Silhouette InstaLift® or thread lifts?
December 22, 2022
Facelifts are widely known as a surgical procedure that assist in creating a youthful facial appearance, and they’ve been growing in popularity for the past few years. But, what if you’re looking for a non-surgical alternative instead? This is where Silhouette InstaLift® and thread lifts come in! A lot of people think these alternatives are the same thing, but they definitely have some differences. So, we asked our Medical Director, Dr. Steven, for his input on the differences between the two - and we’re going to be sharing that with you in this blog!
What is the Silhouette InstaLift®?
The Silhouette InstaLift® is a well-established product that uses dissolving thread sutures to lift skin in the mid-face and jawline area to create a more youthful appearance. The Silhouette InstaLift® has been in use in Europe and the United States to provide non-surgical facelifts over the past decade. It provides a gravity-fighting lift to the face in a safe manner, and it has been performed on hundreds of thousands of patients. The Silhouette InstaLift® has now been approved for use in Canada!
What is a thread lift?
Thread lift is actually an umbrella term, and it can be used to refer to the Silhouette InstaLift® or to PDO thread lifts. PDO stands for polydioxanone, which is a dissolvable synthetic suture material used to lift sagging skin. PDO thread lifts differ from Silhouette InstaLift® in a few ways - one of the differences being that PDO thread lifts are approved in the United States, but have not been approved in Canada as of 2022.
In terms of other differences between PDO thread lifts and Silhouette InstaLift®, many more PDO threads need to be used than Silhouette InstaLift® sutures to provide a comparable lift in the same region of the face. PDO threads tend to last for a shorter amount of time than Silhouette InstaLift® sutures, but PDO threads can be more easily applied in more regions of the face than Silhouette InstaLift® sutures.1-3 However, when compared to the Silhouette InstaLift® sutures, PDO threads also stimulate significantly less collagen.4 So, if you’re looking to produce collagen significantly in your mid-face and jawline area, Silhouette InstaLift® will most likely produce the results you’re looking for!
Who is and who isn’t a good candidate for Silhouette InstaLift®?
Silhouette InstaLift® is a great option for both women and men who are looking to refresh the appearance of their skin with a lift, but aren’t ready to commit to a surgical facelift. A good candidate is someone who has noticed moderate sagging in their mid-face or along their jawline. Generally, the younger the patient, the better of an effect they can obtain.5
With Silhouette InstaLift® candidates, it’s important to assess how loose the skin is (also known as skin laxity). Patients who have very loose skin generally would not be good candidates for Silhouette InstaLift®, they may see better results with a surgical facelift instead. Also, patients with very thin skin might not be candidates for Silhouette InstaLift®, as the sutures may be visible until they completely dissolve. When it comes to Silhouette InstaLift®, we highly recommend a consultation to assess if you’re a candidate!
What areas can you treat and how long do the results last?
The primary areas that can be treated with the Silhouette InstaLift® are the midface, cheeks, nasolabial folds, the lower face or jowls, jawline, marionette lines, and the neck.
Silhouette InstaLift® results last on an average of 24 months. The sutures themselves break down and dissolve under the skin by 9 to 12 months. Many patients find that even after 24 months, they’re just looking to come in for a touch up rather than finding the need to do the entire treatment again. PDO thread lifts, on the other hand, last on average between 6 to 9 months.6 Similar to other cosmetic treatments, the results of an InstaLift® are complemented by additional treatment options.5 You can find out more on the complementary options below!
Clients' FAQ: Can I get the Silhouette InstaLift® or thread lift in between my eyebrows, forehead, or around my eyes?
In the context of Silhouette InstaLift®, it is possible to provide a slight eyebrow lift, however we don’t currently offer this at EA. The forehead and areas around the eyes are not treated with Silhouette InstaLift®, but a similar collagen stimulating effect can be achieved at EA with collagen stimulators instead, such as Sculptra®.
With PDO threads, it is also possible to provide an eyebrow lift and be used around the forehead and eyes. However, this will depend on the proficiency of the thread provider. At EA, we always stress the importance of doing your research and ensuring you’re being treated by a licensed professional in the industry!
Our Medical Director’s Opinion on Silhouette InstaLift®
What is the value in the Silhouette InstaLift®? The InstaLift® is great for a couple of reasons. First, it helps to fight gravity in the face and the neck by pulling up tissue that has gotten saggier. It can also help enhance contours along the cheeks and jawline, or snatch back the little pouch of skin that can creep down at the corners of the mouth. Second, the InstaLift®, once placed under the skin, can stimulate collagen over time. This is because Silhouette InstaLift® sutures are made of two materials, poly-l-lactic acid and poly-l-glycolide. As these materials are naturally broken down under the skin over time, collagen stimulation will produce visible results on the skin at 3 to 4 months, and will continue for 9 to 12 months. The effect of the InstaLift® lasts about 24 months, even after the suture and neocollagenesis has completed! Another benefit of InstaLift® is that the stimulatory effect of the sutures can also support a subtle amount of fat loss in the region where it is placed.
Younger patients may choose to have the InstaLift® for enhanced contouring of the cheeks and jawline, and these patients have consistently high satisfaction. Mature patients tend to seek the InstaLift® as an option to improve the following: loss in volume of the mid cheeks, the deepening of the nasolabial fold, the jowling and jawline. It can also subtly tighten the neck and reduce the appearance of “turkey gobble”, which is sagging, loose skin around the neck.
While the InstaLift® is an excellent option to achieve some very specific purposes, its results are maximized when implemented with other cosmetic injectable procedures. For example, dermal fillers are beneficial in restoring volume to the skin in areas the InstaLift® cannot reach to support its lifting effect. Also, neuromodulators, like Botox®, play a role in reducing muscle tension in certain areas that contribute to skin laxity, particularly in the neck. So, it’s always more beneficial to complement Silhouette InstaLift® with other services provided at EA! We always recommend coming in for a consultation, so we can decide what the best treatment option is for you!
We hope this blog helped you understand the differences between Silhouette InstaLift® and thread lifts. If you think Silhouette InstaLift® may be for you, please book a consultation with us! Even if you’re not 100% sure about the treatment, we’d love to see you for a consultation, where we can discuss InstaLift® and a variety of other options that may be suitable for you. This non-surgical facelift is available at all of our locations, including Edmonton, St. Albert and Kelowna. Also, just an FYI, our consultations are entirely free!
1. Bertossi D, Botti G, Gualdi A, Fundarò P, Nocini R, Pirayesh A, et al. Effectiveness, Longevity, and Complications of Facelift by Barbed Suture Insertion. Aesthetic Surg J [Internet]. 2019 Feb 15 [cited 2022 Nov 9];39(3):241–7. Available from: https://academic-oup-com.abc.cardiff.ac.uk/asj/article/39/3/241/4883474
2. Jin Shin J, Jun Park T, Young Kim B, Min Kim C, Hye Suh D, Jun Lee S, et al. Comparative effects of various absorbable threads in a rat model. J Cosmet Laser Ther [Internet]. 2019 [cited 2022 Nov 9];21(3):158–62. Available from: https://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=ijcl20
3. Goldberg DJ. Stimulation of collagenesis by poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA) and -glycolide polymer (PLGA)-containing absorbable suspension suture and parallel sustained clinical benefit. J Cosmet Dermatol [Internet]. 2020 May 1 [cited 2022 Nov 9];19(5):1172–8. Available from: https://onlinelibrary-wiley-com.abc.cardiff.ac.uk/doi/full/10.1111/jocd.13371
4. Jin Shin J, Jun Park T, Young Kim B, Min Kim C, Hye Suh D, Jun Lee S, et al. Comparative effects of various absorbable threads in a rat model. J Cosmet Laser Ther [Internet]. 2019;21(3):158–62. Available from: https://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=ijcl20
5. Few JW, Vachon G, Pintas S, Smith JR. Nonsurgical Tissue Repositioning: Analysis of Long-Term Results and Patient Satisfaction From 100 Absorbable Suture Suspension Cases. Aesthetic Surg journal Open forum [Internet]. 2019 Jan 14 [cited 2022 Nov 9];2(1). Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33791631/
6. Yoon JH, Kim SS, Oh SM, Kim BC, Jung W. Tissue changes over time after polydioxanone thread insertion: An animal study with pigs. J Cosmet Dermatol [Internet]. 2019 Jun 1 [cited 2022 Nov 9];18(3):885–91. Available from: https://onlinelibrary-wiley-com.abc.cardiff.ac.uk/doi/full/10.1111/jocd.12718
