Thread Lift vs Face Lift: Which once should you have?

Thread lift or Facelift

These days no one wants to look “done” but thankfully unlike the all-too-obvious procedures of the past, we now have a plethora of options to correct facial aging, ranging from non-invasive to minimally invasive to an actual surgical procedure. While each of these techniques can restore youthfulness to the face, the results they offer are not identical and the differences are of particular important when deciding whether to opt for a thread lift or facelift surgery.

Sagging skin on the jowls, cheeks, and neck can be tackled very effectively by both thread lifts and facelifts, but each one is designed for specific candidates. 

Characterised by the use of dissolvable surgical threads, which “lift” the underlying tissues of facial structures that have been impacted by gravity and the loss of collagen, these threads are placed sub dermally. The threads, which have small cones/graspers on them, are passed under the skin via a special needle. The cones then grab hold of the skin from the under surface and pull to re-suspend the skin in a lifted, more youthful position. Generally, the thread lift provides natural-looking rejuvenation of your cheeks, jawline, and neck and offers approximately 25 percent of the result of a surgical facelift. An ideal procedure for younger patients experiencing the onset of facial aging and skin laxity, and who wish to delay the need for surgery. Thread lifts can also be used for patients who have already undergone facelift surgery but require a “touch-up”.

In contrast, facelift surgery removes excess skin on the lower to midface while significantly tightening the underlying structures to noticeably improve sagging jowls, vertical banding on the neck, and loss of volume in the midface. There are several levels of facelift surgery available depending on your needs, ranging from the “mini-lift” that focuses on early signs of aging in the jowls and lower face to the “deep plane lift” that provides extensive rejuvenation of the jawline, jowls, midface, cheeks, and neck. Generally, those who have extensive sagging, deep creases, jowls, and drooping skin under the chin are best suited for facelift surgery.