Facelifts - No Strings Attached

Serving Chattanooga, Tennessee

few months back you may have read my article in this paper about “truth” in medical advertising.  This is a companion piece.  The community of plastic surgeons has been awaiting some outcome information regarding the results obtained with “thread lift” facelift procedures.  This procedure has become known by many catchy advertising slogans and is offered as an alternative to traditional facelift surgery.  The usual claims of those practitioners performing this type of procedure include a local anesthesia, little scarring, no down time, and great predictable results.  It just seems too good to be true. And, it is.  

Most of the published work regarding these lifts are “how to” manuals in their applications.  However, a recent scientific paper published in one of plastic surgery’s most influential journals (The Annals of Plastic Surgery) has reviewed 72 thread lift procedures by one board certified surgeon performed over a two year period.  The results in this review tell a different story.  Yes, the procedure is safe, but it carries with it an astonishing 42% revision rate at 8 months.  We have resisted incorporating this type of intervention into our practice because of this exact reason.

Traditional facelifts employ long standing studied principles to produce results that stand the test of time.  They require the skills and training of a masterful plastic surgeon, but the goal of the operation is to remodel and rejuvenate the facial structures.  It is in this manner that a more youthful appearance is created.  It does require sedation.  It does require a period of healing.  But - it does not fail to produce a reliable result.  All surgery carries with it some risk, but appropriate patients in the hands of board certified plastic surgeons should anticipate excellent risk management and satisfying outcomes. 

The review study indicates that the thread lift patient does not have a quick recovery.  Bruising and swelling is common.  Additionally, at the site of thread placement “arrow head” shaped wrinkling develops in many patients and it takes days to weeks for this to resolve.  These skin irregularities require the same period of recovery as the traditional facelift.  Again, 42% of patients had a secondary procedure performed for cosmetic reasons or to remove their threads by 8 months after their first procedure.  31% had additional threads placed, or underwent a short scar or traditional facelifts.  More alarming is that 11% of patients had their threads removed.  Typically, thread removal happens for one of three reasons.  The patient can feel the threads beneath their skin.  The threads have created a hole in the skin.  The patient is unhappy with the cosmetic result of the thread lift process. To be fair, thread lifting is safe.  No one had a serious complication.  There were no nerve injuries.  Cosmetic complications, however, are disappointing and - costly.  Thread lift is not a discount procedure.  Weighing the information available indicates to me that thread lifts may have some utility in the population of patients with relatively minor aging changes who are not candidates (because of health issues) for a plastic surgical intervention.  Patients should be well educated as to the limitations and complications of the procedure. 

Cutting-edge surgical facial rejuvenation procedures have revolutionized our approach to the aging face.  The true plastic surgical craftsman can produce anatomic changes which are safe and reproducible for our healthy aging population.  These tried and true techniques coupled with modern skin care and volume-enhancing injectables can maintain the healthy appearance of youth.  Be mindful of slick advertising claims.  Be an educated consumer and trust your face to a board certified plastic surgeon.