A couple of years ago, Gwyneth Paltrow made headlines for endorsing a somewhat controversial facial cosmetic procedure: the “thread lift.” Surgeons across the country deemed the treatment questionable for its scary side effects (i.e. scarring, spitting sutures, etc.), but now, years later, and with new technological advances behind it, the thread lift might actually be a viable option for those looking to tighten up loose, crepey skin. Looks like the Goop guru was actually on to something. (Sorry for ever doubting you, Gwynnie.)
The thread lift is a “minimally invasive procedure for the face, neck, or jowls in which threads, which have small cones/graspers on them, are passed under the skin via a large needle,” Norman Rowe, a board-certified plastic surgeon in New York City, tells Allure. “The cones then grab hold of the skin from the under surface and pull to re-suspend the skin in a lifted, more youthful position.” (Imagine: A puppeteer pulling the strings of a puppet from its head.)
What sets this recent version of the treatment apart from the European-loved procedure endorsed by Paltrow is that the original threads were made of permanent suture materials — meaning, once the sutures were sewn under the skin, they were there to stay. Now, the newest threads are dissolvable, which, according to New York City–based plastic surgeon Darren Smith, lowers the risk of infection. “With dissolvable products, bacteria doesn’t have a permanent foreign material to live on,” explains Smith. “As the thread dissolves, the bacteria have nowhere to hide from the body’s defense mechanisms (the immune system). A permanent suture essentially provides a hideout for bacteria from the immune system.”
