Compare · Procedures

PDO Threads vs Ultherapy

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.

Ultherapy: Focused ultrasound delivered through the skin to heat small points in the deeper layers, so the body lays down new collagen over the following months. It gives a mild tightening of loose skin on the brow, jawline and neck. It is not a facelift, and the treatment itself is painful.

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 Ultherapy, 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 Ultherapy if…

Choose for a mild lift of the brow, jaw or neck without surgery or downtime — not a facelift, and the treatment hurts.

  • Early, mild sagging
  • No downtime is essential
  • You accept a modest, gradual result
Alternatives, not combined

Can you have both?

Both are non-surgical lifts. Most people choose one; they are rarely combined in the same area.

Key differences

● PDO Threads
● Ultherapy
DowntimeNone → 2+ weeks
3–7 days
None
PainMinimal → Needs anesthesia or sedation
Moderate
Significant
Results showImmediately → 3+ months
Immediately
1–3 months
How long it lastsWeeks → Years or permanent
6–12 months
6–12 months
Visits neededOne → Every few months
Yearly top-ups
Yearly top-ups
Cost per visit$ → $$$$$
$$$$
$$$$
ReversibleYes, can be undone → No, permanent
Partly
No, fades slowly

What is it?

PDO Threads

Ultherapy

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 uses focused ultrasound.

Ultherapy heats selected tissue depths under visualization.

It targets skin laxity.

It is used for selected concerns about loose skin.

It is not a facelift.

It does not remove excess skin.

Operator skill matters.

Energy placed in the wrong tissue can cause injury.

What it treats

Evidence level
PDO Threads
Ultherapy
Moderate evidenceSome supportive research
—
Sagging Skin on light skin.

Sagging Skin

Mild lift of brow and jaw.

Limited evidenceEarly or small studies
Sagging Skin on light skin.

Sagging Skin

Mild, temporary lift.

—
Little evidence
A relaxed forehead with pronounced deep horizontal furrows.

Deep Wrinkles

Little change on deep folds.

A relaxed forehead with pronounced deep horizontal furrows.

Deep Wrinkles

Limited change on deep folds.

Not effective
Volume Loss on light skin.

Volume Loss

Doesn't add volume.

Volume Loss on light skin.

Volume Loss

Doesn't add volume.

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

Doesn't change scars.

Treatment areas

Treatment areas

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

Brow, jawline and neck.

Skin tones

Skin tone
● PDO Threads
● Ultherapy
Lighter skin
Low risk
Bruising and dimpling settle.
Low risk
Not a pigment-based treatment.
Medium skin
Low risk
Not a pigment-based treatment.
Low risk
Energy bypasses the surface.
Deeper skin
Low risk
Bruising may leave brief dark marks.
Low risk
Safe across skin tones.

How it works

PDO Threads

Ultherapy

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.
Ultherapy mechanism diagram. Ultrasound locates tissue planes: Imaging helps the clinician view the treatment area. Focused energy creates heat points: Ultrasound concentrates energy at selected depths. Repair remodels support tissue: Collagen changes develop gradually; lifting effects vary.
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.

Ultrasound locates tissue planes: Imaging helps the clinician view the treatment area. Focused energy creates heat points: Ultrasound concentrates energy at selected depths. Repair remodels support tissue: Collagen changes develop gradually; lifting effects vary.

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

Before your treatment

PDO Threads
Ultherapy
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.

Not specified
The week before

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

Until the visit: Skin care: Nothing to stop, and no pre-treatment cream needed.

Day of treatment

PDO Threads
Ultherapy
Before you arrive

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

An hour before: Pain relief: Ask what is on offer.

Arrival & prep

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

Photos and a ride: Photographs first — the change is gradual and modest, so photos are the only reliable way to judge it.

Photographs are taken, areas marked, and the provider decides which depths and how many lines of energy each area gets.

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.

Gel goes on and the handpiece is pressed to the skin.

The provider checks the imaging screen and delivers a line of energy: seconds of deep heat and sharp pain, then a pause. Swapping the transducer changes depth. Face and neck take 60 to 90 minutes, smaller areas about 30. It is worst over the jawbone and brow and stops when the treatment does.

Before you leave

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

Skin is flushed and slightly swollen, sometimes with small raised lines along the path.

After your treatment

PDO Threads
Ultherapy
First 24 hours

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

Days 1 to 7: The area is tender to press and can ache when chewing if the jaw was treated.

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.

Weeks 1 to 4: Swelling gone, sensation returning, skin looking the way it did before.

Weeks 4 to 8: Remaining numbness or tenderness usually resolves.

Time to results

Immediately

2–3 months, building to 6

How long results last

6–12 months

About 1 year

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
  • Most of what happens is mild and short-lived
  • Numbness lasting more than a couple of months
  • Weakness or asymmetry of the face
  • A hollow or dented area
  • A raised line or ridge
  • 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 single smaller area such as under the chin, the brow or the chest runs about $1,000 to $2,000, and a full face and neck about $2,000 to $4,500, varying a lot by city and practice.

Insurance

Insurance does not cover it.

Insurance does not cover it.

Questions

PDO Threads

Ultherapy

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.

Does Ultherapy hurt?

Yes — one of the more painful non-invasive treatments, worst along the jaw and brow where bone sits underneath. The pain comes in bursts with each line of energy and stops when the treatment ends. Ask about pain control before booking: a painkiller beforehand, a nerve block, or a mild sedative.

How much lift will I actually get?

A mild one. In somewhat loose skin it shows as a slightly crisper jawline and a small lift at the brow, visible in side-by-side photographs more than in the mirror. Heavy sagging does not respond.

When will I see it, and how long does it last?

Nothing for the first month, change from around two to three months, peak at about six. It then fades over roughly a year to eighteen months.

Is it the same as the HIFU offered at a spa?

Not necessarily. Ultrasound devices differ in energy and design, and most cheaper machines have no imaging screen, so the operator cannot see the tissue layers. Ask what device is being used and who is operating it.

Can nerve damage happen?

Rare, and reported — usually temporary weakness of a facial muscle or numbness recovering over weeks to months. It is the main reason to care who is holding the handpiece.

Is it safe on deeper skin tones?

Yes, and one of the better energy options for deeper skin tones, because ultrasound is not absorbed by pigment the way laser light is. Settings do not change.

Dermapedia on YouTube