What is the Thread Procedure with Regards to Blepharoplasty?

Question

What is exactly a "thread procedure" I need an upper blepharosplasty and heard that with the thread there is not scar or significant recovery time

Stephen Prendiville, MD · Answer

I would caution any patient considering Blepharoplasty to specifically avoid a "thread procedure" on the eyelids.  It is likely to be expensive, or marginal benefit, and questionable safety.

Houtan Chaboki, MD · Answer

As other eyelid surgeons have already stated, the thread procedure is a very poor option to rejuvenate the eyelid. A better option is a blepharoplasty or eyelid surgery to help remove excess skin and tighten tissue. Speak with an eyelid surgeon. Only after a comprehensive evaluation can he/she help determine appropriate options for you. Best of luck.

	Dr. Chaboki

Kenneth D. Steinsapir, MD · Answer

This is a common method of threading an upper eyelid.  The problem with these methods, like almost all thread methods, is that they are not long lasting.  The result tends to disappear as soon as the sutures break.

Joseph A. Eviatar, MD, FACS · Answer

Thread procedures use sutres that are barbed to pull things up. They’re not used for eyelid surgery. They can be used to lift the brow and secondarily, the lid. They are generally not good procedures because they don’t address the issue. They pull and don’t necessarily create a natural look, nor do they last. But, they do have very little downtime. In this procedure, the doctor sticks a barbed suture underneath the skin (at the hairline to minimize the scar) and pull the tissue up laterally. It generally causes a very unnatural pulled look and doesn’t hold. It can often cause asymmetry so that one side droops and is really not a preferred procedure.

Mark J. Lucarelli, MD · Answer

Most experienced surgeons recognize that there are often many good options for accomplishing what a patient needs or wishes.

	That said, for upper blepharoplasty,  a "thread lift" is not generally considered a satisfactory option.

	Mark Lucarelli, MD, FACS

	Madison, WI

Michael McCracken, MD · Answer

I would seriously question a surgeon who recommends a thread lift for your eyelids. It could be that they are thinking of using the threads to do a brow lift, but even this procedure is not a good option. I was fooled into buying some threads years ago and only ever used them on one patient. The company actually refunded the money I spent on the unused threads when they took them off the market. You should seek a second opinion from a doctor who is a memeber of the American Society of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.

Darryl J. Blinski, MD · Answer

It is a very POOR option that has a short lasting effect for the $'s spent. Please research this unusual option for upper lid blepharoplasty.

Francis R. Palmer, III, MD (retired) · Answer

I have performed Blepharoplasty (eyelid surgery) for over 20 years and I would not use threads for an eye lift procedure.  For a suture to work there must be two point fixation.  One at the upper end that will anchor the thread and the other end within whatever tissue you want to lift.  Neither of these two fixation points exist within the delicate tissues of the upper eyelid.  Even more disturbing would be the erosion of the thread through the skin or into the cartilage that makes up the eyelid plate, of the upper eyelid.  Any of these scenarios could end up creating a permanent eyelid deformity.

	 Now, I have heard of a suture technique, not a threadlift, as a means to create an upper eyelid crease in eyelids that do not have a crease (floating crease).  These are very different terms and procedures.  A thread should not be used in an upper Blepharoplasty.  A suture technique to create an upper eyelid crease is a viable option with the disadvantage that the suture tends to loosen over time and needs to be repeated.

Robert T. Buchanan, MD (retired) · Answer

Thread Lifts were a big rage a few years ago. They have almost disappeared, however, because the results were so short lived. When the originators were asked to present their results to the two major Aesthetic Plastic Surgery organizations, none showed any results that lasted longer than three months. In the eye, there is no reason for anything but a standard Blepharoplasty, since the scar virtually disappears and the recovery is just a few days. I was back seeing patients in the office 5 days after upper and lower Blepharoplasty, Browlift and Neck lift. With a little make-up, no one knew I had had surgery, only that I looked better.

What is the Thread Procedure with Regards to Blepharoplasty?

Answers (9)

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