Downsides of Thread-Lifts

Why aren't you a fan of thread-lifts?

Well, people will always gravitate to something that is less invasive, less expensive, shorter recovery time, presumably less painful. It's very appealing. And, it's all a question of value. What is the value, the long term value? We've had patients that come in and have said, you know I had this operation done 6 months ago a year ago, I look exactly like I did before. So that's not much value even though one may have not spent as much money as if they had the real deal, the real procedure.

The thread lift is a process by hooking the skin with almost like a fish hook, pulling it up, and affixing it up here, so in other words, you run the fishing line from here under here and you tighten it up and up comes the skin. Conceptually, it sounds great, because it's minimally invasive, again, little down time, little discomfort, little everything. However, the concept violates one of the basic rules of nature, and that is if you don't release tissue from its attachments and slide it in movement, it doesn't stay where you leave it very long. In other words, pulling it up with the fishing line is going to be subject to nature's own natural contraction.

And so what happens is the longevity is very poor, the procedure is proving to be much less effective and less popular than the hype. Now, therein lies the problem. When things are new, and less invasive, less expensive, less everything, it gets lots of attention. It gets lots of attention in the media, and remember companies that want to sell the equipment, the hooks, the strings, whatever it is, they have a vested interest in drumming up support. Not only by the physicians for it, but by the public. The public knocks on the door and says I heard about the xyz procedure, I want one because it sure looked good on television. But you don't quite have the whole story though, because did the television show you what it looked like a year later? Or two years later?