Why Isn't the Contour Thread Lift Available Any More?

Contour thread lifts generated much enthusiasm and were likely used in individuals who were likely better candidates for traditional surgery. Disappointing results occurred as a consuquence of unrealistic expectations, pain, visibility, palpability, infection, etc. Given the relatively high cost of the threads, its poularity began to wane and surgeons ceased to recommend it.

Contour threads were a reasonable alternative to facelift for a segment of the population. However, the manufacturer was sold and then stopped marketing them. This might have resulted from litigation because the threads were available to any physician who was willing to purchase them, not board certified plastic surgeons but I was told that they also weren't profitable.

A basic concept in Facial Plastic Surgery is that the procedure should match the indications it is designed to correct.  Thread lifting involves use of a barbed permanent suture which is used to re-contour the face without adequate soft tissue mobilization.  It sounds great but doesn't work very well or for very long in real life.  Unfortunately, many patients who had indications for a Facelift received "thread lifts" and noticed minimal results with poor... more

The company that produced Contour Threads did not find it profitable, so they discontinued production.  However, other companies manufacture similar threads, Silhouette being one of them.  Most of the problems you may read about occur when the threads are not placed properly.  If your procedure was done well by an experienced surgeon, you should have a nice long result without any problems.