Thread-Filler: A Standardized Combination Therapy.

Abstract

Advanced technology and increasing knowledge about aging faces have combined to create the illusion of thread lifting to replace surgical interventions. However, results that came far beyond expectations led to a heavy suspicion of these tools. However, combined treatments with fillers would have better outcomes with a synergetic effect. In this study, 52 patients were treated with a specific thread, whereas soft tissue support was added to supervene the lifting effect of the threads. With a mean age of 48 years, these patients were treated with 3 pairs of mid and lower facial areas, and one for eyebrows. With a median amount of 5 mL fillers were added simultaneously at the same treatment plan. The follow-up period was 32 months. Assessment with a Likert Scale questionnaire revealed most of the patients (n = 42) were delighted, whereas only one patient was unsatisfied. The only unsatisfied patient experienced the most frustrating complication, which was thread removal due to infection. The literature shows unauthorized, unspecialized applications of such medical devices cause failure and loss of reliability. Therefore, the most important point of this technique is the sterile setting. Other issues that are discussed in this paper also aim to direct the reader to achieve the most benefit of these 2 techniques.