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Thread lift or lunch time face lift
Procedure information, costs, and risks
An indicator of aging is when the middle part of the face loses its underlying attachments and sags due to gravity. The change from fullness of the cheeks to fullness of the lower face is perceived as being older and less vibrant. If you look at the face of a teenager or a person in her/his 20s, the fat is more evenly distributed throughout the face. On the other hand, for a person in 40s or 50s, there is more fat in the lower part.
Threadlift procedure (lunch time face lift)
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A lunch hour face lift or
thread lift is designed to help eliminate the signs of aging. The “threading” technique requires the surgeon to “thread” 6-18 barbed, permanent sutures through a hollow guide into the skin and the deeper soft tissue. This procedure does not pull the skin too tight and will not produce that taught
appearance, a strong sign of cosmetic improvement. On the other hand, the results are more natural looking and show a restorative and refreshed type of improvement though not as good as
a facelift for obvious reasons.
It is important to understand that this "lunchtime facelift" is not true surgery since there is no skin removed. The surgeon essentially does all the work with a needle and thread and only local anesthesia
(Facelift
without anesthesia) is used. |
 Who is a good candidate?
As the cheek fat pads begin to droop the lines along side of the nose and from the corner of the mouth deepen and become much more prominent. Jowls can also form along the jaw line contributing to the aged, tired, and haggard look. These changes can occur in spite of a
healthy and active lifestyle because these muscles and tissues are largely unaffected by regular physical exercises. They are stubborn and resistant to treatment and often begin in the 30’s.
Cost and risks
The lunch hour facelift procedure takes less than an hour (that is why the name) and costs about $2,000 (though prices vary by surgeon, location, individual condition, etc.).
Since the procedure is simple and does not take all that long, the recovery time is very short (it is
minimally invasive surgery after all). In some patients dimples might appear and sometimes skin might accumulate in one area, but doctors know these complications and will correct them since each case is different and it is not possible to predict who will respond in what manner.
How to pick the right surgeon and threads?
According to Dr. Malcolm Paul, Clinical Professor of Surgery, University of California, Irvine, some surgeons may use non-FDA approved imported threads or threads created in their own offices, with varying degrees of success. So what can you do to make sure that you are getting the best technology?
- Make sure the
physician you select is board-certified in his/her specialty (plastic surgery, dermatology, occuplastic surgery, facial plastic surgery, etc.).
- Confirm your physician is using Contour Threads(TM), the only barbed suture cleared by the FDA for
brow, mid-face and neck/jowl area fixation and elevation.
- All doctors are required to attend a formal training session before they can purchase Contour Threads, so they can properly perform the Contour Threadlift procedure.
- Do the research. Understand what the procedure can and cannot do. A Contour Threadlift(TM) can lift drooping jowls and
sagging eyebrows — but it cannot add volume or
remove excess skin.
- Ask the physician how many procedures he/she has performed. The more experience your doctor has, the better results you can achieve with this technology.
- Understand what to expect post-procedure and how much time you will need for recovery. Even minimally invasive techniques have some downtime. Many physicians combine thread lifts with other procedures for a customized approach to
facial
rejuvenation.
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