Lower Face Thread Lift Philadelphia
ALSO SERVING KING OF PRUSSIA, RADNOR & MALVERN PA
Lift and Tighten Loose Skin Without Surgery
Invasive surgeries used to be the only way to address loose skin in the lower face (jowling) and neck. Thread lift is a new type of procedure created to fill the gap between facelift surgery and non-invasive facial rejuvenation. Thread lift uses suture material to elevate the facial tissues for a subtle yet visible lift. Instead of cutting away a patient’s loose facial skin, our board-certified plastic surgeon, Dr. David Horvath, suspends the tissues with high-quality threads by strategically anchoring portions of the face. Thread lift pulls the skin back for a tighter facial appearance and is especially effective in the lower face.
How Can Lower Face Thread Lift Help Me?
A lower face thread lift can provide results similar to surgery without sedation, scalpels, or extensive recovery. The procedure improves jawline definition, loose skin, and other lower face concerns and is best for patients with mild to moderate skin laxity. The ideal candidates are between their late 30s and early 50s, when the skin’s tissues still retain some elasticity. Thread lift is a facelift alternative for older patients who don’t qualify for invasive surgery due to health conditions or want results with fewer risks. For example, people with high blood pressure, heart disease, or type 2 diabetes should not go under general anesthesia.
Thread lift can be combined with dermal fillers, neuromodulators (BOTOX, Dysport, or Xeomin), plasma skin resurfacing, PRP treatment, and other non-surgical treatments for dramatic results.Dr. Horvath may suggest building up the supportive tissues around the skeletal structure of the face with Radiesse® before thread lift for more natural-looking results.
How Does Lower Face Thread Lift Work?
Thread lift stimulates the body’s healing response, causing surges of collagen to flood into the treated area. Collagen is a crucial element in youthful skin, and it decreases with age. Collagen production decreases starting in your 20s and causes an 80% reduction in skin thickness by the time you turn 70. Loss of collagen is a driving force behind wrinkles and loose, sagging skin. Because these weaker skin tissues can’t support the underlying tissues, gravity pulls them down and stretches the skin. Thread lift infuses the skin with fresh collagen to improve mild to moderate skin laxity by thickening and hydrating the skin.
Lower face thread lift provides ongoing and progressive lower face rejuvenation. The quick procedure takes about 30 to 45 minutes. Local anesthesia numbs the area, and Dr. Horvath uses a small instrument (needle or cannula) to insert the molded threads below the skin. With the threads in place, the body responds by trying to heal the sutured areas and expel the sutures. (This is your body’s natural reaction whenever it recognizes a foreign object in the skin.) The patient doesn’t feel this activation, but the tissues are constantly working to heal the area, producing more and more collagen. The threads eventually dissolve, leaving renewed tissues and tighter skin behind.
Dr. Horvath uses the highest quality threads made of polydioxanone (PDO) or poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA). PDO threads are commonly used in surgical settings for suturing. It’s a biocompatible material that the body absorbs four to six months after the procedure.
Other plastic surgeons may prefer pre-loaded, easy-to-use threads that are thinner and weaker for a faster procedure, but Dr. Horvath takes his time using more robust threads that provide longer-lasting results. He is one of the only providers around Philadelphia to use the superior pressed MINT™ barbed threads. These MINT™ PDO threads are not cut like other threads which weakens the string’s integrity, causing early dissolution and shorter results. Instead, MINT™ PDO threads are molded with a barbed design like a vine of thorns on a rose bush. Barbed threads are superior because they encircle the thread in a helical pattern to grasp the skin tissues and hold the lift.
Sometimes smooth threads are more appropriate for lower face thread lifts. Smooth threads can provide the scaffolding for new collagen and prevent sagging tissues using a crosshatch pattern or parallel smooth threads for a more defined jawline and neck. Dr. Horvath often combines smooth threads with PRP treatment to boost the biochemical reaction and absorption. The crosshatch pattern with smooth threads is typically best for younger patients while the barbed threads are preferred for older patients with more significant skin laxity.
Another type of suture contains tiny PLLA cones that grab skin tissues for a more noticeable elevation of the cheeks and jowls. PLLA cones may be used for mid-face thread lifts.
Little to No Downtime After Lower Face Thread Lift
Unlike facelift surgery, which requires general anesthesia, weeks of recovery, gauze, and bandages, lower face thread lift uses local anesthesia and involves little to no downtime. Thread lift recovery is comparatively easy; some patients may experience soreness, redness, and swelling and wish to take one or more days off, but most can return to work the same day of their thread lift.
Follow Dr. Horvath’s instructions after your thread lift. Use gentle pressure to cleanse the skin and apply moisturizer for one week or longer. It is best to sleep slightly elevated on your back to reduce any pressure on the treated area.
Long-Lasting Results with Lower Face Thread Lift
You may notice some facial improvements immediately, but thread lifts provide more gradual changes as the body works to heal the area. The threads or sutures are not visible through your skin and can’t be felt under the tissues when placed properly by a board-certified plastic surgeon. You may notice some bunching in the elevated tissues but that disappears one to two weeks after thread lift. Thread lift results may last one to three years, depending on the severity of loose skin and wrinkling. You may choose to have additional thread lift procedures to restore or maintain your results.
Schedule Your Lower Face Thread Lift at Horvath Aesthetics
Dr. Horvath provides high-quality services with an exclusive focus on non-surgical cosmetic treatments. Schedule a consultation at Horvath Aesthetics to learn more about lower face thread lifts. Contact our King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, office at (215) 884-2880.
