The Procedure
Overview and History

The Threadlift Facelift Technique

Note:

The Threadlift facelift and necklift technique is also known as the: Featherlift (Feather Lift) Facelift, Contour Lift Threadlift Facelift, Aptos Lift Facelift, and Endo-Aptos Lift Facelift.
 

Overview of the Threadlift Facelift:

Elimination of unsightly facial contours has long been the desire of both women and men who take pride in their appearance. Today, facial contouring is an achievable objective without surgery utilizing Non-Surgical Skin Tightening (NSST) and/or the Threadlift facelift procedure.  NSST is a completely non-invasive method of rebuilding collagen in the skin, resulting in an overall tightening and lifting effect. 

The Threadlift facelift procedure is a minimally invasive procedure that utilizes sutures to mechanically lift the skin.  The suture material (polypropylene) is FDA approved and has been used in surgery for decades. The Threadlift facelift sutures (Aptos Threads) have been modified from the FDA approved form by creating cogs on one side of the suture.  The cogs are able to engage the soft tissue and create a lifting effect of the face and neck.
 

History of the Threadlift Facelift:

Since the early 1990's, surgeons have been evaluating new surgical techniques for lifting the cheeks and jowls.  In 1998, working with surgeons in Wisconsin, Dr. Summers performed a series of cheek/jowl facelift procedures using the Mid-Face Sling technique.  The Sling technique, which was published in the Journal of Plastic Surgery, securely lifts the cheek/jowls of the face and neck with a single suture.

  
Simultaneously, in Russia, Dr. Sulamandize developed the Aptos (anti-ptosis) technique for facial rejuvenation using modified sutures.  The original Aptos facelift technique did not require any incisions, but was not as secure as the Mid-Face Sling described by Dr. Summers.  To achieve increased stability, Dr. Summers places a small 1.5 inch incision in the hair-bearing scalp to secure the Aptos facelift threads.  Additionally, Dr. Summers uses a multi-planar approach, placing the sutures in the  soft tissue layers around the skin, muscle and fat (adipose).  This enables variable elevation of each tissue layer, optimizing the results for each individual patient.

The Threadlift Facelift and Necklift Procedure:

Unlike typical facelift techniques, the Threadlift facelift & necklift does not remove any skin, so it is not a good procedure for individuals with very loose skin.  Also, patients with very loose lower eyelid skin may develop worsening crow's feet wrinkles after a Threadlift facelift unless other ancillary procedures are performed.  Typically, patients are in their mid-thirties to mid-fifties with some cheek folds (nasolabial folds) and facial minor jowling.  Between two and six Threadlift threads are used on each side of the face to elevate the sagging cheeks and jowls.  Once the Threadlift threads are placed under the skin, the Aptos cogs form a support structure for the tissue of the face.  Over a period of about 6 weeks, the Threadlift threads will be stabilized as new collagen is formed around the cogs.  The Threadlift facelift and necklift procedure is performed under local anesthesia in about one hour and the results are seen immediately.

Both Dr. Summers and Dr. Sulamandize have described the ability to further tighten a previously placed facelift suspension suture.  Therefore, in some patients, it is possible to return at a later time to further lift the cheeks and jowls even more.  Because all patients age at different rates, it is impossible to predict how long the Threadlift face lift and neck lift results will last in any particular patient.  However, based on Dr. Summers' long-term experience with the Mid-Face Sling procedure, he believes that the Endo-Aptos Threadlift Facelift procedure may provide beneficial results lasting up to 5 years or more.

The Contour Threadlift Facelift:

Surgical Specialties Corporation, a U.S. manufacturer of barbed threads used in the Threadlift technique, has trademarked the name "Contour Threadlift" for branding and promotional purposes.  Physicians throughout the country have attended 4-hour training courses to become "certified" to purchase and use the Contour Threads.  Physicians who have taken the course have been instructed on how to safely perform the procedure as outlined by the company.

Of course, simply attending a training course does not impart the skill neccessary to achieve optimal results.  If you took a 4-hour course on painting skills, would you be able to paint like Michelangelo?  Of course not, and you should not expect any physician with limited facial rejuvenation experience and limited experience with the Threadlift technique to provide superior results.

At The Maryland Plastic Surgery Center, Dr. Summers is proud of the superior and long-lasting results he is able to achieve with the Threadlift facelift technique.  All photos in the Photo Gallery section are patients on whom Dr. Summers has personally performed the procedure.

 

Dr. Adam Summers performs the SMART Facelift™ a long lasting minimally invasive facelift procedure which he developed at the Maryland Plastic Surgery Center. The SMART Facelift™ is a customized variation of the Threadlift Face Lift (eg. Silk Lift, Aptos Lift, Featherlift, Soft Lift, Curl Lift). The Maryland Plastic Surgery Center is just minutes from Ellicott City, Towson, Rockville, Silver Spring, Bethesda, Annapolis, Baltimore, Columbia and Washington DC. Copyright 2007 Maryland Plastic Surgery - One Hour Threadlift Facelift in Maryland.