Thread Lift

With the thread lift method, it is possible to get rid of wrinkles and sagging without narcosis, without waiting for a recovery period, and without treatment traces on the face.

1.       What is Thread Lift? 

Thread lift (French lift) is a facial aesthetics method performed with local anaesthesia and aimed at stretching the skin with the help of special absorbable threads. This name is also called the facelift technique because it was developed in France.  The absence of any traces or symptoms on the skin surface after the procedure, the fact that the process takes place in a short time, and the need for narcosis during the course are essential features that make the thread lift method preferred.

Threads that can be absorbed in various structures, forms and times are used in the thread lift method. The main goal is to stimulate the activity of fibroblasts inside and under the skin and increase its tension. They cause fibrosis in the subcutaneous adipose tissue, causing tissue shrinkage-contraction. When many threads are placed under the skin, they contract the tissue towards each other, and thus it is aimed to reduce them by putting these threads in aesthetic areas where there is sagging on the face or body.

The types of threads used are as follows:

1-      Polydiox polydioxanone poly (p-dioxanone)- PDO

They are absorbable threads that are still used in surgical applications. After application to the tissue, it is absorbed by the body in 2-3 months, and after 6-8 months, it completely disappears from the tissue.

2-      PLLA-(poly-L-lactic acid)

It has been used for filling purposes for a long time. PLLA, in the collagen structure (types I and III), completely melt within two years when the filler is injected.

3-      Caprolactone

The durability of these absorbable threads is expressed as five years.

4-      PET (polyethene terephthalate)

The threads are coated with silicone on the outside and the PET contents. It is mentioned about its persistence up to 4-6 years.

With thread lift, it is possible to eliminate low, saggy cheeks, collapsed under-eyes, and sagging in the middle regions of the face experienced after rapid weight loss, wrinkles, and sagging in the face and neck area with advancing age.

Successful results are obtained by applying a rope sling to patients who need facelift surgery for sagging, collapse, and wrinkles. Laser, ultrasound, radiofrequency, etc., which are performed to restore the skin, are preferred in cases where it is impossible to recover from this type of severe sagging with medical applications aimed at improving the quality of the skin.

In the studies conducted on the perception of the face as beautiful and attractive by others, four features come to the fore. These are the main features that should be considered in facial rejuvenation applications:

The 1-Youthful appearance of the face

2-More feminine or more masculine appearance

3-Anatomically, the face with more average values than the society, that is, the prolificity of the face

4-Symmetry of the face

Bruising, hematoma, edema, and pain can develop as vascular complications during rope applications. Even the risk of developing bleeding is higher than in other applications (such as fillers).

We know that the cannula needles and threads themselves, which are used during the placement of threads under the skin, are capable of causing vascular damage. For this reason, blunt cannulas and pinch techniques are used that are not sharp to avoid injury.

The pinch technique is to lift the skin between the fingers slightly by squeezing it up in the area to be applied, thus creating a safe compartment under the skin.

The application of a thread lift should be specific for each patient. Therefore, it is essential to evaluate the patient clinically and aesthetically before applying. 3 Definitions are crucial for obtaining a clinical and aesthetic answer.

·         The point at which the thread is fixed, the fixation point-the fixing point

·         The vectorial direction in which the thread settles in the tissue

·         The endpoint where the thread pulls the tissue along its direction, where it will be lifted

While the fixation points are almost the same due to the characteristics of the anatomical structure of the face stretch with a thread lift, the lift vector direction and the lifting endpoint may vary depending on the patient’s condition. Three vector directions are often used for the central part of the face (cheeks).

1-The vector between the earlobe and the corner of the mouth

2-The vector extending from the top of the zygomatic arch in the temple to the mandible

3-The vector extending from the border of the hair in the temple to the nasolabial fold

Reference lines are drawn for the threads to apply to the patient’s face. For this purpose, four reference lines are used.

1-The line drawn perpendicular to the ground plane from the outer corner of the eye-the vertical line;

The junction point of this line with the earlobe-mouth corner line is essential. There is no need to apply vector thread to this point because other applications will be enough for the lift of this area.

2-The line drawn parallel to the ground plane from the outer corner of the eye-the horizontal line

3-The line drawn parallel to the ground plane from the outer corner of the eyebrow

A 4-The line drawn between the earlobe and the corner of the mouth

Fox Eyes with Thread Lift

Eyebrow lifting with a thread lift procedure and stretching the eyes towards the temples, known as fox eyes, are standard today. When we look at the people who have thread lifts, we see that most of the applications we see visually are made with thread lifts. This method, applied by experienced physicians, is preferred because it allows people to achieve the taut facial contours they want in a shorter time without surgery.   

A thread facial lift operation is a technique that can be used instead of a facelift operation, such as suspending the face upward from under the skin with special threads that do not break off and do not melt, used for medical purposes.

Applying a thread lift to the forehead and eyebrows

Botulinum toxin applications two weeks before application or filler applications may be required when a deepening of the lines may develop after the thread. Hi-Fu can be used after the thread.

·         Threads should be placed under the skin of the frontal muscle.

·         After forehead applications, forehead pains that can last up to 1 week may develop.

·         Whileng lifting the eyebrows, it is necessary to show the patient that they open and brighten, especially in the upper eye.

·         Thinner strands should be used on the forehead.

·         The threads are applied in UV or X shape.

Application of thread lift for jawline and V shape on the lower part of the face, lower cheek

In the skin, subcutaneous support tissue and adipose tissue that make up the lower part of the face, aesthetic disadvantages develop under the control of the ageing process or structural features and gravity. This leads to the accumulation of excess tissue under the face and the deterioration of the V-shaped young appearance lines of the face.

Meso Threads

It is also described as a ’Thread lift‘, ’Lead Fine Lift”’. After the application, the V-shaped face starting from the chin is also defined as a V lift because it expresses aesthetics and a youthful appearance. The threads used contain a PDO substance. The new supporting tissue formed by the biological effect of the tissue remains for 18-24 months. These threads are placed in skinny needles. The lines are placed with these needles in the desired texture.

It can be applied to all the lower layers of the skin, from the dermis to the upper fascia of the bone.

It provides new collagen production with an increase in fibroblastic activity in the dermis during their stay in the skin. This, in turn, increases skin tone and resistance, provides shrinkage of pores with the formation of new tissues, and stimulates the development of new vascular structures in the skin.

1.       How Is Thread Lift Performed?

With the thread lift technique, without the need for surgery, the desired stretch is achieved by attaching one end of the particular threads used subcutaneously to the needed areas (cheek, jowl) and the other end subcutaneously to the solid connective tissue layer called the temporal fascia, which is located under the scalp in the upper ear region of the head. There are no incisions, sutures.

During the thread lift process, threads are placed on the person’s face, while no other material is used other than the special threads of the thread lift. Depending on the skin structure, the edema experienced after the thread lift will decrease and disappear within 3-4 days.

Which areas can the Thread Lift be applied to?

Thread lift can be applied to areas where it is needed on the face, such as;

·         Eyes

·         Eyebrows

·         Cheekbones

·         Low saggy cheeks

·         Jawline

·         Neck

.

2.       What to pay attention to after the thread lift

·         it is desirable not to make exaggerated facial expressions for one week, stay away from heavy exercises for five days, stay away from sudden temperature rise environments, and not use cosmetics for the first 12 hours after application.

·         In addition, it is undesirable to massage the application areas for three weeks, peeling and laser hair removal.

·         it is desirable that the mouth is not opened too much for 3-4 weeks.

·         In particular, dental examinations and checks should be postponed.

·         Slight stinging and burning in the application areas for 3-5 days is normal. Painkillers can be taken; excessive sports activity should be stopped for seven days. Blood thinners, Vit C and E, are not accepted. The sun and solarium are prohibited for two weeks.

·         After 15 days, a check-up is performed, and a touch-up is performed after three months.

3.       At What Age Is Thread Lift Performed?

Although it is known that women usually make the thread lift, men can have a facelift using the thread lift method. We can say that this procedure can be applied from the age of 30 depending on the deformations experienced by the people who need it in the face and neck area. 

Who can the Thread Lift be applied to?

Thread lift is a method that will be applied especially to those who want to rejuvenate without surgery. In men and women, the skin begins to lose elasticity due to collagen, decreasing from the age of 30. This loss of elasticity also leads to deep wrinkles and sagging. In men and women who want to restore the old youthful appearance of their skin, the desired image can be achieved by making a face hanger with a thread lift.

Early-stage thread lift side effects:

·         There may be edema, bruises, pain, etc., in the application area. They are less than other methods.

Development of Infection:

·         The risk of infection should be minimised by performing the application under sterile conditions and using protective antibiotics before and after the application.

Reactions to the threads used:

·         The use of threads readily accepted by the body that do not react often and disappear on their own after a while reduces these risks.

Feeling the sutures from the outside:

·         The threads used are placed too deep in the skin to feel by eye and hand. This side effect may develop in practice because the threads are placed too superficially as errors. In this case, the time of spontaneous disappearance of the thread is expected, or the threads are removed.

The fact that the sutures cause small pits on the surface of the skin:

·         The application is developing with the total adjustment of the depth. If they are located under the dermis on the skin, they do not develop.

In order not to develop vascular and nerve damage:

·         The subcutaneous vascular-nerve areas in the application area during the placement of the threads should be very well known anatomically.

Development of asymmetry:

·         An application error causes or. Asymmetry is caused when the tension of the threads cannot be given equal.

The disappearance of the clinical response over time:

·         It is the return of lifted tissues to their former state. Aesthetic problems can return to their former state, especially according to the threads used in areas where dynamic movements such as forehead and neck are excessive. Therefore, threads are combined with botulinum toxins or other methods in these areas.