Thread Lift (Silhouette & PDO)

Minimally invasive thread lifting using biodegradable Silhouette or PDO threads to physically lift sagging facial and periorbital tissue while stimulating long-term collagen production for sustained skin tightening.

Thread lifting at The Clifford Clinic offers a non-surgical alternative to facelift surgery for patients with mild to moderate skin laxity, delivering both an immediate lift and a biological stimulus for collagen renewal. The clinic provides two main thread lift modalities: Silhouette Soft for the midface and jawline, and the DERMA SPRING PDO Eye Thread Lift specifically designed for the delicate periorbital area. Silhouette Soft threads are made from polylactic acid (PLLA), a resorbable material with a decades-long safety record in medicine. Each thread carries bidirectional cones that grip tissue from both directions, allowing the physician to redistribute volume and lift sagging cheeks, jowls, and brows without incisions. As the thread biodegrades over twelve to eighteen months, the foreign-body response stimulates sustained collagen deposition in the treated area, prolonging the lifting effect. Results are visible immediately after the procedure and continue to improve for up to three months as new collagen forms. The DERMA SPRING PDO Eye Thread Lift uses polydioxanone threads in the periorbital area to address under-eye bags, sagging upper lids, dark circles, and fine wrinkles around the eyes — areas that are difficult to address effectively with topical treatments or energy-based devices alone. Numbing cream is applied for thirty minutes before the physician inserts the threads over approximately fifteen minutes. The mechanism is dual: physical lifting via the thread itself, and mechanotransduction signalling that triggers local collagen remodelling. Minor bruising or swelling can occur but typically resolves within one to two days, and results last one to two years. Both procedures are performed under local anaesthesia and carry no general anaesthesia risk. The physician designs the thread placement individually based on the patient's anatomy and goals discussed during consultation.