Compare · Procedures

PDO Threads vs RF Microneedling

PDO Threads: Dissolvable stitches placed under the skin to lift it a little and prompt some collagen. The lift is real but small, it lasts months rather than years, and it is not a substitute for a facelift.

RF Microneedling: Microneedling with heat added. Insulated needles carry radiofrequency energy to a set depth in the skin, so the healing response comes from both the puncture and the heat. It is used for indented acne scars, texture, and mild sagging.

Reviewed by Dr. Schwarz, Board-Certified Dermatologist
Last updated: 10/22/2026
Editorial illustration for PDO Threads, based on the entry’s treatment or equipment reference.Editorial illustration for RF Microneedling, based on the entry’s treatment or equipment reference.
Choose ifKey differencesWhat is it?What it treatsTreatment areasSkin tonesHow it worksBefore your treatmentDay of treatmentAfter your treatmentRisksCostQuestionsRelated

Choose PDO Threads if…

Choose for a small, temporary lift of mild sagging without surgery — not a substitute for a facelift.

  • Early, mild sagging
  • You want a small lift without surgery
  • You're fine with results lasting months

Choose RF Microneedling if…

Choose for acne scars and texture with some tightening, with a lower pigment risk than resurfacing lasers.

  • Rolling or boxcar acne scars
  • Mild sagging too
  • Deeper skin tone where lasers are riskier
Fine together

Can you have both?

They work on different layers: threads lift, RF microneedling tightens the skin surface. Do RF first, or wait several weeks after threads.

Key differences

● PDO Threads
● RF Microneedling
DowntimeNone → 2+ weeks
3–7 days
3–7 days
PainMinimal → Needs anesthesia or sedation
Moderate
Moderate
Results showImmediately → 3+ months
Immediately
1–3 months
How long it lastsWeeks → Years or permanent
6–12 months
Years or permanent
Visits neededOne → Every few months
Yearly top-ups
A short series (2–3)
Cost per visit$ → $$$$$
$$$$
$$$
ReversibleYes, can be undone → No, permanent
Partly
No, permanent

What is it?

PDO Threads

RF Microneedling

What is it?

They are dissolvable threads.

Polydioxanone threads are placed beneath the skin.

They give temporary support.

They provide mechanical lift and a tissue response.

They are not a facelift.

Results are not equivalent to surgery.

Evidence is limited.

Infection risk and prior procedures should be discussed.

It combines needles and energy.

Radiofrequency energy is delivered into or beneath the skin.

It is a medical procedure.

It differs from conventional microneedling and home rollers.

Serious complications are reported.

The FDA has noted burns, scarring, fat loss and nerve damage.

Device and depth matter.

These should be discussed before consenting.

What it treats

Evidence level
PDO Threads
RF Microneedling
Strong evidenceMost established uses
—
Acne scarring on light skin. Small sharply cut pits and broad shallow dips across a cheek, several sitting inside faint flat pink marks, with no active spots.

Acne Scarring

Improves rolling and boxcar scars.

Rolling Scars.

Rolling Scars

Heat remodels soft dips.

Moderate evidenceSome supportive research
—
Sagging Skin on light skin.

Sagging Skin

Mild tightening.

Limited evidenceEarly or small studies
Sagging Skin on light skin.

Sagging Skin

Mild, temporary lift.

Enlarged Pores on light skin.

Enlarged Pores

May shrink pores.

Little evidence
A relaxed forehead with pronounced deep horizontal furrows.

Deep Wrinkles

Little change on deep folds.

Ice Pick Scars on light skin.

Ice Pick Scars

Needs TCA CROSS or punch excision.

A relaxed forehead with pronounced deep horizontal furrows.

Deep Wrinkles

Modest change on deep folds.

Not effective
Volume Loss on light skin.

Volume Loss

Doesn't add volume.

—

Treatment areas

Treatment areas

Selected areas of the face; placement follows the assessed lifting plan.

Face and neck; depths and coverage depend on the treatment plan.

Skin tones

Skin tone
● PDO Threads
● RF Microneedling
Lighter skin
Low risk
Bruising and dimpling settle.
Low risk
Redness and swelling for days.
Medium skin
Low risk
Not a pigment-based treatment.
Low risk
Insulated needles protect the surface.
Deeper skin
Low risk
Bruising may leave brief dark marks.
Some risk
Lower pigment risk than lasers; grid marks or dark spots possible.

How it works

PDO Threads

RF Microneedling

How it works
PDO Threads mechanism diagram. Threads are placed beneath skin: A clinician selects the thread type and tissue plane. Support depends on the thread: Barbed threads can provide a mechanical lifting effect. Tissue responds as threads resorb: Effects are temporary and vary with anatomy and technique.
RF Microneedling mechanism diagram. Needles enter the skin: A device places fine electrodes at a selected depth. RF energy heats nearby tissue: Controlled heating occurs around active needle segments. Repair remodels tissue: The healing response can change collagen and skin texture.
Diagram explanation

Threads are placed beneath skin: A clinician selects the thread type and tissue plane. Support depends on the thread: Barbed threads can provide a mechanical lifting effect. Tissue responds as threads resorb: Effects are temporary and vary with anatomy and technique.

Schematic illustration. Technique and response vary. This explains a mechanism and does not specify treatment settings.

Needles enter the skin: A device places fine electrodes at a selected depth. RF energy heats nearby tissue: Controlled heating occurs around active needle segments. Repair remodels tissue: The healing response can change collagen and skin texture.

Schematic illustration. Technique and response vary. This explains a mechanism and does not specify treatment settings.

Before your treatment

PDO Threads
RF Microneedling
2–4 weeks before

2 weeks before: Events: Do not book this within two weeks of an event.

Before you book: Dental work and flares: Get dental work done first, since wide mouth opening is discouraged for a few weeks.

Pigment cream and sun: Do not arrive tanned or sunburned.

Pigment cream and sun: On deeper skin tones, many providers prescribe a pigment-blocking cream for two to four weeks first.

The week before

A few days before: Blood thinners and alcohol: Ask the prescribing doctor before pausing a blood thinner.

Actives and hair removal: Stop retinoids, benzoyl peroxide and exfoliating acids about 5 days before.

Actives and hair removal: No waxing or hair removal creams on the area.

Day of treatment

PDO Threads
RF Microneedling
Before you arrive

Photos: Have photos taken sitting upright, in the light you will be reviewed in.

Clean face: Clean face, no makeup.

Clean face: If injected anesthetic is planned, expect a long appointment and a ride home if anything sedating is used.

Arrival & prep

You are assessed and marked sitting upright, because the face falls differently lying down.

Skin is examined and photographed, and the provider maps depths for each area — shallower around the eyes and forehead, deeper over scarred cheeks and the jaw.

Treatment

Small entry points are made near the hairline or temple.

A needle or cannula carries each thread along a planned path, the thread is anchored, and tension is adjusted while both sides are checked. A face takes 30 to 60 minutes. You feel pressure, tugging and an odd crunching rather than sharp pain. Soreness starts once the anesthetic wears off.

The handpiece is pressed on the skin and fired one stamp at a time in a grid, not glided.

A full face takes 20 to 45 minutes, often with passes at several depths. With cream alone the sting is sharp, worst on the forehead and jaw; with injected anesthetic it is mostly pressure and heat.

Before you leave

Swollen and tight, with small marks at the entry points.

Red, hot and swollen, with a visible grid of small dots.

After your treatment

PDO Threads
RF Microneedling
First 24 hours

Days 1 to 7: Chewing, yawning and wide smiling are uncomfortable, and bruising at entry points is common.

Days 1 to 2: Swelling is worst the first morning, especially around the eyes and jaw, enough to change how your face looks.

Days 2–7
Not specified

Days 3 to 10: Swelling drops, redness fades to pink, and the skin feels sandpapery with the grid faintly visible.

Weeks 2–4

Weeks 1 to 2: Small dimples and irregular lines along the threads usually smooth out.

Weeks 2 to 6: The over-lifted look relaxes into the actual result.

Not specified
Beyond 1 month
Not specified

Months 1 to 6: Firmness and texture keep changing after the visible healing.

Time to results

Immediately

1–3 months, improving to 6

How long results last

6–12 months

Years for scars

Risks

Risks
  • Dimpling or puckering after two weeks
  • A thread you can see or feel
  • Uneven sides
  • Pain when you open your mouth
  • Redness, warmth, pus or fever
  • Numbness or a weak facial movement
  • Hair loss at a temple entry point
  • Dark patches
  • A visible grid that will not fade
  • Prolonged swelling or redness
  • A hollow or a change in face shape
  • A cold sore outbreak

Cost

Per session

In the US a full-face thread lift commonly runs about $1,500 to $4,500, and more in some cities.

In the US, a full-face session generally runs about $700 to $1,500, and a package of three commonly falls between $2,000 and $4,000.

Insurance

Insurance does not cover it.

Insurance does not cover it, since it is classed as cosmetic.

Questions

PDO Threads

RF Microneedling

Individual Questions
How much lift do threads actually give?

A few millimeters, and less once swelling settles. Enough to soften an early jowl or lift a brow slightly in the right face. Not enough to change the outline of a face — anyone promising that is describing surgery.

How long do PDO threads last?

The material dissolves in about four to six months. The visible effect usually lasts around six to twelve months, then fades gradually. Some firming from the collagen along the tracks remains after the lift has gone.

Is a thread lift the same as a facelift?

No, and that comparison is the main reason people are unhappy afterward. A facelift moves the deeper layer of the face and removes skin, under surgery, and lasts years. Threads gather skin along a stitch for months.

Does it hurt?

Under local anesthetic it feels more strange than painful — pressure and tugging. The days afterward are sore, especially chewing or yawning, and that usually settles within one to two weeks.

What if I get a dimple, or a thread shows?

Both are recognized and both are fixable, but they need the provider who placed them. Dimples in the first two weeks usually settle on their own. A thread poking through, or a dimple still there at two weeks, should be reported rather than waited out.

Are threads worth the money?

It depends what you are comparing them with. For mild early sagging, in someone who cannot or will not have surgery and understands it lasts under a year, they can be. For heavy jowls or a loose neck they are not, and the same money spent on volume or put toward surgery usually gives a result people are happier with.

Is Morpheus8 the same as RF microneedling?

Morpheus8 is one brand of radiofrequency microneedling device. Profound, Vivace, Genius, Secret RF, Scarlet and Sylfirm X do the same job. Needle insulation, depth, energy and the operator determine the outcome.

Does it work on acne scars?

Partly, and over a course. Rolling and boxcar scars become shallower across about three sessions. Icepick scars respond poorly. Expect improvement, not clearance.

Will it tighten my jawline?

Modestly, if the laxity is mild and early. It firms rather than lifts. Skin that visibly hangs will not respond, and a surgical consultation is the more honest next step.

How much does it hurt?

More than plain microneedling. Numbing cream alone leaves a sharp hot sting, so many providers add injected anesthetic or nerve blocks at deeper settings. With those it is mostly pressure and heat.

Is it safe on deeper skin tones?

Generally safer than ablative lasers, since melanin does not absorb the energy. Dark marks are still possible from the heat, sometimes in the grid pattern, and they fade over months. Ask about insulated needles and conservative starting settings.

Can it cause fat loss in the face?

Yes, and it is the risk worth understanding. Deep, high-energy settings in a thin face can shrink the fat under the skin, leaving a hollow that does not reliably return. Conservative settings built up over sessions, and a provider who takes the question seriously, are the protection.

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