Thread lifting with absorbable short, wedge-shaped polydioxanone sutures showed safety and efficacy in facial rejuvenation in Asian patients, according to study results recently published in Dermatologic Surgery.

โ€œUnlike the West, high cheekbones (a prominent malar eminence) are considered unattractive in Asia and have rarely been appreciated,โ€ researchers in Seoul, South Korea, wrote. โ€œWith the traditional technique, threads traverse the malar eminence resulting in an accentuation of the cheekbones. Short threads used in the โ€ฆ new technique typically spare the malar region.โ€

The researchers conducted a retrospective chart review of 39 Korean patients (mean age, 45 years; 97.4% women) with facial laxity treated with absorbable wedge-shaped polydioxanone sutures between October 2014 and September 2016. The patients underwent a single session of a vertical lifting technique in which short (6 cm) wedge-shaped polydioxanone sutures (Vov-Lift, GLK International) were inserted vertically downward in the anterior malar and submalar areas by a single dermatologic surgeon.

Photographs taken at baseline and at 6-month follow-up were compared using a 5-point Global Aesthtic Improvement Scale. Patients also rated satisfaction

Outcomes were considered satisfactory by 35 patients (89.7%), including 10 who rated them excellent; 20 who rated them very good; and five who rated them good.

The objective outcomes measured by two independent dermatologists were found to be very much improved in 10.3% of cases, much improved in 43.6% of cases, improved in 33.3% of cases and no change in 12.8% of cases.

Patients reported minimal discomfort. Six patients had minor procedure-related complications, including dimpling, bruise, facial asymmetry, thread extrusion and malar eminence accentuation. No significant adverse events were reported.