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.
Key facts
Treats
Mild sagging
Recovery
3–7 days of swelling or bruising
Treatment plan
One treatment; effects are temporary
Typical cost
About $1,500–4,500 for the face
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.
What it treats
Sagging Skin
Mild, temporary lift.
Deep Wrinkles
Little change on deep folds.
Volume Loss
Doesn't add volume.
Treatment areas
PDO Threads
Selected areas of the face; placement follows the assessed lifting plan.
PDO Threads
Selected areas of the face; placement follows the assessed lifting plan.
Skin tones
Lighter skin
Low risk
Bruising and dimpling settle.
Medium skin
Low risk
Not a pigment-based treatment.
Deeper skin
Low risk
Bruising may leave brief dark marks.
How it works
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.
Types
PDO threads differ in shape. Smooth threads build collagen; barbed threads also give a mild lift.
Before your treatment
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.
The week before
A few days before: Blood thinners and alcohol: Ask the prescribing doctor before pausing a blood thinner.
Day of treatment
Before you arrive
Photos: Have photos taken sitting upright, in the light you will be reviewed in.
Arrival & prep
You are assessed and marked sitting upright, because the face falls differently lying down.
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.
Before you leave
Swollen and tight, with small marks at the entry points.
After your treatment
First 24 hours
Days 1 to 7: Chewing, yawning and wide smiling are uncomfortable, and bruising at entry points is common.
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.
Time to results
Immediately
How long results last
6–12 months
Risks
Serious complications are uncommon, but the ones that happen are visible and can take weeks to settle. This is more surgical than most injectables, and the risks reflect that.
Dimpling or puckering after two weeks
Small dimples along a thread line usually settle. One still there at two weeks needs looking at rather than waiting out.
A thread you can see or feel
A thread end can work toward the surface or poke through an entry point. It usually needs trimming or removing, by the person who placed it.
Uneven sides
Some asymmetry is normal at first. If it persists past a few weeks, say so.
Pain when you open your mouth
Ongoing pain with movement is worth reviewing.
Redness, warmth, pus or fever
These suggest infection along a thread track and usually need antibiotics, sometimes removal.
Numbness or a weak facial movement
Usually temporary nerve irritation, but it has to be checked rather than watched at home.
Hair loss at a temple entry point
Uncommon and usually temporary, but report it early.
Cost
Typical cost
About $1,500–4,500 for the face
Pricing
In the US a full-face thread lift commonly runs about $1,500 to $4,500, and more in some cities.
Insurance
Insurance does not cover it.
Alternatives
Facelift surgery
Repositions deeper tissue and removes skin, and the effect lasts years. Real surgery, real recovery, much higher cost. For moderate sagging this is the honest comparison, and threads do not approximate it.
Fillers for lost volume
A large part of what reads as sagging is lost support. Filler is predictable, and hyaluronic acid versions can be dissolved. It restores shape rather than lifting skin.
Biostimulators like Sculptra or Radiesse
Slower and with no lift, but longer-lasting change and fewer visible complications. Often a better answer for a flattened cheek than a thread.
Radiofrequency and microfocused ultrasound
Tighten skin without incisions, over several sessions, with results that are also modest. The closest comparison in ambition to threads, with less that can go visibly wrong.
Botulinum toxin brow lift
A few millimetres of brow lift for a much lower cost and lower risk, wearing off in three to four months. Only useful for the brow.
Topical retinoid
Improves skin quality and builds collagen over months. It changes texture and fine lines, not position.
Daily sunscreen
The most reliable way to slow further collagen and elasticity loss.
Microcurrent devices
Short-lived firming at best, needing frequent repeat use. No lasting lift.
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.
