I have to be honest – I almost chickened out having my thread lifts done. I was nervous about the downtime and the result.
– Will it be painful?
– Will I still look like me?
– Will my husband notice that I had something done?
– Will my son still recognise me?
– Will I need to take a lot of time off work as I’m self-employed?
– What if I get the lumps or puckering effect that sometimes come with this treatment?
– Should I just leave my face alone and just grow old naturally?
These are the same common questions I get from my patients when they come in for a thread lift consultation. Each time, I alleviate their fears and the treatment goes well. Even when my patients are happy with their results, I still can’t shake the worry off for myself.
Maybe it’s because I’m a doctor and we always think of the worst things that could happen and prepare ourselves as much as we can (through education, training, finding the best product and support from our mentors and peers).
I have been thinking about having thread lift treatment for awhile now. I’m no stranger to cosmetic treatments as I’ve been having little treatments here and there as the years went by since I was 32 years old. The aim has always been prevention and to treat ageing signs before they get worst. I will be writing another blog sharing “The cosmetic treatments I’ve had in my 30’s” and share on my website soon.
In the meantime, the treatments that I’ve had was not going to cut it for what I wanted to improve and prevent.
I’m talking about my “pouchies”
You can watch this brief video I did for Instagram stories explaining my “pouchies”.
It’s basically the loose skin that gathers at the side of the mouth especially when you lean forward. It’s a sign that the mid-face is drooping, losing it’s structural support (or biological Velcro) and gravity is pulling it down. If left untreated, the mid-face will continue to drop and the folds will be more obvious facing up. This will lead to more lines and folds from the nose all the way to the chin (nasolabial and marionette lines).
Yes there are other treatments that are less invasive e.g. Botox, dermal fillers, radio frequency or ultrasound that can be used to improve the appearance which I’ve been having the last few months but it does little to treat the problem from the source.
Thread lifting if applied appropriately gives the initial mechanical lift but also stimulate the production of new collagen which contracts and provide long term lift. It is an advance treatment and requires not only technical skill but also an artistic eye to see where the best lift can be achieved with the minimum number of threads possible.
There are different types of threads available in the market. Some work better than others. I decided to have the Silhouette Soft threads because it has been researched to actually result in the production of Type 1 Collagen fibres which is the flexible healthy young collagen compared to the Type 3 Collagen fibres which is the tough scar type tissue.
As I’m writing this, it’s been almost 4 weeks since I had my treatment and I love ❤️ my results. My face is no longer drooping and the “pouchies” are gone.
So to answer the questions I had above now that I’ve experienced the treatment myself:-
1. Will it be painful?
The treatment itself didn’t hurt at all after I had local anaesthetic (LA) injections in specific points where the thread would enter and exit the skin. I’m a total lightweight when it comes to needles (doctors are the worst patients but it gives me far more empathy for my own patients). The LA injection did hurt but nothing 2 squeezy balls can’t manage. I much prefer it was done right so the treatment was as comfortable as possible.
I will be writing a blog sharing “My personal experience having Thread Lift treatment as a patient” and will share it on my website soon.
2. Will I still look like me?
I still look like me, just a more rested looking me.
3. Will my husband notice that I had something done?
Well, I didn’t tell him I was having the treatment. He did go back to Bali earlier (where the family is currently living) so when we FaceTime, he did asked what was wrong with my face. He knows my facial expressions and how I smile, so when the treatment is a little pulling at the beginning, he was sure to suspect. So for this, I would recommend having the treatment when hubby’s away on a work trip or say you’re having dental work done.
4. Will my son still recognise me?
Thank goodness he did.
5. Will I need to take a lot of time off work as I’m self-employed?
I went back to work that same afternoon. My patients all didn’t suspect a thing until I told them I had the treatment. I even had a photoshoot and filming to do the next day. Given I couldn’t smile as much as I normally do (as time is needed for new tissues to form around the cones that were anchored in the tissues to give the lift), you wouldn’t suspect a thing.
6. What if I get the lumps or puckering effect that sometimes come with this treatment?
This was my biggest worry. When my patients ask me this, I always advice this occurs when the thread is placed too superficially in the tissues or if there is bruising around the cones, creating a bump in the area. Puckering can also occur when there is a little excess skin and when the threads lift the skin, there is a little gather when the distance between 2 points of the face is shorten (hope that makes sense). This almost always settle on its own as the skin remodels to it’s new position.
For my own recovery, I did have a small bump on my right cheek which settled after 2 weeks. It was only noticeable under certain lighting and mainly by me. I believe it was new collagen forming.
I will be writing a blog sharing “My recovery period after Thread Lift treatment and IMPORTANT points to consider” and will share it on my website soon.
7. Should I just leave my face alone and just grow old naturally?
Well I would like to grow old gracefully and to look my best. And if that means having little treatments here and there so I can look naturally good, I’m all for it.
SO WAS IT WORTH IT?
I give it a resounding YES!! I would do it again even with the 2 week recovery.
My jawline is definitely more defined, my V-shape face is back and I don’t catch myself in the mirror worrying about a droopy sad face. I have less lines on the side of my cheek and my mid face is fuller, giving the nice Ogee S-curve from the side. I know the results will continue to improve in the next 3 months as new collagen is laid down and mature, contracting to give further lift. Longevity is different for everyone and for me, I’m hopeful it will last 2 years, so I can look 30s in my 40s ????
I hope you found this blog useful. It is my way of sharing my own experience, hoping it will help if you’re considering the treatment.
Would be great to hear from you.
If you had a thread lift treatment, was it worth it for you?
If you haven’t, is there something else that concerns you other than the questions I shared above?
Hope to hear from you and reading your comments below.
You can read more about “My personal experience having Thread Lift treatment as a patient” here.
To your best self,
