· DAYONE Clinic
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Hello from Face Design Lab.
“People have always told me my face is big.
My cheekbones stick out, and now that I'm older my eyes droop too, so I really hate having my photo taken.”
We hear this in the consultation room all the time.
Yet when people come in with these concerns,
many of them assume, “Can't you just fill it with filler?”
Today I'll explain clearly why, when there is sagging,
we usually recommend thread lifting before filler.
Facial aging: two causes at work together
Broadly speaking, the face changes in two ways as we age.
It hollows, and it sags.
Areas all over the face start to hollow, including the nasolabial area, marionette area, cheeks, under-eyes, upper eyelids and between the brows,
while at the same time skin and tissue sag downward, creating nasolabial folds and marionette lines.
But these two changes have different causes, and different solutions.
Hollow areas need filling; sagging areas need lifting.
The key is to address each cause separately.
Why not just use filler for everything?
There was a time when people tried to solve everything with filler.
But what happens if you try to fix sagging with filler alone?
As you fill the sagging areas too, the amount of filler keeps increasing,
and the face ends up looking puffy and larger.
You end up with a face that looks unnatural and overdone.
For a natural result, you lift what has sagged
and fill what has hollowed, matching the approach to each cause.
This is how you can keep filler to a minimum
while achieving a face that looks far more natural and smaller.
The faces that need a Gangnam thread lift
For people whose main concern is sagging, we recommend a Gangnam thread lift first.
Thread lifting physically lifts sagging tissue, so the lifting effect
shows up immediately and is the most visible.
Here is how it works by area:
Nasolabial folds → cheekbone thread lift, lifting from the cheekbone area
Marionette lines → lower-face thread lift, lifting the sagging lower face
Drooping eyes → thread lift at the outer corners, revealing a hidden double eyelid and making the eyes look more relaxed
Lifting the sagging areas first and then filling only the hollows that still need it with a minimal amount of filler gives the most natural, pleasing result.
You don't have to do it all at once
Many working people worry, “Can I go to work the very next day?”
Bruising or swelling can occur after treatment, so it is best to allow some time if you can. But if your schedule is tight, there is no need to do everything at once.
Going step by step, starting with what will make the biggest difference, is a perfectly good approach.
If sagging is the most pressing issue, start with thread lifting, then fill the hollow areas with filler, and keep up Botox regularly as part of your ongoing care.
If you found this helpful, I'd recommend reading the next post on how sagging and hollowing are each addressed.
If you have any questions, feel free to get in touch at any time.
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