Thread Lift

Thread lifts occupy a clinically useful position in the non-surgical facial lifting spectrum — offering more immediate structural repositioning than injectable fillers alone, while requiring far less recovery than facelift surgery. At Dr. Ariel Ostad's Upper East Side Manhattan practice, thread lifts are positioned primarily for patients in their 40s and early 50s presenting with early jowling, midface descent, or mild neck laxity who want a visible…

The procedure uses barbed absorbable threads — most commonly polydioxanone (PDO) or poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA) — inserted through the skin via a fine cannula or needle. The barbs anchor into the subdermal tissue and, when the thread is tensioned, mechanically reposition ptotic (descended) tissue along the intended lift vector. The lifting effect is immediately visible at the time of treatment.

Over the following two to three months, the threads stimulate a fibrotic response along their tract, building a new collagen matrix that reinforces and extends the lift. As the threads are fully absorbed over six to nine months, the collagen they induced remains. Total duration of visible improvement is typically 12–18 months, after which the treatment can be repeated to maintain results.