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Wednesday, July 20, 2016

Thread lift versus facelift

Many cosmetic procedures are advertised as a cure for the aging process. New procedures are developed every year. Many procedures are abandoned shortly after introduction because patient expectations are not met. Over the years there have been new developments in suture material and surgery. Some of these techniques are added to the armamentarium of Plastic Surgeons and other fall by the wayside. Non-surgical facelifts using laser devices, ultra sound, and microwaves are currently available. These devices give modest temporary improvements to your appearance. Fillers and Botox can add fullness and soften wrinkles of the face but for patients that need skin and soft tissues repositioned, these techniques fall far short. The use of suture to lift the face without surgery has been tried over the last decade or so. Most of these procedures are used by non-surgeons since they cannot offer patient conventional surgery. Most of the suture techniques are no longer used because the suture costs as much as surgery and the results with suture lifts usually last only a few months. Before and after photos are usually shown a few days to a few weeks after surgery, be sure to see long term results before proceeding with suture lifts.

The popular web site RealSelf (https://www.realself.com/Thread-lift/reviews) shows a patient satisfaction rate of 54% for thread lifts. Surgical facelifts have a satisfaction rate of over 90%.The recovery from a facelift is a lot longer than a suture lift. However, the results are longer lasting and many of the procedures today have shorter recovery times as compared to 10 years ago. Be sure your cosmetic doctor can offer you all of the options for facial rejuvenation, not just a few. 


Most plastic surgeons spend 7 years in surgical residency training after medical school before they start to practice plastic surgery. Physicians that are not plastic surgeons spend a few days learning a new technique before they offer it to their patients.  Ask questions of your surgeon; being informed is your best policy when it comes to cosmetic procedures. For more information or to schedule a consultation with Dr. Rosato call our office at 772-562-5859, or visit our website www.rosatoplasticsurgery.com and be sure to like us on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/TheRosatoPlasticSurgeryCenter/