The Contradiction Hiding in Plain Sight
You see it everywhere now—social media posts declaring thread lifts are on their last legs, articles predicting their demise. It's a narrative that has taken hold, feeding on uncertainty and fear. But if you look beyond the noise, beyond the sensational headlines, you'll find a very different story unfolding. And it's a story worth understanding.
I've spent this last year traveling across 23 countries, attending over 18 medical congresses, watching this industry from a global perspective. What I've seen might surprise you. Let's cut through the confusion together and look at what's actually happening—the real benefits, the genuine drawbacks, the persistent myths, and what the future truly holds for thread lifts.
The Three Compelling Benefits That Keep Patients Coming Back
First and most powerfully: the results are instant. This isn't something you can brush aside. A younger generation has entered the aesthetic market, and they operate on a different timeline than previous generations. They want results now. They want them in 30 minutes. And thread lifts deliver exactly that. When I perform a session of 12 lifting-type threads, we're looking at a procedure that takes about half an hour from start to finish. There's no waiting weeks to see what happens. You walk out, and you can see the difference immediately. That's an undeniable advantage in a world that values speed and efficiency.
Second, and this is perhaps the most telling indicator: global sales are booming. Threads have never sold more than they are selling right now. Both in the United States and across worldwide markets, the demand is climbing. This is not the trajectory of a dying technology. Yes, there is a caveat—circumstances could change—but the current reality is clear: more people are choosing thread lifts than ever before, and the numbers back this up unequivocally.
Third, there is the biostimulatory effect. Beyond the immediate lift, these threads trigger your body's natural healing response. The introduction of the thread material prompts your immune system to send in cells that deposit new collagen—both type one and type three. This is the biological foundation of the long-term improvement you see. It's not just a mechanical lift; it's a structural regeneration that continues to improve the quality of your skin over time.
The Four Real Cons That Deserve Your Attention
The single biggest problem in thread lifts today is poor patient selection. Far too often, practitioners choose patients who are simply not good candidates for the procedure. Someone with excessive loose skin, someone who has unrealistic expectations about what can be achieved—these are setups for disappointment. Additionally, lifting threads are a significant procedure. You can feel them in your face for three to four weeks afterward. Some patients handle this with ease, understanding that the sensation is part of the healing process. Others go into a state of anxiety and cannot tolerate it. The practitioner must discern who will manage the recovery and who will not, and this judgment is often where things go wrong.
Second, there is the question of longevity. Let's be honest: thread lifts do not last forever. But compare this to other aesthetic treatments—Botox lasts three months, and no one questions its value. In my practice, when I use combination treatments alongside threads, patients typically return for repeat lifting threads every 12 to 18 months. Some may go two years. And they are very happy with this schedule. They start with 12 to 18 threads, perhaps some with a reverse vector, and then maintain with half that number annually or biannually. The key here is that while thread lifts are not permanent, they occupy a meaningful middle ground between temporary injectables and invasive surgery. And this brings us to an uncomfortable truth for some in our field.
The third con is what I call the "facelift killer" effect. Consider this from the perspective of a plastic surgeon who specializes in facelifts. A patient comes in who is nervous about surgery. The surgeon explains the facelift: significant cost—typically $30,000 to $50,000—and a social downtime of up to two months, with four months before people stop noticing you've had something done. The patient hesitates. They research alternatives. They discover thread lifts. They book a session for $2,500, get 12 threads, and walk away satisfied. That patient is now held over for a year or two. The surgeon has just lost a $30,000 to $50,000 sale. This is not conjecture—it is economic reality. It is precisely why you see so much fear, uncertainty, and doubt being spread about thread lifts. It is a direct threat to a very expensive and profitable procedure, and the pushback is motivated by self-preservation, not objective science.
Fourth, and this is a structural issue in aesthetics: demand has dramatically outpaced training. There are an estimated 40,000 injectors in the United States. Of those, perhaps only a thousand are truly skilled at thread lifts. This is a procedure that requires technical precision—you are placing an 18-gauge cannula along the planes of the face, navigating complex anatomy. Many practitioners are simply not capable of delivering consistent, excellent results. As a result, we are seeing a consolidation. Fewer practitioners will be performing lifting threads next year, but those who remain will be doing more. The skilled will thrive while the unprepared will drop out. This narrowing of the talent pool creates a mixed reputation for the procedure: when done well, it is transformative; when done poorly, it feeds the narrative that thread lifts do not work.
Myths That Need to Die
The myth that "threads produce scar tissue" is both true and deeply misleading. Yes, every procedure that stimulates collagen—and that means virtually everything in aesthetics—involves creating inflammation and deposition of collagen. That is what scar tissue is: irregular layers of collagen. But consider what produces the most scar tissue, and more importantly, visible scar tissue: a facelift. The incision in front of the ear, the scar along the hairline, the hidden scar under the chin from a neck lift—these are permanent. A facelift produces far more scar tissue than a thread lift, and that scar tissue is visible for the rest of your life. Thread lifts create scar tissue that is internal, microscopic, and beneficial—it's the collagen scaffolding that gives you the lift.
The myth that "you cannot get a facelift after a thread lift" is demonstrably false. I have interviewed plastic surgeons in Beverly Hills and Dallas who perform thousands of facelifts every year. Two out of three of them also perform thread lifts. They use threads to hold patients over, to keep them in their practice, to prevent them from going to another clinic for threads and then never returning for a facelift. Thread lifts do not preclude future surgery; they are simply a stepping stone, a maintenance tool, or a bridge to a later, more invasive procedure.
The Evidence That Should Settle the Debate
Let me share an article from Dr. Lawrence, a board-certified plastic surgeon based on Park Avenue in New York. He is well-respected in the field and conducted a study with six-month follow-up using Canfield 3D imaging—the same objective measurement technology used in the highest levels of clinical research. His conclusion is worth reading carefully:
"Skin lifting with incisionless barbed PDO sutures is a safe and effective treatment option for patients presenting with mild to moderate symptoms of facial aging."
He goes on to emphasize that proper patient selection is critical—"satisfactory aesthetic results can be obtained with the proper selection of patients presenting with mild to moderate symptoms and signs." He stresses the importance of the choice of appropriate barb suture, the introduction technique, and the anatomical positioning of the threads. Side effects, he notes, are "typically mild and short lasting."
This study demonstrated "high levels of patient satisfaction" and "clinically demonstrable aesthetic effects lasting for up to six months." And remember, six months is a conservative endpoint—studies in aesthetics typically stop at this point to meet regulatory requirements, but the clinical effect continues well beyond. The results were statistically significant and objective, confirmed by 3D imaging software. This is not opinion. This is data.
Where We Stand and Where We Are Going
So are thread lifts going to survive? The answer is an unequivocal yes. Sales are skyrocketing. The market is growing. But the landscape is evolving. Smooth threads will become more popular as the generalist injectors migrate toward safer, simpler procedures. The practitioners who continue to perform lifting threads will be fewer in number, but they will be the highly skilled—the ones who understand anatomy, who select patients carefully, who use quality threads made by reputable manufacturers.
The bad threads—the cheap, second-tier products that break, that don't lift, that don't last—they will be weeded out by market forces. And when they disappear, the reputation of thread lifts will improve accordingly.
Thread lifts are not a replacement for a facelift in every case. But they are a solution for the massive middle ground of patients who want noticeable improvement without the risks, the cost, and the downtime of surgery. They are fast, they are effective, and when placed in the context of a comprehensive aesthetic plan—alongside biostimulators like Sculptra, PRF, fillers, neuromodulators, and chemical peels—they become an invaluable tool in maintaining a natural, vibrant appearance over time.
The story of thread lifts is not a story of decline. It is a story of refinement, of the market correcting itself, of skilled hands finding their place, and of patients discovering that there is a powerful option between the temporary and the permanent. And that is a story worth paying attention to.