Our ‘Thread Lift’ Facelift

… restore a more youthful look without major surgery!

• Lifts loose, saggy skin without Traditional Facelift Surgery
• Avoids the costs, downtime, scars & potential complications of Traditional Facelift Surgery
• A fraction of the cost of Traditional Facelift Surgery
• Performed by our experienced Cosmetic Surgeons
• No General Anaesthesia – Local Anaesthesia only
• No hospital – performed in the privacy of our own Clinic’s Operating Theatre
• No visible scars
• Quick recovery, minimal downtime

A ‘Thread Lift’ Facelift is an excellent alternative to a Traditional Facelift when there is only early or medium degrees of facial ageing and the skin has started to lose its firmness and appears loose and a little saggy.  It is not a worthwhile option for advanced facial ageing where a Traditional Facelift would be a more appropriate recommendation

History of ‘Thread Lift’ Facelifts & our experience with them!

Countering the early stages of facial ageing by inserting facial threads to ‘lift’ loose and sagging skin without traditional surgery has been progressively improving over the years since the first threads were developed in 1996.

One of the early pioneers in ‘Thread Lift’ Facelifts was Dr Des Fernandes, Plastic Surgeon in Cape Town, South Africa. In 2005, Dr Mayson travelled to Cape Town where he learned first-hand Dr Fernandes’ surgical techniques.

In the year after returning to Australia, Dr Mayson was introduced to Contour Threads – a new barbed thread system developed in the USA.  Results from Contour Threads were very impressive but sadly, several years later, the company was sold and the production of these effective threads was discontinued.

Since then, various threads have been introduced and promoted in Australia none of which have met Dr Mayson’s approval by reason of the thread designs, their recommended insertion techniques, or both.

However, we are excited that new threads are currently awaiting approval by the TGA.  Dr Mayson has inspected these new threads, considers them far superior in design to all others currently available in Australia, and looks forward to offering these with his unique techniques as soon as they become available.

What are the advantages of Dr Mayson’s unique ‘Threadlift’ Facelift technique?

• NO VISIBLE SCARS
• Superior lifting of loose skin
• Threads are totally absorbable. This means that they completely dissolve after around 12 months. Rest assured, however, that this does NOT mean that when they dissolve, your skin suddenly drops back down to where it was because in the meantime your skin has already become affixed in its higher and more youthful position.
• Repeat treatments are easier. If and when you desire a repeat treatment, the advantage of the threads having dissolved means we have a clean ‘palette’ to work with and there is no chance of the repeat threads ‘catching’ on an earlier thread and causing surface dimpling or other irregularities.

The advantages of our ‘Threadlift’ Facelift over a Traditional Full Surgical Facelift

• Easily affordable – a fraction of the cost of Traditional Facelift Surgery.
• Quick: most take only 1-1½ hours.  Full Facelifts take 4-5 hours
• Minimal downtime: usually 1-2 days only.
• No hospital: performed in the privacy of our own Clinic’s Operating Theatre.
• No General Anaesthesia: Local Anaesthesia only +/- mild sedation.
• Safer: avoids the potential complications of Traditional Facelift Surgery.
• Performed only by our experienced Cosmetic Surgeons.
• Our ‘Thread Lift’ Facelift can also be an option for those who’ve previously had Traditional Facelift Surgery and have in the meantime aged again but don’t wish to have repeat Full Facelift Surgery.

Realistically, as the ageing process never stops, no facial rejuvenation procedure – whether it be a ‘Thread Lift’ Facelift or Traditional Surgical Facelift – can be expected to last forever.  So, whether you’ve had previous Traditional Facelift Surgery or a ‘Thread Lift’ Facelift, when the signs of facial ageing again present themselves, you can restore a more youthful appearance by simply having another ‘Thread Lift’ Facelift’.

How to choose where to have it done?

If researching and comparing costs at various clinics, please bear in mind that not all brands of threads are the same quality nor are the techniques of inserting the threads equally effective.  Accordingly, don’t look for the cheapest quotes.  A cheap quotation may reflect inferior threads, a less effective technique or a doctor without any surgical facelift experience.

If the doctor you’re seeing has not been taught how to firmly anchor the threads, you will likely get very little correction, or even worse, none at all!

For the best possible correction from a ‘Thread Lift’ Facelift, the ESSENTIAL CRITERIA you should look for when choosing where to have it done, are:

• Choose well-designed ‘threads’ that have good lifting and holding power so that the lifted skin does not slip back down.
• Threads need a technique with secure anchoring points otherwise the correction will be disappointing.
• Choose a Plastic Surgeon or Cosmetic Surgeon with Surgical Facelift skills and experience.  These surgeons have an intimate knowledge of facial anatomy, and having seen first-hand the tissue layers during open surgery, they can better ‘feel’ that the threads are sitting in the correct tissue plane when inserting them.
• Choose a Clinic that offers both ‘Thread Lift’ Facelifts and Full Surgical Facelifts because you are more likely to be recommended whichever of the two procedures is the best one for you. If the doctor you’re seeing does not perform Surgical Facelifts, there is a risk that he/she may offer you a ‘Thread Lift’ Facelift when you really should be having a Surgical Facelift.

SUMMARY OF THE PRINCIPAL DIFFERENCES BETWEEN OUR ‘THREAD LIFT’ FACELIFT AND A TRADITIONAL FULL SURGICAL FACELIFT

 

	‘THREAD LIFT’ FACELIFT	TRADITIONAL SURGICAL FACELIFT
Patient Suitability	Best when skin laxity is mild-medium	Best option for advanced facial ageing
Anaesthesia	Usually Local Anaesthetic only. Mild Sedation can be added if desired	General Anaesthesia
Where is it Done?	In the Privacy of our Clinic’s own Operating Theatre	In Hospital with a 2 day stay
Length of Procedure	About 1 hour	3-4 hours
Surgical Scars	Very small, hidden and essentially undetectable	More extensive & noticeable, usually need to be camouflaged with make-up
‘Down Time’	Usually 2-3 days	Around 3-4 weeks
Post-Operative Restrictions	Some	Some
Post-Operative Appearances	Temporary, short-lived ‘Bunching’ of skin where it is pulled back (e.g. in front of the ears) Surface Irregularities along the course of the threads are sometimes seen but these are usually temporary only	No ‘Bunching’ because the pulled-back, excess skin is removed.  Surface irregularities can occur but are usually temporary
Return to Normal Activities	Usually within 1 week	Around 4 weeks
Possible Complications	Uncommon, minor and usually temporary in experienced hands	More serious complications are possible
Duration of Correction	2-3 years	Longer lasting, average 7 years
When Skin Laxity Returns	Simply add more threads or go to a Surgical Facelift	Repeat full Surgical Facelift or have a ‘Thread Lift’ Facelift
Cost	Average $4,000 -$5,000 depending on number of threads required	Mini-lift: Around $14,000 Full Lift: Around $20,000

 

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Patient TA Before & After ‘Thread Lift’ Facelift

 

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