For those looking for a less invasive, more natural face lift type experience, read on. For those who are a lot squeamish, prepare to be a teensy bit grossed out. Thread lift may be the new face lift.
More natural, less invasive, practically no recovery time…If you could have anything in a face lift, these would be it. But what is a thread lift and is it one of the new, somewhat weird anti-aging treatments?
Nope. This is not snail venom, bacteria-killing molecules, or some other bizarre beauty trend. We are talking simple needle and thread, here. Ok, maybe not that simple, but still…
The thread lift is a technique where tiny threads, sugar-based and sometimes barbed, are inserted into the skin to give a lifted look. There are a couple of ways to go about doing this procedure, but right now you still have to travel to Europe or Asia to have it done.
One dermy who performs thread lifts (did I mention it is done by dermatologists? It is!) is Maurice Dray from France. Dr. Dray performs his threading procedure using a “specially designed gun” to inject fillers and antioxidants deep into skin tissue in effort to stimulate collagen production. Sugar-based threads are inserted into the skin to give a lifted look. The procedure is said to last two years. As for price? A neck threading would run you just under $2K.
These natural threads melt around 3-4 weeks post insertion. And it’s not just the face that can get in on the action. Pretty much any spot on the body that sags can be threaded. Neck, jawline, breasts, knees…The idea is that these threads create fibrous tissue that (fingers crossed) stimulate new tissue growth.
Dr. Dray has offices in London and Paris, but if you aren’t close to either of those cities, maybe hop on over to Singapore where Dr. Woffles Wu inserts barbed threads (The Woffles Thread) under skin. The barbs give skin a lifted look and create fibrous tissue over time to support the lift. Treatment is said to last one to five years. This version runs about $6000 for a neck lift.
Increased skin hydration, glow, and improved elasticity are other purported bonuses of the thread lift. As for those real life results? Dr. Dray’s patients apparently report a practically unanimous success rate, but studies suggest otherwise.
As weird as having threads run through your skin sounds, there are no side effects to the treatment and very minimal downtime. The worst patients are usually left with is a bruise or two. Certainly not the potential paralysis of Botox or long recovery time from a traditional surgery. A thread lift is also fast (around 30 minutes) and practically painless.
For the time being the treatment is not available state side, awaiting FDA approval. When it is, and you know it will be, will you run to get one? Or leave the needle and thread for sewing on loose buttons?
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Image of woman threading needle via Shutterstock