Gail Humble, MD

In my practice we do them together. I believe most practices do. We harvest your platletsw and then do some injections combined with microneedeling and then we have some PRP applied topically. Once a month for four months is our protocol. I hope that helps




Gail Humble MD

Thank you for your question. Threads have a very interesting history. They first started in South America with the golden threads and then became big in Russia with the Aptos threads. They continued to evolve into the contour threads and the sillohette threads. All of these threads were nonabsorbable so they did stay in your face unless they were removed. About five years ago we have had the introduction of many new reasorbable threads including the new instalift made of poly-L-lactic acid, the Nova threads made of PDO and others such as the Euro threads and the Mint threads. Only the first two are FDA approved, but the others are used off lable. If you get a doctor that specializes in threads, the results can be quite dramatic. We use a combination of different threads to achieve an amazing result. It is not a substitute for a facelift if there is alot of redundant tissue, but threads can help a large majority of patients. I have been doing threads for over 20 years so it is important your provider really understand the mechanics of the threads. Depending on the threads you choose they can last from 6 months to 18 months. You are actually doing the treatment for the collagen reaction that forms around the thread. Both Collagen 1 and 3 fibers form. These do not go away as the threads resorb. This then acts as a long lasting suspension to your tissues. I hope this answer helps.

Thank you for your question. Threads have a very interesting history. They first started in South America with the golden threads and then became big in Russia with the Aptos threads. They continued to evolve into the contour threads and the sillohette threads. All of these threads were nonabsorbable so they did stay in your face unless they were removed. About four years ago we have had the introduction of many new reasorbable threads including the new instalift made of poly-L-lactic acid, the Nova threads made of PDO and others such as the Euro threads and the Mint threads. Only the first two are FDA approved, but the others are used off lable. If you get a doctor that specializes in threads, the results can be quite dramatic. We use a combination of different threads to achieve an amazing result. It is not a substitute for a facelift if there is alot of redundant tissue, but threads can help a large majority of patients. I have been doing threads for over 20 years so it is important your provider really understand the mechanics of the threads. Depending on the threads you choose they can last from 6 months to 18 months.  The instalift threads last 18 months but your results last longer. It causes a foreign body reaction and stimulates formation of both type 1 and 3 collagen fibers. I did the FDA study on Poly L Lactic acid and five years of research on this, so I really do know the histology of this thread. You are actually doing the treatment for the collagen reaction that forms around the thread. This then acts as a long lasting suspension to your tissues. I hope this answer helps.

I am afraid I need to disagree with the answer below on thread lifts being worthless. Thread lifts have had a long history. They started in South American and were known as Golden Threads. Next came along the Aptos threads out of Russia and then finally the Contour threads and the Silhouette Sutures. We are very fortunate to have threads today that are in a new and really quite effective. The new ones are the Silhouette Instalift and the Nova threads. The Instalift sutures are made of Poly-L-actic acid. These are resorbable sutures that go away by about 18 months. The good thing about these threads is that they cause a foreign body reaction which causes the formation of a natural collagen band which suspends the tissue even after the threads resorb. The other advantage is that they are bidirectional. That means instead of just pulling back they lift the cheek or the brow to the center so in addition to a lift you get a bit or revolumization. The procedure is much like having a filler placed and is considered minimally invasive. The procedure takes about an hour because of the photos and marking, but each thread takes only minutes to place. This procedure is useful at many ages and should be something you consider. Some of the smaller smooth sutures are used only for volume. Fillers are also a great option and may be your first choice for volume in your twenties but the thread lift results with the new instalift threads are quite amazing as well.  I wish you the best!


UPDATE ANSWER    Tweet

You have already recieved some excellent answers. I agree in that you can not chase exact symmetry. Most importantly wait for your firmness to go down in your lips before you do anything. You may want your doc to start you on Doxycycline 100 mg every am for 30 days. This will be acting as an anti-inflammatory at this dose and not an antibioticv. It will help your lips to soften in a shorter period of time.




Gail Humble MD