Facial Suspension (Thread Lift) Applications

Suture suspensions can be used on the eyebrows, the temple region, the midface, the jaw edges and the neck.

Facial suspensions are suitable for patients who have reached middle age, in whom mild sagging has begun in the eyebrows, midface and neck, but who do not yet want surgery. Suspensions only reduce the effects of gravity. As the patient's skin thickness increases, the effectiveness and duration of effect of the method decrease.

First, threads with projections on them, like a fish bone, were produced. However, after the applications performed, it was seen that the face suspension procedures were very short-lived, and this method was abandoned.

In the application known as the spider web application, an attempt is made to tighten the face by applying a large number of self-dissolving threads under the skin. Here it is claimed that the threads applied are placed very close to the skin and that the actual skin will tighten with the connective tissue that forms as the threads are absorbed. However, because of my concerns about skin problems that may arise from skin reactions likely to occur as the sutures are absorbed, I personally have reservations about this application.

The system called Silhouette Lift, on the other hand, is a newly developed suspension system. Here, since the sutures are applied to the deep subcutaneous tissues, even if a reaction to the suture occurs, the likelihood of its effect being observed in the skin is low. Through two short incisions made in the scalp, four special sutures are passed to each side of the face, and with these the midface region is moved upwards and suspended to the temples. With the Silhouette Lift application, the nasolabial lines are reduced, the midface becomes fuller and the accumulations formed over the jaw are reduced. Eyelid surgery, neck lift and fat injections can also be performed at the same time. Silhouette Lift is a low-risk, highly effective method. In addition, after a while, when its effect diminishes, the face can be suspended upwards again by re-entering through the incision at the temple, without using new sutures.

Ideally, all suspension methods should be carried out under local anaesthesia and sedatives, in an operating theatre setting. The average operation time is half an hour. Patients can return home after 1 hour. Although it varies depending on the procedure performed, the lifted area may be supported with tapes for a few days after the procedure.

As in all surgical interventions, with facial suspensions it is necessary to stop aspirin and smoking 3 weeks before the procedure. In the last 1 week it is necessary to stay away from medicines and similar substances that may thin the blood.

Things that should not be used:

Painkillers such as Apranax, Voltaren, Vermidon (when a painkiller is needed, Minoset, Novalgin can be used),

Multivitamin pills containing substances such as ginseng, ginkgo biloba, coenzyme Q,

Herbal products such as green tea, flaxseed, cherry stalk, tomato seed

All slimming products

After the procedure, patients complain of tightness rather than pain. This feeling of tightness may continue for about a week.

Patients are sent home one hour after the procedure. During the first 2 days there may be some swelling and bruising. After two days they can remove the tapes and start work.

During the first two days the face may look over-tightened. Temporary asymmetries may be observed. Such problems disappear within a few days. Facial suspensions are generally relatively simple procedures with few problems that can be carried out in a short time. However, the most important problem with these methods is that they may lose their effectiveness quickly. They should not be seen as permanent procedures; it should be known that they are temporary measures taken until the person becomes suitable for surgery.

The results of suspension procedures are not permanent. Their permanence varies according to the method applied and the condition of the skin. In overweight patients with heavy, oily skin, their effectiveness is low and they revert quickly. However, in patients with thin skin, their effectiveness continues for a long time.