You see yourself aging right before your eyes, but you aren’t thrilled about the idea of getting a surgical face lift to bring back the tight, youthful face you once had.
As we age, the signs are usually most noticeable on our faces and necks. Our facial support structure is made up of fat and is supported by the elasticity of the skin and your bone structure. As we lose facial fat and bone density, our facial support structure weakens and skin begins to sag around the eyes, eyebrows, cheeks, jowls and neck. But, aging face doesn’t always mean you need surgery to regain its tight and youthful look.
Dr. Lady Dy offers a non-surgical facelift, called a PDO Thread Lift. This minimally invasive technique corrects facial drooping by instantly lifting and tightening loose skin around the face and neck. It is an excellent way for patients to delay surgical procedures, such as a full face lift.
So, before you assume surgery is your only option, Dr. Dy is sharing everything you need to know about this safe and noninvasive procedure that changes the way we treat sagging, aging skin.
Who is a good candidate for PDO Thread Lift?
The PDO Thread Lift procedure can benefit people who are looking to avoid surgical procedures and want to delay an aging face. Overall, the procedure is great for anyone who wants to improve the texture and turgor of any loose skin, including the neck area. It is especially effective for patients who have mild to moderate jowling of the lower third of the face and those who want to improve fine wrinkles, specifically on both side of the cheeks.
How does the procedure work?
The PDO Thread Lift technique uses Novathreads, which are absorbable threads made of polydioxanone (PDO). These threads are 100 percent dissolvable and have been used in multiple surgical specialties throughout the last 50 years, such as: plastic surgery, cardiovascular thoracic surgery, and gynecological surgery.
These PDO threads work by creating an inflammatory response, causing new collagen production. The inflammatory response can also cause fibrosis, which tightens the tissue. The threads come in different thickness and lengths. We chose the right size threads depending on what type of improvement we would like to have. When the threads are placed properly, patients will see an instantaneous lift of the loose facial skin, and an overall improvement of the turgor and quality of the skin tissue.
Which areas of the body can be treated with PDO threads?
Both body and facial skin can be treated with PDO threads. When they are used on the face, they can enhance the lips by recreating the border of the lips. It can be used to lift the eyes, cheeks and loose jowl skin, tighten the neck and can even improve wrinkles around the eyes. These threads also can be used to accentuate the eyebrow arch. We can also insert threads around the nasolabial folds to naturally fill the depression.
Restoring the V-shape to the Face
A beautiful and healthy face has a “V-shape”. With gravity and age, this shape can diminish or invert. The PDO threads work to support the tissues and keep them in the “V-shape” or, where necessary, delicately lift the tissues and reposition the skin to recreate the “V-shape” where it’s been lost.
How is the PDO Thread Lift procedure performed?
Before the procedure begins, a topical anesthetic cream is applied to the patient’s skin for 30 minutes, then the skin is cleansed with alcohol. Dr. Dy injects a small amount of lidocaine into the skin to numb the area where the thread is inserted. The thread is then inserted just underneath the skin’s surface and is anchored into the tissue to lift and tighten the skin. Any excess thread is then trimmed off. The entire procedure takes approximately 45 minutes, depending on the number of threads used.
What is the recovery like?
Recovery from this minimally invasive procedure is simple and short. Patients can experience swelling and bruising for a few days. Patients can continue daily activities immediately after treatment, but should avoid vigorous exercise for one week and facial massages for at least two weeks. Dr. Dy suggests patients sleep on their backs the first four to five days following treatment.
Dr. Lady Dy is one of the most sought after dermatologists in the United States. She has studied all over the world and has worked with the world’s leading experts in skin and hair. Her patients fly from all over North America, Dubai, Norway and Korea to be treated by her in Chicago. To learn more about laser treatments, contact Dy Dermatology Center. Click here to request an appointment or call the dermatology center at (847) 832-1185.