Yes, you can have a thread lift consultation even if you've had a facelift. If mild to moderate sagging has returned some time after surgery, a thread lift may be discussed to refine the result. Your doctor will first need to check when and how your surgery was done and where your scars are, and if you've sagged significantly again, a revision surgery consultation may be the better fit.
Why sagging can return after a facelift
Even after a facelift, your face keeps aging. Skin firmness decreases a little every year, and volume keeps changing. So a few years after surgery, your cheeks or jawline may feel like they've dropped slightly again.
(Evidence: American Society of Plastic Surgeons information)
Also, even when surgery lifts sagging areas, hollowing around the mouth or cheeks can remain. Sagging and hollowing have different causes, so the first step is working out which one is behind your renewed concern.
When a thread lift consultation is possible after surgery
A review of thread-lift literature by Brazilian researchers listed “people who have had a facelift and need further mild to moderate refinement” as one of the groups well suited to thread lifts.
(Evidence: review of thread-lift literature, 2017)
A consultation may be worthwhile if:
- Some time after surgery, your cheeks or jawline have dropped a little again
- The two sides look slightly uneven in height
- You don't want another surgery and only want to refine certain areas
- Hollowing around your mouth bothers you along with sagging
What to tell your doctor before the consultation
Your surgical history is the most important information for planning. Put together as much of the following as you can remember.
- When you had surgery (year and month)
- The name and scope of the surgery (full face, lower face, whether the neck was included)
- Where your scars are (in front of the ear, behind the ear, within the hairline)
- Treatments you've had since surgery (thread lifts, fillers, device treatments)
- Any areas that have felt numb or tight since surgery
- Medications you take and your general health
If you have your surgical records or before-and-after photos, bring them along. It's fine if you don't remember everything exactly. Asking the clinic where you had surgery for its name and scope beforehand makes the consultation much easier.
Whether old threads remain and whether operated areas have firmed up affects the direction and depth of thread placement. That's why your doctor checks your tissue directly on examination.
When a revision surgery consultation fits
If any of the following apply, it makes sense to first see the plastic surgeon who operated on you, or another plastic surgeon, for a revision consultation.
- There's a lot of excess skin again and it seems it would need to be removed
- Your neck skin is very loose and vertical neck bands are prominent
- You haven't fully recovered from surgery yet
- Pain, swelling or changes in sensation persist at the surgical site
Swelling is the most common effect after a thread lift, and skin dimpling or palpable threads have also been reported. Skin dimpling was reported more often in people over 50. Ask your doctor to explain these points at your consultation too.
(Evidence: meta-analysis of 26 studies, 2021)
References
- Tavares JP, et al. Facial thread lifting with suture suspension. Braz J Otorhinolaryngol. 2017;83(6):712-719
- Niu Z, et al. A Meta-Analysis and Systematic Review of the Incidences of Complications Following Facial Thread-Lifting. Aesthetic Plast Surg. 2021;45(5):2148-2158
- American Society of Plastic Surgeons. Facelift Surgery
This is general medical information. Diagnosis and treatment decisions are made after an in-person consultation, and results and recovery time vary from person to person.