Dissolvable suspension threads · performed by Dr Chahal
Threads reposition tissue that has descended, using dissolvable sutures placed under the skin. It is a real procedure with real risks and a limited lifespan, and it is oversold more often than almost anything else in aesthetics.
Assessed before it is recommended. If it is not the right treatment for you, we will say so.
Dissolvable threads with small barbs are passed under the skin and used to lift and hold tissue in a new position. The threads dissolve over months, leaving some collagen behind along their path.
The lift is real but modest, and it is temporary. Depending on the thread and the face, most people see the effect hold somewhere between nine and eighteen months. Anyone describing this as a non-surgical facelift is overselling it.
It works best on mild to moderate descent in the mid face and jawline, in people with reasonable skin quality. It works poorly on heavy tissue, significant laxity or thin, damaged skin — and in those cases it can look worse rather than better.
These three are compared constantly. They are not really alternatives — they are answers to different degrees of the same problem.
| Threads | Energy devices | Surgery | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it does | Repositions tissue | Firms and tightens skin | Removes and repositions tissue |
| Degree of change | Modest lift | Subtle firming | Substantial |
| How long | Around 9–18 months | Maintained annually | Years |
| Downtime | Days to two weeks | None to a few days | Weeks |
| Best when | Mild to moderate descent, good skin quality | Early laxity, no descent | Significant descent |
| From | $2,200 | From $1,150 | Referral required |
If assessment shows the honest answer is surgery, we will refer you. That referral costs us the booking and is the correct advice.
If volume loss is driving what you see, lifting alone can make a face look more drawn. That is assessed before anything is planned.
Quoted in writing at your assessment once the plan is clear. We do not quote thread procedures over the phone.
Threads can migrate, become visible, pucker the skin, or produce asymmetry. Infection is uncommon but possible. These are genuine risks of a genuine procedure and they are discussed fully before you decide.
We will not proceed where skin quality is poor, where tissue is heavy, or where the honest answer is a surgical opinion. We will also not proceed on the same day you first ask about it.
All medical procedures carry risk, and individual results vary. Suitability is determined at assessment, not on the phone.
No, and we would rather say so plainly. It produces a modest, temporary lift. Surgery produces a substantially different result. They are not comparable.
Commonly nine to eighteen months, varying with the thread used and your tissue. It fades gradually rather than stopping suddenly.
Local anaesthetic is used. There is pressure and pulling during placement, and soreness for several days afterwards.
Plan for a week where you would rather not be photographed, and up to two weeks of feeling tight. Swelling and bruising are expected.
Yes, and many people do. It can also be combined with skin quality work, which is often the better long-term plan.
Then we will tell you at assessment and explain what would be. That happens reasonably often.
Threads suit a specific presentation and disappoint everyone else. Finding out which you are is the point of the assessment.
240 Riley St, Surry Hills · (02) 8074 1559
