The statements by doctors vary, which is a good source of stress for prospective patients.
Now I am a plastic surgeon.
Today I'm a doctor. Tomorrow I may be a patient.
Suppose I have cervical disc hernia, and I am seeking treatment.
A doctor says, “If you don't get operated, you'll be paralyzed.” Another says, “Well, these surgeons talk of nothing but surgery. Indeed, you can manage with physical therapy.” Another says, “None of them will work. Let's admit you into the hospital and give you a nerve block.”
Well, my dear friend, you are all doctors but you each say different things and we don’t know whom we should believe.
Oh, and there are those cuppers we see on TV and the "lumbar hernia" repairmen whose phone numbers are written all over the walls of empty parcels.
I understand that patients are in a dilemma.
As I said, I am a doctor today, but I may be a patient or a patient's relative tomorrow.
Each physician has their own experience, knowledge, skills and equipment.
Different specialties may focus on different forms of treatment, and treatments may have similar efficacy. In such cases, it may be possible to speak of alternatives. As in the example above, if you have cervical disc hernia, you can manage it with non-surgical treatments focusing on physical therapy, anesthesia, and neurology, but when you reach a certain critical stage, you will have surgery.
This is not the case in plastic surgery.
In the treatment of an aging face, plastic surgeons have knowledge and experience covering all other specialties. A plastic surgeon can apply the entire treatment spectrum from Botox to fillers, mesotherapy to PRP, skin care to laser applications and minimally invasive procedures to complex surgeries.
Now let's get back to the subject.
We divide the face into layers during facial rejuvenation surgeries. We mobilize these layers so that the tissues can move from one place to another. We give these layers different tensions and aspects depending on the individual needs of the person. We fix each layer to a solid carrier tissue with sutures having a total carrying capacity of 20-30 kg.
Our results are still being filtered scientifically. Yet not all problems are solved. We do not consider 6 years of medical education and 6 years of specialization training to be sufficient experience to do these. That’s why we organize additional trainings, courses and congresses.
And we say that non-surgical options in the treatment of the aging face are not effective and permanent.
Another group of doctors says, “I place a couple of threads under the skin. I pull them one by one, and there you go! Your face is beautifully shaped.”
Unfortunately, this recommendation is possible neither anatomically nor surgically.
Most of the patients I see during facial rejuvenation consultation at my clinic are individuals who have had these famous threads in their faces and find them to be useless.
I will go into further details of face lift techniques involving threads.
It is possible to classify these techniques into 2 basic categories.
- Surgical thread techniques
- Non-surgical thread techniques
In surgical techniques, even a small portion of facelift incisions are made, and tissue separation is performed, albeit limited. Following such access, the non-separated parts of the face can be mobilized, albeit limited, with the help of threads. Procedures falling into this group are each a surgical operation. They can be done under local anesthesia in clinical conditions. They are fast and heal quickly. However, they are essentially surgeries. Compared to more extensive facelift surgeries, they are less effective and shorter-lived, and they affect a rather limited area. We can handle the surgical thread techniques under "Mini Face Lift" techniques. Some basic principles such as tissue mobilization, manipulation of excess skin, fixation to intact tissue and concealment of knots are covered in these techniques, albeit more limited. A slight visual difference is obtained in surgical thread techniques. The effect is short-lived and not holistic, but eventually you will see "a difference".
Non-surgical thread techniques include applications ignoring excess skin and lacking some basic principles such as tissue mobilization and fixation to intact tissue, like the "very famous spider web". Inflammation occurs in tissues under the effect of the foreign body reaction caused by the trauma and the threads. Moreover, the number of cells increases, the tissue fluid increases, and the tissue swells and appears bulky. Due to this illusion of volume, the skin may temporarily appear tighter, brighter and smoother. Signs of aging may be temporarily reduced. But eventually the threads are absorbed, and everything returns to its original state. If you are chasing a few months of happiness, you may be a suitable candidate for such procedures.
Some of the thread techniques include the use of non-absorbable, permanent materials. Some of these materials have cogs/anchors/deckles serving as barriers that allow the thread to move in only one direction. Thus, the thread clings to the tissue and allows the tissue to move with the thread when pulled. As a basic principle, we do not want any permanent foreign body under the facial skin. If we use permanent sutures in surgeries, we bury even their knots in the tissue so that they do not lead to a palpable mass under the skin in the future. The application of permanent threads under the skin, particularly close to the skin, conflicts with this basic principle. After the thread suspension procedures with permanent threads, it is possible to observe problems such as an abnormal pull along the thread line, dimple formation at the end of the rope and mimic irregularities. These materials can sometimes appear on the surface, become inflamed or even rupture the skin and come out. Unfortunately, in case of any problem, removing these permanent threads is not as easy as inserting them into the tissue.
You must have understood from what I've written so far. Thread procedures do not fit my philosophy of facial rejuvenation.
I aim for the best possible outcome for a patient.
The most effective, the most permanent, the most natural, the most tailored, the most holistic, the most scientific, the safest…
Whatever is the best of the options available globally.
This goal requires an individual planning, a scientific approach and a holistic application.
I hope this article has informed you to a sufficient extent about the nature and limits of thread procedures.
I recommend that you consider these points before seeking thread procedures.
If they match your expectations, keep going.
If they conflict, do not let the thread get in the way in an attempt to look younger.
Take good care...
... of yourself and your beauty.
OB