Vertical Lifting: A New Optimal Thread Lifting Technique for Asians

Abstract

Thread lifting with short, wedge-shaped PDO sutures is safe and effective for facial rejuvenation. The authors' vertical lifting technique has several advantages over the current approaches. First, the vectors directly oppose the vertical sagging of the face, which makes the technique highly efficient. The technique also carries a lower risk of accentuating the cheekbones, a feature which most Asians do not prefer.

Mini-midface Lift Using Polydioxanone Cog Threads

“…The optimal indications for thread lifting are thought to be the following: 30–49 years of age and a mild to moderate degree of skin and soft tissue ptosis. 13 , 18 , 19 As the duration of the treatment effect is 6 months to 1 year, patients can decide to undergo additional thread lifting procedures as the effect diminishes over time. However, the procedure is not adequate for patients over 60 years of age, as they have much less skin laxity and a greater need for volume filling and skin texture improvement.…”

“…In recent years, especially in East Asia, polydioxanone (PDO) threads of various lengths and shapes have been approved for use, 9 , 10 and many lifting procedures can now be performed in a much less invasive manner. 11 – 13 In an effort to improve patient satisfaction, we used cog threads made of PDO material to perform a mini-midface lift that has a shorter operative time and postoperative downtime and yields satisfactory results without incisions or postoperative scarring. Herein, we show the effect of this technique in terms of both patient satisfaction and an objective assessment of the physical change in the midface area.…”

An innovative thread-lift technique for facial rejuvenation and complication management

“…[1] Histopathological studies indicated collegan deposition which may cause skin quality improvement and fibrotic reaction for long-term lifting effect. [4,5]…”

The Outlook of the Development of Innovative Products from Biocompatible Natural Spider Silk in the Beauty Thread-Lifting Industry

“…Barbed suture is a special type of suture thread, which is characterized by many sharp fine teeth distributed at an acute angle on the surface of the thread [28]. The suture material can be categorized as non-absorbable and absorbable (Table 1) [11,14,25,28,29,33,39,42]. Most of the non-absorbable threads are made of polypropylene, such as the Aptos thread proposed by Sulamanidze and colleagues in 2002, which was the first commercialized suture with multidirectional barbs [14]; the Contour line was approved by the FDA in 2004 as a thread lifting suture with unidirectional barbs for rejuvenating the middle and lower parts of the face [6,11,25].…”

“…one end is stitched into a relatively fixed tissue along the subcutaneous plane of the face, such as periosteum and fascia; and the other is free floating to spread the barbed suture into the tissue and use the tension of suture to increase the tightness between tissues [28]. There are also reports where a suture thread is inserted vertically down between the anterior and inferior zygomatic areas, taking into account the specific characteristics of the anatomy of the bones between Asians and Caucasians [42]. The current methods for evaluating the effects of facial lifting are generally the 5-point Global Aesthetic Improvement Scale (GAIS), 3D imaging system and subjective satisfaction evaluation [29].…”