Threadlift Study Confirms What Consumers Knew All Along
Threadlift is dead, and the facial plastic surgeons have declared it so.
Threadlift was marketed as a non-surgical alternative to face lift that could delay the need for surgery, and was FDA approved in 2005. In September 2008, we illustrated the downturn of its popularity (See Threadlift Falling Out of Favor With Consumers)
Only 12% of those who reviewed Threadlift surgery on RealSelf.com said it was worth it. One said undergoing a threadlift was the "worst mistake of [her] life," and another said "I wish I never had the procedure done. The thread ripped the collagen in my face and now I look like I have a deep hole in my face."
Surgeons can't even see the improvement
A new study in the May/June 2009 issue of Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery looked at 33 patients who had a Threadlift, 23 of whom had another procedure like Botox or fillers at the same time. Four plastic surgeons who were not aware of what kind of procedure the patients had undergone rated their "aesthetic improvement," on a scale of 0 for no improvement, to 3 for considerable improvement.
One month following the procedure, improvement could be seen in all of the patients, but one to two years later at follow-up the threadlift patients' improvement scores ranged from 0.2 to 0.5... basically no improvement.
Conclusion: It was all just swelling
Dr. Rima F. Abraham of Albany Medical College published the study, concluding that any early improvement shown by threadlift patients may be "largely attributed to post-procedural edema and inflammation" and that "we cannot justify further use of this procedure for facial rejuvenation."
Or better said by RealSelf.com member Maxine75, There is a reason no surgeon will do thread lifts anymore – they’re crap!
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6 posts
4 Jun 2009
The key take away from this article is that patients need to be assertive and ask themselves, "Does this sound too good to be true"? If the answer is yes, it probably is. There are many procedures marketed as safe and easy alternatives to surgery. In my experience, the majority of these treatments produce only short term results that are largely due to swelling. I feel sorry for the people who have spent a significant amount of money on treatments that just don't work. My advice to anyone considering facial rejuvenation is to seek the advice of a Facial Plastic Surgeon who will be able to give them a realistic view of what can and can not be achieved with both surgical and non surgical treatments. Facelifts have advanced tremendously and are a safe and effective option that patients who really want results should consider. At the same time, filler products have advanced as well, and it is possible to rejuvenate the face to some degree by adding volume to it. These are treatments that work and that I believe in. I refused to offer threadlifts at my practice as the physics of the procedure simply did not make sense to me. Unfortunately, I have pulled threads from the faces of patients who had them inserted at other non-surgical facilities. Bottom line, do your research carefully and trust your face to a facial plastic surgeon.