Thread lift longevity varies this much depending on the type of thread

The duration of a thread lift is usually around 6 months to 2 years. However, there are quite a few variables to bundle into this single number. The actual felt duration varies greatly depending on which thread is used, what the thread structure is like, and what the skin condition is. The biggest crossroads is the type of thread. PDO lasts 6 to 12 months, PLLA lasts 12 to 24 months, and PCL can last from 18 months to as long as 4 years.

There is one thing that must be pointed out here. The period during which the thread dissolves and the period during which the lifting effect is maintained are separate. Just because the thread is completely absorbed does not mean the effect disappears on that day. This is because the collagen produced while the thread stimulates the skin holds onto elasticity for a while even after the thread has disappeared.

🧵 What is a thread lift, and why does the duration differ for each thread?

Thread lifting is a procedure in which specially processed medical threads are inserted into the skin to lift sagging tissue and stimulate collagen production through that stimulation. A major advantage is that there is no incision and recovery is fast.

The effect comes in two ways. One is the immediate traction effect of physically pulling the tissue, and the other is the improvement of elasticity by collagen and elastin produced by activating fibroblasts around the thread. Thanks to this second mechanism, even after the thread dissolves, the effect gradually decreases, not abruptly.

The reason why the duration differs for each thread is, in the end, this: How long the thread lasts in the body and continues to stimulate collagen. Absorbable threads are a material long-proven as sutures, being hydrolyzed and broken down into water and carbon dioxide. However, the degradation rate varies depending on the ingredient, resulting in differences in retention.

📌 Key Summary: The period during which the thread dissolves and the duration of the effect are separate, and even after the thread disappears, collagen holds onto elasticity for a certain period of time.

📊 Comparison of retention by thread type: PDO, PLLA, and PCL

Absorbable threads used for thread lifting are largely divided into three components. This difference is the key to determining the duration.

PDO is the most widely used ingredient. It has low burden and is relatively accessible, so people who encounter thread lifting for the first time will often meet it. Instead, the duration is relatively short.

PLLA promotes collagen production more strongly than PDO. Accordingly, the elasticity improvement effect remains for a longer period. PCL has the slowest degradation rate and the longest duration. Since it also has minimal foreign body sensation, preference has been rising recently.

However, make no mistake. PCL is not always the right answer. The appropriate thread varies depending on the degree of sagging, skin thickness, desired naturalness, and budget.

📌 Key Summary: The duration gets longer in the order of PDO < PLLA < PCL, but it is not that a thread that lasts long is unconditionally good, but a thread that suits my condition is a good thread.

🔩 Thread structure also affects duration — Cog thread vs. Mono thread

Just as important as the ingredients is the 'look' of the thread. Even with the same PDO, if the structure is different, the job it does is different.

• Cog Thread: There are protrusions/barbs on the surface of the thread to physically hook and pull the tissue. Because of its lifting-specific structure, it has strong traction and tends to have a longer lifting duration than mono threads.

• Cone Thread: A type that increases holding power and traction with cone-shaped structures. Used together with cog threads in areas where pulling is required.

• Mono Thread: A smooth thread. Rather than pulling strongly, it is closer to improving skin texture and elasticity by inducing collagen. The lifting duration is relatively short.

Therefore, blindly increasing the number of threads does not proportionally lengthen the duration. The results will improve only when the type, structure, insertion depth, and design of the thread are comprehensively combined. This is a design issue of reading facial structure and direction of sagging, so it is also a point where the practitioner's judgment plays a major role.

For reference, non-absorbable threads, such as gold threads used in the past, do not dissolve and remain in the body for a long time. Remaining does not mean the effect is semi-permanent, and due to safety issues, their use is limited these days.

📌 Key Summary: Cog and cone threads are strong at pulling, while mono threads are closer to improving elasticity, and the combination of type, structure, and design determines the duration rather than the number of threads.

⏳ When does the effect become best after the procedure?

The peak is not immediately after inserting the thread lift. Rather, it goes like this.

1. Immediately after the procedure: Physical lifting immediately appears as the thread pulls the tissue. It may look a bit unnatural with swelling mixed in.

2. 2 to 4 weeks later: As the swelling subsides, the line naturally settles into place.

3. Months 2 to 3: Experience the most stable and natural effect as collagen production is maximized.

In other words, it is correct to see that the real effect is completed two or three months later. It is better not to rush judgment just by looking at the appearance immediately after the procedure.

📌 Key Summary: The thread lift effect is completed most stably in the 2nd to 3rd month when collagen is filled, rather than immediately after the procedure.

🌿 Care methods that extend duration and factors that reduce it

Even if the same thread is inserted, the felt duration varies depending on how it is managed.

Things to avoid for a month after the procedure

• Strong facial stimulation such as deep tissue massage

• Opening mouth wide, chewing hard food

• Sauna, hot spring

• Sleeping face down

In particular, 1 to 2 weeks after the procedure is the time when the thread settles down, so it is better to be careful. If excessive stimulation is applied before the holding power of the thread is stabilized, the duration may be shortened.

Conversely, the main factors that eat away at the duration are clear. Rapid weight changes, smoking, and excessive UV exposure encourage collagen loss, prematurely dropping the effect. Age, skin thickness, original elasticity, and degree of sagging naturally have an impact as well.

Concurrently performing procedures such as skin boosters to improve the skin's collagen environment itself helps to prolong the thread lift effect for a bit longer.

📌 Key Summary: Avoiding strong stimulation for a month after the procedure, combined with smoking cessation, UV protection, and weight management, is advantageous in maintaining the duration.

🔍 Comparison with HIFU, Thermage, Filler, and Surgery

Thread lifting is not the only lifting procedure. We have summarized the things that are frequently compared.

One note of caution here. Thermal energy procedures such as HIFU or Thermage can prematurely dissolve already inserted threads. Therefore, when proceeding together, it is safe to do them before thread lifting or to coordinate the sequence with sufficient time in between.

Filler is different in nature. Because it is a procedure to fill in sunken volume rather than pulling sagging, when sagging and volume problems overlap like nasolabial folds, combination with thread lifting is considered.

A facelift has the longest duration but is an incision surgery. Considerations such as recovery burden and scarring come along with it. Onlif Clinic addresses aging and elasticity concerns with non-surgical procedures from a dermatological perspective, rather than cosmetic surgery involving a knife. Therefore, even for severe sagging, we first look at how much it can be improved with non-surgical methods such as All-Tight Lifting, thread lifting, and HIFU/RF. We recommend using surgery purely as information for reference.

📌 Key Summary: HIFU and Thermage heat procedures can dissolve threads quickly, so sequence coordination is necessary, and Onlif prioritizes improving sagging with non-surgical skin procedures.

⚠️ Reactions like dimpling and swelling, and the timing of touch-ups

After a thread lift, bruising, swelling, and dimpling phenomena where the skin looks slightly dented or uneven may occur. Most of them ease over time, but if they persist for a long time or if you feel asymmetry or thread protrusion, it is good to get checked at the place where you received the procedure.

Touch-ups are usually talked about in 1 to 2 year cycles, but the correct answer is not fixed. Since it is a procedure where the effect gradually decreases, you can decide based on your condition when you feel your satisfaction has dropped.

📌 Key Summary: Dimpling and swelling are usually alleviated during the recovery process, and touch-ups are adjusted based on individual satisfaction, using 1 to 2 years as a standard.

💬 The way Onlif views thread lifting

Onlif Clinic is a clinic in Gangnam focused on skin beauty procedures. We address aging and elasticity concerns with non-surgical procedures such as thread lifting, All-Tight Lifting, HIFU/RF, skin boosters, and fillers.

What we aim for is not changing the shape of the face, but removing sagging and reduced elasticity that mask the original impression. Therefore, we do not recommend threads that last unconditionally long or unconditionally many threads. We believe it is more important to read the facial structure and skin condition and design results that are not excessive.

We believe that one person cannot do all procedures well. Therefore, we operate in a way where each doctor takes charge of the procedure they do best in their respective field. After all, what determines the duration of thread lifting is not just the type of thread, but a design suited for my face and the management that follows.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

Does the effect disappear immediately when the thread dissolves completely?

No. The collagen produced while the thread is being absorbed maintains elasticity for a certain period of time even after the thread is gone. The effect does not drop off abruptly one day, but decreases gradually.

Does it last longer the more threads you insert?

It is not proportional. Rather than the number of threads, the type, structure, insertion depth, and design of the threads work comprehensively. Inserting an excessive number of threads does not extend the duration.

Which should I choose between PDO threads and PCL threads?

PDO is popular and has less burden with a duration of 6 to 12 months, and PCL lasts the longest at 18 months to 4 years. However, since the appropriate thread varies depending on the degree of sagging, skin thickness, and desired naturalness, it is better to decide according to your condition.

When is the point where the thread lift effect is best?

It is not immediately after the procedure, but in the 2nd to 3rd month when collagen production is maximized. Immediately after the procedure, it may look somewhat unnatural due to swelling, and it becomes natural as the swelling subsides after 2 to 4 weeks.

Can I do Ulthera (HIFU) or Thermage together with a thread lift?

Combination is possible, but sequence coordination is required. Since thermal energy-based procedures can prematurely dissolve inserted threads, we recommend doing them before thread lifting or with sufficient time in between.

When is it good to get a thread lift touch-up?

Generally, a cycle of 1 to 2 years is used as a standard, but it is adjusted according to individual satisfaction and skin condition. You can decide after checking your condition when you feel the effect has decreased.

Thread lift, things to check before choosing a clinic

Even for the same procedure, the results and recovery process vary depending on where, by whom, and how it is performed.

Asking the items below directly during the consultation will help you make a decision.

• Is it a place that performs that procedure frequently? — The main procedures handled vary by clinic. Check if it is a place that regularly performs thread lifting.

• Can the products/equipment used be verified? — Ask during the consultation if you can verify the product name and whether it is genuine (whether it is an imported authorized product or if there is an unboxing verification procedure).

• Do they explain the composition of the cost? — Rather than just hearing the total amount, you must receive an explanation of what product is used, how much, and on which areas to make a judgment.

• Do they design by looking at the whole face? — Even for the same procedure, the placement location and amount vary depending on the face shape, skin condition, and left-right asymmetry.

• Do they explain adverse reactions and recovery processes first? — Rather than a consultation that only talks about expected changes, a place that also informs you of possible adverse reactions and coping methods is better for making a decision.

• Is there a way to verify after the procedure? — Check if the timing of progress checks, the method of contact in case of abnormalities, and criteria for follow-up visits are established.

Onlif Clinic performs thread lifting like this

• We divide responsibilities — With the thought that one doctor does not handle all procedures, Onlif divides doctors in charge of each field for medical treatment.

• We verify products/equipment together during the consultation — We guide you through the products used and the unboxing verification process during the consultation.

• Costs are guided along with the composition after diagnosis — Since the site, volume, and range vary from person to person, we explain together what costs how much.

• We design by looking at the overall facial balance — We view the face along three axes: texture, balance, and signals of youth, and establish a plan in a direction to clean up areas that mask the original impression rather than changing the shape.

• We talk about adverse reactions and the recovery process first — Along with the changes that can be expected, we guide you through individual differences, possible adverse reactions, and coping methods before the procedure.

• We look at the progress after the procedure together — If verification is needed during the recovery period, we guide you through follow-up visits and contact channels.

If you are considering a thread lift, it is better to first check what is possible and what is difficult in your current state.

An accurate diagnosis and treatment plan can only be determined through face-to-face medical treatment. Check through a consultation at Gangnam Onlif Clinic.