A surgical facelift is no longer the only option for lifting and contouring a face. Also known as suture lifts, thread lifts involve the use of threads or sutures made from the same materials used in surgery to close wounds.
They are hypodermic needles preloaded with a PDO absorbable suture. It’s a synthetic absorbable surgical suture composed of polydioxanone. PDO sutures are used to perform cardiothoracic surgery (such as open-heart surgery). It’s one of the safest materials to be implanted in the body.
NovaThreads are a new alternative to skin tightening and skin lifting. They are needles preloaded with PDO absorbable surgical treads used in surgical procedures for many decades. PDO is completely dissolvable and your skin fully absorbs it within 4 to 6 months, leaving no scar tissue behind with lasting results up to 18 months. These threads are between 1.5 to 4 inches long. They can be either plain or spiral fashion along the needle for collagen stimulation or barb threads for lifting effect.
In medical terms "Selective Inflammatory Response", it is the principle behind a lot of aesthetic procedures (such as Fractional Laser, Chemical Peels & MicroNeedling). Our skin is very good at repairing itself, and by inserting NOVATHREADS we make it ‘heal’ itself by creating new collagen, naturally!
Inserting the threads is a simple, via a needle introducer with the surgically cleansed, draped patient in a sitting position. No knots are used either at the point of insertion or fixation. Over time, the threads elicit a fibrous capsule reaction around them which creates bands of fibrosis or “new ligaments” that hold the skin envelope to the underlying structures. The procedure is performed under local anesthesia without sedation, and takes thirty minutes to complete. Patients leave the clinic immediately after and experience minimal swelling or downtime over the next three to four days, and are able to resume social life thereafter.
Depending on the threads used the effect can be volume restoration or face and neck lifting. Although the lift effect is visible immediately, the best results however are seen after two there months when the collagen production is stimulated.
Results from NovaThreads generally last between 12 months to several years depending on the area that has been treated, how many threads are used and what kinds of threads are used in each needle.
Some swelling, tenderness, bruising, and surface undulations can occur within a week. Patients can cover up any needle marks or bruises from the first day after the procedure. Generally NovaThreads is a very safe and well-tolerated procedure. There is no risk of tissue death (necrosis) or vascular problems. This procedure is easily performed in an outpatient office with local anesthesia and little to no downtime.
Yes, PDO is fully absorbable, but that doesn’t mean your skin won’t react to it. During the 4 to 6 months needed to fully absorb the PDO suture, your skin is also repairing itself around it. It’s "controlled healing" happening underneath the skin!
The other technique, called the NuLift is utilized to produce a more dramatic and immediate result. The PDO sutures have “barbs” or “cogs”, which provide a grip underneath the skin. Sutures are inserted the same way, except they can be pulled in 1 or 2 directions, creating an instant skin repositioning. Just like the NuMesh, the skin will then build new collagen which will secure the lift!
A beautiful and healthy face has a "V-shape". With the ageing of tissues and the action of gravity, this "V-shape" diminishes or inverts. The idea behind the Nu-Mesh and the Nu-Lift technique is to either create a scaffolding in order to support the tissues and keep them in the "V-shape" or where necessary to delicately lift the tissues and reposition the skin to recreate the “V-shape” where it’s been lost.