PDO Thread treatments, which are also referred to as thread lifts, can offer the type of comprehensive lifting and tightening that is often associated with a surgical facelift. This rejuvenating treatment involves the placement of threads of suture material just beneath the skin. As soon as those threads are in place, they support the skin from below, offering an immediate lifting effect.
But that’s not all. Once in place, these threads stimulate collagen production in the weeks after your appointment, smoothing and plumping the face. As a result, this unique treatment offers both an immediate lift and longer-term smoothing and rejuvenation.
Threads can be used all over the face and neck to resolve signs of aging. This treatment is a great way to smooth over fine lines and tighten up loose skin that has begun to sag. Forehead lines, crepey skin on the neck, and sagging jowls are among the specific cosmetic issues that PDO threads can successfully address.
How Long Do PDO Threads Last?
Compared to facial injections like dermal fillers and botulinum toxin injections, which usually last no more than a year, thread lifts offer long-lasting results. You’ll notice a difference almost immediately after your appointment. The skin will appear firmer and more supported.
During the two to six months after your appointment, your results will get an extra boost as collagen production ramps up. During this period, the skin in your treatment area will begin to take on a smoother, fresher, more youthful appearance. Every patient is different, but thread lift results can last for as long as 18 months, and you can schedule follow-up treatment when the results begin to wear off.
What Is Treatment Like?
The threads, which are made of the same material that is used in surgical sutures, are inserted just under the skin’s surface using a hypodermic needle. The needle will leave a trail of liquid suture that is parallel to the surface of the skin. During the months after your treatment, after they’ve helped rebuild the infrastructure beneath your skin, these threads will dissolve on their own.
Before your treatment begins, your skin will be cleansed and anesthetized, and we will likely make a few marks that we’ll use as guides while performing your injections. For most patients, the entire treatment takes less than an hour.
What Does It Feel Like?
A thread lift is nothing to worry about. The treatment area will be numbed in advance of the injection, and while you may feel a prick from the needle, that will only last for a few seconds. The sensation associated with a thread lift is similar to that of most other cosmetic injections, including Botox injections and dermal fillers.
Do I Need to Set Aside Time for Recovery?
This non-surgical treatment is offered in the comfort of our office and requires nothing in the way of advance preparation of recovery time. After your appointment, you’ll be able to get right back to your daily activities. We advise our patients to be extra cautious about the treatment area for a couple of weeks. This includes not massaging the area or doing anything to overly stretch it. Other cosmetic services, such as fillers or chemical peels, should also not be scheduled during the week or two after your thread lift.
Is This Treatment Limited to the Face?
Patients most often seek this treatment as a way of resolving age-related issues on the face. However, it can be used to firm up sagging skin and smooth over wrinkles elsewhere on the body, including those on the upper arms, thighs, and abdomen. Some patients also turn to thread lifts as a way of adding contour and definition to a face that might otherwise appear too round.
Does This Treatment Work in Combination With Other Services?
Patients who undergo a thread lift often combine it with other treatments, such as dermal fillers and botulinum toxin injections. If you’re interested in combining treatments, we can work with you to determine the appropriate scheduling of various services.
Is This a Safe Treatment?
Thread lifts aren’t as well known as some other cosmetic treatments, but this is a safe option that won approval from the FDA in 2018. The material used in the threads, polydioxanone, has been safely used in cardiovascular surgery for years.
An earlier version of thread lift treatments–one that involved threads that didn’t dissolve and instead were left permanently in place–proved problematic because they tended to attract bacteria and cause infections. The first threads also didn’t deliver results that were as natural, and many patients who received them ended up with faces that looked overly tight. Another strike against those early threads was that they were prone to breaking, which made them difficult for physicians to work with. Those early threads, which were available in the 1990s, are no longer used.
What Kind of Results Can I Expect?
Thread lifts can be used in different ways on different patients. The versatility of this treatment is due in part to the development of different types of threads, which can be injected in different patterns and quantities.
Treatment Goals
Patients who are interested primarily in lifting their skin, for example, may be best treated with barbed-type threads that can be used to hook and lift skin. There are also threads with a screw-type configuration that can be used to develop volume in a certain part of a patient’s face. For patients looking generally for more contour and volume, smooth threads can be injected in a crisscross pattern that serves as a foundation of sorts for collagen development. Regardless of what specific cosmetic issue you’re turning to threads to address, you can expect them to be effective.
Natural Results
You can also expect a thread lift to give you natural results. The real power of this treatment lies in the collagen production it spurs, which causes your skin to regenerate itself on its own. The gradual process of building up collagen levels means your skin will slowly take on a more youthful and refreshed appearance. You won’t look like you went and had work done, but you’ll begin to look younger, more rested, and more attractive.
For patients who don’t want the drastic change that a surgical procedure can offer, or who don’t want to deal with the inconvenience of surgery. a thread lift is a nice option. And even though the threads are inserted just beneath the surface of the skin, they won’t be visible. If your skin is especially thin, there’s a slight chance you might be able to feel them when you press on them. However, the threads dissolve over time. So even if you can feel them initially after your treatment, they won’t be there for long.
Is a Thread Lift Right for Me?
If you’re interested in learning whether a thread lift is right for you, the first step is to schedule a consultation with Dr. Trini Vega. Dr. Vega earned his medical degree from the Universidad Libre in Cali, Colombia. After spending seven years in primary care, emergency medicine, and aesthetics in Colombia, he expanded his professional capabilities by attending New York Medical College.
Dr. Vega holds memberships in several medical groups, including the American Academy of AntiAging Medicine and the American Academy of Aesthetic Medicine. Dr. Vega can tell you specifically about your candidacy. In general, there are a few things that make this the perfect treatment for certain people:
Wrinkles Aren’t Your Only Problem
If wrinkles are your primary concern, there are other treatments, including botulinum toxin injections, that can smooth their appearance. What’s great about a thread lift is that in addition to smoothing over facial lines, it also noticeably tightens up sagging skin, delivering a more comprehensive anti-aging remedy. This makes it an ideal option for those looking not just for a spot wrinkle treatment but for a way to broadly banish the early signs of aging.
Your Health Is Good
The health criteria for this treatment are not as stringent as they would be for a surgical procedure. Still, the best candidates are in good overall health and don’t have an autoimmune disease or diabetes. Women who are either pregnant or breastfeeding are encouraged to postpone this treatment.
Healthy Skin
In addition to good health overall, we like to see thread lift patients who have skin that is in good shape. This treatment works effectively on all skin types and skin tones. But cold sores, acne, or other irritations or signs of broken skin in the treatment area may be cause for postponing your treatment.
You’re Emotionally Healthy
As with any cosmetic treatment, it helps if the patient is emotionally mature and realistic about both the treatment and its outcomes. Although most patients are thrilled with their results, it is important that patients understand that thread lift results are more subtle than the results offered by surgery.
You Don’t Want to Go As Far as a Facelift
An ideal thread lift patient is someone who is ready to lift and tone their face but who isn’t ready for a facelift. Some patients just aren’t interested in the hassles and recovery time associated with a surgical facelift. Others want to fight back signs of aging but don’t have symptoms that are severe enough to merit a surgical procedure. If you’re ready to take a step toward a more youthful look but aren’t able to commit to a surgical procedure, a thread lift may be the perfect solution.
You Want a Long-Lasting Solution
Patients love thread lifts because they’re effective and long-lasting. One simple, in-office treatment that lasts under an hour will give you rejuvenating results that last more than a year. Compared to other anti-aging treatments, this is a convenient and long-lasting option.
Don’t Wait Any Longer
If you’re tired of facial rejuvenation treatments that last just a few months and you’re ready to achieve long-lasting results, it may be time to consider a thread lift. This treatment can be customized to address your personal cosmetic goals, and the treatment is easy and straightforward. Call Biotech Wellness Center & Laser Center in Aventura, FL, where anyone in the Bay Harbor, Miami, Coral Gables, and Sunny Isles areas can get a customized treatment plan to address their specific concerns!