Thread lifting Saarland

Thread lifting a minimally invasive treatment procedure

Thread lifting is a minimally invasive treatment procedure in which a surgical thread with barbs is inserted into the subcutaneous fatty tissue. The connective tissue of the fat pads gets caught in the hooks. This slightly lifts the subcutaneous fatty tissue. The procedure was first performed by a Georgian plastic surgeon in 2002 using specially developed surgical threads (Sulamanidze M.A., 2002, Dermatol Surg). These threads, called Aptos®, were patented in 1999 and were made of polypropylene. However, the results of lifting with polypropylene threads were sobering. The stitches were visible and palpable under the skin (Rachel JD, et al., 2010, Dermatol Surg). The use in 2012 of self-dissolving sutures made of polydioxanone (often abbreviated PDO or PDS) brought a significant improvement (Suh DH, et al., 2015, Dermatol Surg). Several studies followed showing positive results and rare complications with the use of PDO suture. PDO and PLLA are known as collagen stimulants and are thought to stimulate long-term rejuvenation benefits.

The threads are considered a medical device and are therefore not as strictly regulated and controlled as pharmaceuticals, but must have CE certification. Nevertheless, there are considerable differences in quality among CE-certified sutures (Aitzetmueller M.M., 2019, Plast Reconstr Surg).

The common threads include:

• Silhouette Soft® (Sinclair Pharma, London, United Kingdom)
• Happy lift® (Promoitalia, Milan, Italy)
• VENUS V-Line® (Vivacy, Archamps, France)
• Princess® Lift (Grand Aespio Inc., Seoul, Korea)
• Aptos Excellence (Aptos, Moscow, Russia)

There is currently no reliable data available for thread lifting, although small studies have been published and are promising. The thread lift is very popular because it leaves no scars and the recovery time is shorter than with a facelift. This fact should not obscure the fact that the results of a facelift cannot be achieved with a thread lift (Gülbitti HA, et al., 2018, Plast Reconstr Surg). Substantial marketing budgets are allocated by companies to “train” non-surgically trained doctors in these minimally invasive lifting procedures in a one-day course. There is a risk that the technique will be used, even if it is unsuitable, because surgical treatments are not mastered. The risk of infection should not be underestimated, especially if this procedure is offered by doctors who are not familiar with sterile working in the operating theater.

Synonyms:

• Softlifting