Contour Threads

The effects of aging often take a heavy toll on our facial features. As we get older, the parts of our bodies working to keep our skin smooth and tight in our youth begin to deteriorate. The result is sagging, creasing, and wrinkling of our face – effects we’ve come to recognize as signs of aging. In our youth-obsessed culture, these effects on our most visible body part – our face – can cause us to lose confidence in ourselves and our appearance. It can also cost us personal and professional opportunities. For these reasons, many men and women are fighting back against the signs of aging by looking at facelift alternatives, such as Contour Threads.

Is Contour Threads right for you?

Contour Threads are a popular option for several reasons. Unlike traditional facelifts, the procedure is minimally invasive and has a faster recovery time. It’s an ideal choice for individuals who are considered about having an actual surgical procedure performed or having to be admitted to a medical facility even as an outpatient. Another reason for considering Contour Threads is that while facelifts can only improve the lower half of the face, this procedure can tighten the skin of the whole face and neck, leading to a refreshed, more youthful appearance.

What is Contour Threads?

Contour Threads are a patented brand of suture made from polypropylene, a material used to create other medical products. The sutures are tipped with small barbs, then when they are inserted beneath the skin the sutures create tension which pulls the skin upward and makes it look tighter. Contour Threads was approved by the FDA in 2005 and can be used to reduce the sagging and wrinkling of the brow, the neck, the cheeks, the eyebrows, and the lower face.

The procedure is usually performed in the surgeon’s office. Your physician will use a local anesthetic to numb your face so you won’t have any pain during the actual procedure. However, you may still feel some tugging or movement as the Contour Threads are put in place. Some physicians will perform the procedure while you are only sedated if you are concerned about the potential risks involved with anesthetic. When the procedure is finished, you’ll be able to return home.

Are you a good candidate?

Good candidates for Contour Threads are individuals who want to correct the sagging and wrinkling present on their face but who may not want to go through an invasive surgical procedure such as a facelift. Generally, other plastic surgeries are not performed at the same time as the Contour Threads procedure; so individuals looking to have a significant amount of work done at once may be better off with a traditional facelift.

With any type of medical procedure, the best candidates are the ones in good health. If you smoke or if you have any type of medical problem, such as diabetes, which might interfere with your ability to heal properly, you should notify your surgeon. These facts may not disqualify you as a candidate but your surgeon needs to know what to expect during your recovery. He or she may also request you stop smoking prior to having the procedure done, at least until you’ve healed completely.

Patients who are unsure they will be satisfied with the results of such a procedure may be better off trying Contour Threads over a traditional facelift because the procedure can be undone under local anesthetic.

How is the procedure performed?

The Contour Threadlift, as the procedure if often called, begins with your surgeon plotting a line around the natural contour of your face – that line will tell him or her where the threads need to be placed. Generally, a small incision will be made in a location where scarring will not be visible, such as around the ear. Using a long needle, the surgeon carefully threads the sutures under the skin along the designated line.

When the threads are in place, their barbed pieces cling to the under part of the skin then open up like tiny umbrellas to pull the skin upward which makes it appear tighter. Over time, new collagen develops around the sutures and provides even more lifting.

The sutures are not designed to be absorbed by the body, so they remain under the skin indefinitely and continue providing the necessary lift needed to keep your facial skin looking taut, smooth, and youthful.

While traditional facelifts can last several hours, Contour Threadlift can be completed in just 30 to 60 minutes.

How long will it take before I feel normal again?

When the procedure is completed, your face may feel a lit swollen and will probably be bruised. You may also feel some discomfort for the next day or two. However, these problems generally begin to disappear in 24 to 48 hours. With a traditional facelift, recovery time is usually at least a week, plus an additional few weeks for the swelling and discoloration to go away.

One concern of plastic surgery patients is often how long they have to be off from work. With a facelift, for example, you may be off anywhere from 10 to 21 days depending on how strenuous your job is and how well your healing is progressing. In addition, you may have to spend as much as three weeks avoiding common activities, such as picking up your children, carrying groceries or other heavy loads, and having sex. With Contour Threads, you can go back to work and your normal activities in one week.

By the time you are ready to go back to work, your results should be clearly visible and all signs of trauma should have gone away.

Are there any risks?

Contour Threads is a very safe procedure and because it is minimally invasive your risks of complications are even lower. As usual, your main risk will come from the potential risks involved with being anesthetized. Infections, although rare, can occur at the site of the incision but these do not cause serious harm and can be easily treated by a physician.

Because the procedure is relatively new, you should be careful to choose a physician who is well-trained in doing Contour ThreadLifts. Make sure he or she has undergone the proper training, as well. Remember having a qualified physician performing the procedure will further reduce the chances of complications.

Will I be happy with my results?

Although you may be worried during the first 48 hours because of the swelling and bruising, when that begins to fade and you can see true results, you will probably be very satisfied with the results. Many patients prefer the natural looking improvements to the often too-stretched look caused by facelifts. If for some reason you are not happy with the results, you can make an appointment with your surgeon to remove the sutures and to return your face to its previous appearance.

Further information

This web site has been prepared to give a basic understanding of the procedure before a consultation takes place, and to cover many of the questions frequently asked about this type of cosmetic surgery. Final decisions should not be made until an individual assessment has taken place with the surgeon.

There is no obligation on the part of the patient to undergo surgery by attending for consultation.

If you have any further questions or would like to arrange a consultation please fill in the online form or call us on 07590 666 302. All enquiries are always treated confidentially.