The Thread Face Lift – What is it?
The thread face lift is a non surgical face lift
Those of us in our middle years can become depressed about the face they see in the mirror. Even those who have looked after their skin carefully all their lives are not immune to sagging skin and jowls in their late fifties or sixties.
Sagging skin is an inevitable part of aging. Unlike photo-aging which causes wrinkles, age spots, blotchy complexion and red veins, sagging skin is simply the effect of gravity over time and affects the face, upper arms, stomach and derriere. The face naturally loses fat as we age and the collagen and elastin support structures begin to weaken.
We can cover most of our body parts up, but the face is a little more difficult! Sagging skin also can’t be concealed by makeup.
A surgical face lift was really the only option for those who wished to restore a youthful glow to their faces. Other treatments such as laser surgery or chemical peels have minimal effect on our skin tone. Fortunately there’s another option – the thread face lift.
The thread face lift, contour lift or Russian threads, call it what you will, is great for those who shudder at the thought of a surgeons knife, no matter how skilful, cutting into the skin of their face. The thread lift is a non invasive procedure similar to a facelift without surgery. Other bonuses are less discomfort and a much shorter recovery time.
The thread face lift procedure uses an intradermal thread which has tiny ‘barbs’ along its length. These barbs catch the tissues below the surface of the skin, lifting the surrounding area and producing a subtle but noticeable rejuvenating effect on the face. Tiny incisions are made in the skin and the threads are inserted with needles using a zig zag type pattern to ensure they adhere properly. The small incisions should heal without requiring stitches and surgical tape is used instead. The threadlift can be done under local anaesthetic and no hospital stay is needed.
Most people will require an average of only a few days before they can resume their normal lives.Vigorous facial movements are not recommended before healing is completed. Some bruising and swelling is quite normal for a few days and ice packs or arnica tablets can be used to reduce the swelling. The discomfort is minimal although a slight prickly sensation may be noticed for a few days after threadlift.
Results may be seen immediately although the full impact will be visible after a few weeks. The natural collagen formation in the skin tissue will eventually surround the threads which strengthen them and make the threadlift permanent within six months. Patients won’t be aware the threads are even there after this time.
The best candidates for the threadlift are those whose face has no excessive sagging – Probably those under sixty. However if you are over that and still have a reasonable amount of elasticity left in your skin or if you’ve looked after your skin well though the years and have minimal UV damage, the threadlift procedure may well be what you’re looking for.
The thread face lift procedure is a boon to those who don’t have weeks to spend in recovery and to those who don’t want the ‘mask’ like appearance which can result after a more radical procedure.
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