Fine lines, wrinkles, or saggy skin areas: these are common signs of aging. Such aging imperfections are because of the loss of collagen, a significant protein that ensures your skin remains young and tight. Droopy areas on your face can make you uncomfortable and lower your self-esteem and confidence. If you are experiencing any of these issues and it is affecting your overall feeling towards your appearance, you can opt for a PDO thread lift: a non-surgical facelifting treatment that uses absorbable PDO threads. Get in touch with the experts at Old Town Med Spa in Chicago for a PDO facelift treatment that will guarantee you a firmer, well-textured, and smoother skin.
What Is a PDO Thread Lift?
A PDO thread facelift is an effective cosmetic treatment that lifts and tightens sagging skin tissues around the face or the neck. The threads used types of hypodermic needles containing absorbable polydioxanone (PDO) sutures. These are inserted in the affected areas to lift the sagging skin and strengthen the contours of your face. The PDO material is easily absorbed by your body, making this facelifting approach one of the safest cosmetic techniques. This treatment therapy borrows a lot from acupuncture in controlling and improving muscle contraction and tissue stimulation.
The insertion of the threads causes various effects on the skin. The threads’ mechanical effects will lift the skin instantly. This effect is followed by cellular renewal through the stimulation of collagen and neovascularization, which enhances the skin’s elasticity and texture. The final impact will be a contraction of the fat tissue, leading to tighter skin.
How a PDO Thread Facelift Works
A typical PDO thread facelift treatment entails the placement of PDO threads to a droopy area on the face or neck. The entry points of the threads depend on an individual’s requirements and the shape of their face. A blunt-ended cannula or a needle is used to introduce the PDO threads to the specific areas that require the lift.
The PDO thread lifting treatment redefines the facial contours and induces the production of collagen. The restoration of the lost collagen causes a skin-lifting experience that can last for about two years. The threads are absorbable, so they will disappear after six months, but the already realized results will remain for an additional three to six months or more.
FAQ About PDO Thread Facelift
How Is This Treatment Different From Facelift Surgery?
Until recently, many people relied on facelift surgery to address facial laxity effects such as drooping cheeks and jowls. Although such treatment is effective, it involves the removal of loose skin, and this is not something that most people would want. The skin lifting option that uses absorbable PDO threads has become a common treatment because it is non-surgical and fast. It guarantees the patient instant results without having to deal with the downtime that comes with surgical procedures.
Is This Treatment Safe?
Skin lifting and rejuvenation through PDO threads is safe. PDO threads are FDA-approved. The sutures are absorbable, and the process is non-surgical, so you do not have to worry about incisions or cuts. This non-surgical facelift treatment leaves no extensive scars, unlike most surgical techniques.
Is This Treatment for Women Only?
We all age, and at a certain point in life both men and women will develop wrinkles, fine lines, or sagging skin. This facelifting option using absorbable PDO threads is for anyone with unwanted droopy areas on the face or neck. This treatment is for women and men who want a fast way to lift and tighten their loose skin without undergoing surgery. Some people even prefer having the treatment done regularly to keep their skin consistently smooth, tight, and firm.
What Should I Do Before and After the Treatment?
Most individuals resume their daily tasks immediately after a PDO thread treatment. While this is possible, taking precautions before and after a PDO thread facelift is essential for getting the best results. You should remove any form of makeup before the treatment; it may make it hard for the practitioner to detect areas on your face that require the lifting.
Like most treatments that involve injections, it is advisable to avoid certain blood-thinning supplements, like Omega fish oils or vitamin E, and alcohol before and after the treatment. Such components can interfere with the efficiency of the treatment, leading to adverse complications. It is not advisable to undergo a facelift if you have an active skin infection like cold sores, acne, or if you are unwell. Discussing your current health condition with your practitioner is a necessary step towards better results.
Avoid going to the sauna and steam room or taking part in strenuous exercise after the PDO thread treatment. It is not advisable to undergo any dental treatment two weeks after the treatment. While dental treatment is discouraged after the facelift, you can have anything done that does not require you to open your mouth excessively wide.
Also, avoid applying a lot of pressure on the treated areas, as this might misalign the threads, causing uneven skin surface. Make sure you sleep on your back, as this lowers the amount of pressure you apply on the face when sleeping.
What Areas Can be Lifted with PDO Threads?
The PDO Thread Lift is a highly versatile treatment. It can be used to treat practically any area of the face. The common areas treated include the eyebrows, the undereye area, cheeks, crow’s feet, jawline, neck, jowls, nasolabial and nasojugal folds, and the area around the mouth.
What Type of Results Should I Expect?
After the PDO thread treatment, you will experience an immediate skin lift. The threads support the lifting of the skin to a new position. While it may look and feel a little tighter initially, you will have a much more natural appearance in a week.
After about one to two months, you will notice the rejuvenating effects. Your skin will be smoother, firmer, and have a better texture. Usually, the focus of your doctor might be on skin lifting or rejuvenation. Depending on the technique and the type of skin, the results will differ from one person to the other.
The threads will dissolve by the ninth month after the treatment. Even after they have dissolved, however, the results will remain for several months more.
Am I a Suitable Candidate for a PDO Thread Facelift?
This facelifting treatment is non-surgical and hence ideal for anyone in need of addressing saggy skin. You are a perfect candidate for this treatment if you are looking for an immediate facelift with no surgery. If you are not ready for the extended downtime that comes with a facelift surgery, then the PDO thread lift is your ideal facial treatment.
The ideal candidate for PDO Thread lift should also not have any other conditions that may lead to unwanted side effects. Your practitioner should examine your medical history to make sure that there are no underlying conditions that may affect the efficiency of the treatment.
Can I Have Other Treatments After Undergoing a PDO Thread Facelift?
You can undergo a PDO Thread Lift alone or alongside other treatments, such as the Silhouette Soft, or in conjunction with other anti-aging medications like filler injections. An effective combination of several facial treatments can enhance the natural lifting outcome. However, consult with your doctor before using any other treatment.
What Types of PDO Threads Are Best for Me?
PDO threads are available in different sizes. You can opt for barbed, non-barbed, or floating threads. The barbed subcategories include cutting barbs vs molding barbs, z-type, uni-directional, bi-directional, or unilateral vs bilateral threads. The non-barbed subcategories include the monofilament and braided threads.
Choosing the right PDO thread increases the rate of success of the entire treatment. These categories differ in terms of tensile strength, quality, efficiency, and price. The PDO thread used for your procedure will depend on your skin-lifting and rejuvenation needs, and you’ll discuss your choices with us when you come in for a consultation.
Benefits of a PDO Thread Lift
Tightens and Firms Droopy Skin
Once the PDO threads are administered into your skin, they uplift the droopy areas of your skin. The results are instant: your skin becomes firm and tight immediately after undergoing the process. Complete results will start showing in about two to four weeks.
Restores Collagen
As you grow old, you will lose some collagen. Collagen helps maintain the skin’s strength and elasticity, so losing collagen explains the appearance of droopy areas on your skin. Once inserted into the skin, the PDO threads restore the lost collagen, tightening the skin and removing any fine lines and wrinkles which may have developed.
Long-Lasting Results
Most other cosmetic treatments do not have lasting results. The majority of related treatments have results that last for, at most, a year. With the PDO threads lift, you are guaranteed an uplifted look for two or more years.
Doesn’t Take Long
This treatment process takes just a short time. The longest this process could take is about an hour, although this rarely happens. The healing process is equally fast.
Is Customizable
You can a wide variety of PDO threads for your treatment. The benefit of this is that your doctor can tailor the treatment to address your specific needs. For instance, the mono-threads are ideal for volume restoration and in the rejuvenation of an individual’s chin and cheeks. For sagging skin on the neck or jowls, the thicker threads are used.
Getting the Most Out of Your PDO Facelift Treatment
Many surgical and non-surgical cosmetic techniques are available today, but a lack of proper awareness and ignorance has caused many people to seek the wrong techniques for the wrong purposes. Even though thread facelifts are effective at tightening the skin, they are not a substitute for those treatments that address skin blemishes such as fine lines, uneven pigmentation, and age spots.
To get the best out of your PDO thread facelift, you can combine the treatment with other recommended treatments. If combined well with the right non-surgical treatment, you will get noticeable and comprehensive results. The rationale for considering combining thread facelifts with other treatments is that the recovery time for this process is relatively short and the threads are safe.
Start Your Thread Facelift Journey Today
If you are looking for a specialist in skin lifting and rejuvenation, get in touch with us today at Old Town Med Spa in Chicago, IL for your initial consultation. Our facelift experts have years of professional experience in skin lifting and rejuvenation and will ensure a successful PDO thread lift treatment for your needs. With this non-surgical technique, you can have a refreshed complexion and smooth, tight, firm skin in no time!
