Aptos Visage Excellence Facial Thread Lift

Update - so it’s all come full circle for me.

The MRI shows a prominent ‘flow voids’ within the left temporal pole - presumed to be a ‘DVA’, with likely adjacent ‘associated cavernoma’ only identified post-contrast.
Another words the reason I’m complaining about my left side makes complete sense.

While this has been a anxiety ridden past month the tests have uncovered other medical issues I wasn’t aware of. And if I didn’t have a thread lift I may of never known about them. So I’m thankful for that and my slow healing body making me want to investigate further.

My issues post-op were not causative of the thread lift, but were specific to my health profile (which I was unaware of at the time).
This is not to say there is no correlation in my circumstance, but it is NOT causative.

Takeaways
1) At this stage recommend a thread lift nasolabial folds - though it may be suited to other areas. I may update my recommendation in a few months once the collage as hydrolysed.
2) I do recommend the clinic I went to, as stated the service was stellar. Any qualms of competency are quashed after what the MRI uncovered - this is out of a general practitioners scope.
3) I stand by the procedure is traumatic. It’s not as painful as Zoom Whitening, or a pinched nerve - but having your face sewn up is something I’d rather be under general anaesthetic for.

Pre and post procedure notes

I have a nerve injury which is why my left side is paresthetic.
My eyes are still irritated, I am taping them closed at night and using ointment so they don't dry out. This is worse in the morning.
I posted on RealSelf for answers and also went to two separate doctors from the practicing one. Both advised me it was a nerve injury, including the RealSelf question response I got.
Aside from that I have a bump that's tender to touch on the right top incision site where three threads went in. I posted today on RealSelf for answers as the practitioner told me it was swelling, but due to the feel of the mass I don't believe so.

I asked my family GP to get an MRI done which I will be going to in 4 days to check for collections, inflammation and also thread placement.
I have learnt way too much about facial nerves in the last few weeks.

I sought other expert advice because I lost trust in the practicing doctor.
I did my due dilligence checking out the clinic before I had the procedure, which had good review. The practicing doctor had good reviews on RateMD's, and extensive experience graduating from a top tier university in Australia ~30 years ago.

At the initial consult the clinic manager gave me her number in case I wanted to change my Monday appointment without incurring a fee - the time frame to change without penalty is 24 hours and they aren't open weekends.
The staff themselves were lovely and warm, unlike some of the other places I have been to. Even the doctor wrote her number down on the post-op sheet in case of any issues or questions (I crossed her number out on the image for privacy).
She haS a warm and friendly personality and seemed to do all the right post care steps. Including asking for pics daily, which I eventually stopped adhering too as I began to feel like a pest once I started ask questions when I wasn't healing as expected.

I got to the point where I felt worried texting her in case I seemed like one of those overly nosy/paranoid patients, but when I realised I couldn't close my eyes properly and the paresthesia was persisting longer than any medical paper/journal on Google Scholar said it should I sought other medical advice.
It was really scary for me - I didn't know who to go for help as in Australia it is not a procedure that is known amongst all doctors. It is very niche.
The other medical opinions I sought told me they would treat me as a surgical patient, based on watching a thread lift (there's videos on YouTube of an Aptos Excellence Visage being performed) and specifications on the material of the thread used.

The practitioner who performed the procedure has a lovely personality, so do the clinic staff and the fact they offer after hours support is above and beyond what other clinics do. But my brother raised an interesting point to me, just because the customer service is great and you like them on a personal level mean they're competent. He has friends he loves, but wouldn't hire them for services in their profession.

To be more specific I lost trust in her competency, I believe she worked with the information she had to do the procedure and perform after care. The procedure notes and instructions appear to be based what is on the APTOS website. Though this is not enough, a company will pitch it's offering in the best light they can to make it more appealing, that's why we trust the medical profession to understand to critically evaluate and understand the offerings benefits and risks without bias.
I only realised this once I researched academic content on thread lifts published over the last 10 years, this covered different suture types and materials as well as different application methods. I looked into studies on the procedure, compative analysis's, journal articles, editor letters, risks and complications. To supplement I then went on to look into the anatomy and physiology of the face and the skin, as well as comparative conditions/complications/treatments.
I felt like I could write my own research paper at the end.

Why did I feel she was not competent? Because she admitted she had never experienced anything like this before/heard of anything like this and then she didn't.
She intially thought a nerve was irritated. Since my last in office visit she said from 'her experience' these situations usually resolve itself. I countered here saying that she told me she never encountered this before. She responded that based on her physical assessement that it was tissue irritation, but I didn't get threads around my eyes which is the affected area. Plus tissue inflammation doesn't result in nerve pain. I didn't press this further.

I spoke to her advising her that I am still paresthetic/in pain, and she wanted me to come in and try move the thread from the irritated tissue. I sought advice from the two additional medical practitioners I had told about the procedure who both said not to as it could damage the nerve further. In surgery if they have to go back in they do it within 24 hours or 6 weeks post op due to risk timeframes. I advised her I'm not comfortable with that at this point in time and I would like to wait.

In 4 days I am getting and MRI to check for collections, inflammation and thread placement to understand what happened.
I believe I will recover in time - but I still feel stupid for being naïve and regret getting the procedure done.

All in all this experience has been extremely traumatic, visibly disappointing, medically damaging and costly.
Any lift effect I attribute to not picking at my skin and sleeping upright and not with my face squished into the pillow.
If you want to get a thread lift I would advise seeking a plastic and reconstructive surgeon to perform the procedure. Unfortunately in Australia it is mainly performed by GP's and nurses - I am yet to find a surgeon that performs it (trust me I looked!).

I remember I asked at the procedure if anything happens will they provide care and cover costs in case of a complication, which I was told they would. I don't feel like this has been the case. In comparison, I often get asked why do I recommend my plastic surgeon if I had a revision? It was the way he handled it. He ensured I waited a year - and trust me your nose changes a hella lot in that year post op, before going in to correct. Every profession there's a risk of making a mistake, but it's the way it's addressed and resolved that matters. Whether it means a referral to someone more specialised or additional research/work on your part to solve.

Please note the clinic, staff and doctor I dealt with were all lovely. And their customer service skills stood out from other practices. What I'm trying to convey here is not to be blindsided by these traits, or to make assumptions based on the practitioners education and age.