Question:
What is a thread lift and is it effective?
Answer:
This is a timely question. Just last week I performed a facelift on a woman in her mid 40s who had a thread lift procedure 3 years prior. During the facelift procedure, I spent part of the time removing old threads which had fallen apart and were no longer providing a lift. As with many other new and improved procedures, the thread lift was touted and promoted as a wonderful alternative to facelifts. However, it made no sense from a surgical perspective to expect that simple threads with tiny barbs threaded through the face to pull up the tissue could provide long lasting improvement and was simply unrealistic. As such, I never perform the thread lift procedure despite it being embraced by many cosmetic surgeons, a number of them who do not have surgical training, such as dermatologists, to perform traditional facelift procedures, which are the gold standard for facial rejuvenation. These procedures are fortunately hardly if at all performed as the public has become educated and physicians have finally seen the results. Any time the embracing of brand new technology is conducted prematurely, there will be disappointments. As a result I typically wait no less then 2 years for incorporating new procedures to my surgical regimentation so that I can adequately advise my patients as to the risks and benefits.
