You can expect to have minor bruising and swelling for up to 2 weeks and should avoid vigorous activity like running and yoga. Another important part of thread post-care is facial rest, which is keeping the face relaxed while avoiding laughing, smiling, and quick movements in the face.

There are several types of threads that can be used for a thread procedure, including smooth threads, barbed threads, and twisted threads. Barbed threads are the main thread type for this procedure and have tiny barbs on the surface that anchor the surrounding tissue and allow “pull” on the skin for lifting and tightening. Collagen formation occurs around the threads and their barbs, amplifying the effect. Smooth threads are placed more superficially in the dermis and stimulate collagen to improve wrinkles, fine lines and volume. Twisted threads are thicker and primarily provide volume without lift, commonly used in the lip borders.

The ideal candidate for a thread lift have prominence of the jaw (i.e. jowling), a mildly sagging mid-facial appearance or slight bags under the eyes or on the neck. Other thread lift candidates are patients who had had some relapse from a prior procedure such as a facelift or neck lift. Those patients who have excessively sagging skin at an advanced age will show a very limited improvement and are typically not candidates.

A small subset of patients experience dimpling of the skin after a thread procedure, but this improves over a couple weeks and can be treated with massage and heat pads. An even smaller subset can have extrusion of a thread, which can typically be trimmed or removed.