ARTICLES

Update on Absorbable Facial Thread Lifts

Riopelle, Alexandria M. MD^*
Geisler, Amaris N. MD^†
Eber, Ariel MD^‡
Dover, Jeffrey S. MD^‖

^*
Division of Dermatology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California;
^†
Department of Dermatology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia;
^‡
Dr. Phillip Frost Department of Dermatology and Cutaneous Surgery, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida;
^§
SkinCare Physicians, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts;
^‖
Department of Dermatology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut

Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Alexandria M. Riopelle, MD, 609 Albany Street, Boston, MA 02118, or e-mail: [email protected]

Supplemental digital content is available for this article. Direct URL citations appear in the printed text and are provided in the HTML and PDF versions of this article on the journal's Web site (www.dermatologicsurgery.org).

The authors have indicated no significant interest with commercial supporters.

Dermatologic Surgery 51(5):p 509-514, May 2025. | DOI: 10.1097/DSS.0000000000004521

BACKGROUND

Thread lifts are a noninvasive technique for suspending ptotic skin. Previous studies have failed to show long-term efficacy data with absorbable threads.

OBJECTIVE

To review the recent literature evaluating mid and lower facial absorbable thread lifts over a four-year period from October 2018 to December 2022.

METHODS

A systematic review was done following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines using the PubMed database. Search terms included “lift,” “face lift,” “thread lift,” “suture suspension,” “silhouette suture,” “silhouette lift,” “rhytidectomy,” and “Aptos.” Technique articles with objective results were included.

RESULTS

Twelve studies met criteria for analysis (n = 818). The most common thread evaluated was suture suspension using polydioxanone followed by poly-l-lactic acid/polycaprolactone absorbable threads. Scores according to the Global Aesthetic Improvement Scale, Wrinkle Severity Scale, Barton's Grading System, and FACE-Q improved in all cases immediately after the procedure. The longest follow-up assessments were at 2 years. Complications were mild.

CONCLUSION

In the appropriate patient, thread lifts are immediately effective, and the risk of dangerous complications is low, but long-term efficacy data are lacking.