Experience the Amazing Benefits of a PDO Thread Lift

Part of the natural aging process is a reduced rate of collagen and elastin production. A lack of these essential proteins and fibers leads to sagging skin and wrinkles. At Nubo Spa in Berkeley, CA, we are proud to offer several anti-aging treatments to help you find your own fountain of youth. Here we want to highlight the incredible benefits of a PDO thread lift.

What Is a PDO Thread Lift?

A PDO thread lift is an FDA-approved anti-aging treatment that lifts and tightens your skin without the need for an invasive medical procedure. Using threads made up of absorbable polydioxanone (PDO), this treatment provides the added benefit of promoting cellular renewal and neovascularisation.

How Long Does It Last?

Because threads are absorbable, the results of this treatment aren’t permanent. Depending on lifestyle factors and how quickly your body metabolizes the threads, you can expect the threads to remain for approximately six to eight months. Your improved, youthful countenance will remain for an additional three to six months thanks to the power of cellular rejuvenation.

How Is This Treatment Performed?

This pain-free treatment starts with numbing the treatment site and infusing local anesthesia. This ensures you feel no discomfort during your treatment. The PDO threads may be inserted by either blunt or sharp tip needles, known as cannulas. These cannulas are inserted into different layers of your skin and anchor the threads so your skin can be lifted upwards. Then, leftover threads are snipped off.

How Long Does This Treatment Take?

One of the most incredible benefits of a PDO thread lift is that treatment takes only 15 to 30 minutes. Expected treatment time varies on a case-to-case basis, but most of our clients are treated in under 20 minutes. After that, you are free to go back to your daily routine. Unlike a traditional facelift, there is no downtime or recovery associated with this treatment.

What Areas Can Be Treated?

One great thing about PDO thread lift is it can address nearly all your facial cosmetic concerns. This safe, versatile, long-lasting rejuvenation treatment is often used to address concerns around the:

When treating the lower face and cheeks, this synergistic treatment is often combined with Ultherapy. While hyaluronic acid dermal fillers (like Restylane) make for great complementary treatments, we love combining a PDO thread lift with neuromodulators.

What’s Special About Neuromodulators?

We find that neuromodulators are such a great fit for anti-aging treatments because they work differently than PDO lifts and hyaluronic acid fillers. HA fillers and PDO treatments stimulate your body’s collagen production. This is great for plumping up sunken cheeks and lips and filling in static lines and wrinkles.

Neuromodulatos, such as BOTOX and Dysport work differently. They treat moderate-to-severe lines and wrinkles caused by motion. Such “motion” lines include marionette lines (smile lines) around your mouth, frown lines between your eyebrows, and laughter lines around your eyes. These lines and wrinkles are exacerbated when your face is in motion, whether you’re talking, laughing at a joke, or looking at someone inquisitively.

Types of Pdo Threads

The two primary classifications of PDO thread lift are floating non-barbed threads and floating barbed threads. Non-barbed threads can further be classified into mono-filament threads or braided threads. Similarly, barbed threads may be unilateral or bilateral; uni-directional, bi-directional, or z-directional; or cutting barbs or molding barbs.

You may have heard of PDO threads being called special names like “heart barbs”, “tornado” or “double screw”. All of these monikers refer to a type of barbed PDO thread lift. More important than what the threads are called are the thickness and length of the thread. These two factors affect the tensile strength, overall quality, treatment quality, and cost of your treatment.

Depending on your skin type, how much lift you need, and your overall aesthetic goals, your physician may choose threads of varying thickness, length, and shape. Ask us about your options during your initial consultation.

Outstanding Benefits of This Treatment

1. Safe, Slow Absorption

Depending on the type of threads used in your treatment, absorption can take up to a year. Anecdotally, most of our clients find that their threads are absorbed within six to eight months. Once the threads are absorbed, results can last anywhere from three months to over two years. All told, you can expect the results of treatment to last between nine months and three years.

Compared to a traditional facelift, the safety of this effective anti-aging treatment is unparalleled. PDO threads have been used for over three decades to treat and close wounds, suture incisions during cosmetic procedures, treat gynecological issues, and more. In all this time, there are no reported cases of allergic reactions to PDO threads. Moreover, these threads are completely non-toxic and safely absorbed by your body.

2. Non-invasive

Unlike a traditional facelift, this treatment is not invasive. When you walk out of the office after your treatment, there will be no swelling, redness, irritation, or other visible signs that you have had “work done”. All people will know when they look at you is you appear young and healthy.

Moreover, threads are only inserted into the superficial layers of your skin. Nerve endings there are few and far between, so treatment doesn’t hurt. The topical anesthetic is just to prevent you from feeling any potential discomfort when the needles are inserted. In fact, you can let us know if you don’t want any anesthetic used during treatment. Many of our clients don’t like the sensation of their face being temporarily numbed and they don’t want to wait for the numbing to take effect.

3. Immediate Results

Due to swelling and inflammation, you have to wait several weeks to see the results of a facelift. The results of a PDO thread lift are immediate. Even better, results improve after two to three months as your body finishes producing new, healthy collagen.

4. Customizable Treatments

One of the most significant benefits of PDO lifts is customizability. Since PDO threads come in all shapes and sizes, your anti-aging treatment will be customized to your skin type, skin condition, and aesthetic goals. For example, relatively thin mono-threads are ideal for restoring volume to and rejuvenating the cheeks and chin. Contrastingly, thicker threads can be used to lift and hold sagging skin around your neck and jowls.

5. Rejuvenation

You will look younger immediately after a PDO thread lift because your sagging skin will be tightened and lifted. However, the results only continue to improve when you walk out of our comfortable, inviting office. The process of threading stimulates your body’s production of collagen and elastin: the proteins and fibers responsible for plumping up and tightening your skin.

Just a couple of short months after treatment, you will notice the wrinkles and lines of your face have filled in and gaunt, hollow cheeks are now plumper and fuller than they have been in years. The elastin will keep your skin taut and close to your face after your body absorbs the threads and the fresh, new healthy collagen ensures there is the adequate volume in your face for at least the next year.

6. Affordability

The cost of your treatment will depend on several factors, including the areas you want to treat, the type of threads used, and whether you receive a local anesthetic or not. What is universal, however, is that this treatment is far more affordable than cheek augmentation, chin augmentation, or a facelift.

This accounts for treatment results fading over time. Nobody can stop the aging process altogether, and none of the aforementioned cosmetic procedures are permanent, either.

7. Complementary Nature

One of the things our clients love most about PDO lifts is it can safely and effectively be combined with other treatments. For example, if you are experiencing extreme volume loss in your cheeks. Other dermal fillers we offer include Restylane to address cosmetic concerns ranging from deep nasolabial folds to thin lips.

Am I a Good Candidate?

The best candidate for a PDO lift is looking to turn back the hands of time without going under the knife. He or she is between the ages of 30 and 65 and is displeased with mild-to-moderate skin sagging. Good candidates have skin that is not too heavy or too thin and has not previously had a facelift. Skin is of good quality and has not been extensively and chronically damaged by the sun.

The ideal candidate for this treatment also has realistic expectations about the results. He understands that the results are immediate and will improve over time but will not be permanent. She understands that this treatment will make her look like a younger, healthier version of herself rather than someone else. He also understands that lifestyle choices will affect the durability of results, although some factors, such as metabolism, are out of his control.

How Can I Extend the Longevity of Treatment?

You can’t control how quickly your body will absorb the PDO threads. You also can’t completely control how healthy your newly produced collagen will be. Luckily, there are several factors you can control that will extend the longevity of your results.

Don’t Smoke

This is a tough one, but do your best to quit smoking. Nicotine restricts oxygen flow to your skin, making it look older and more crepey. If you can’t quit nicotine products entirely, ask your general health practitioner for resources on quitting or just do your best to cut back. Your skin and lungs will thank you later.

Drink in Moderation

There’s nothing quite like a beer during a football game or a glass of champagne on New Year’s Eve. However, alcohol reduces blood flow to the skin. This means your face can’t benefit from essential nutrients, such as vitamins K and A. Moreover, alcohol is a diuretic, meaning it will dehydrate your skin and make it look older.

Wear Broad-Spectrum Sunscreen

One of the best things you can do for your skin is to wear a broad-spectrum sunscreen. This applies even if your PDO thread lift was performed on your body. Your clothes do not provide adequate protection from the sun’s harmful UVA and UVB rays. Among other things, sun damage can cause your skin to wrinkle faster than if you had applied sunscreen diligently.

Be Fierce, Be Original, Be You

You’re busy. You work hard. You deserve to take a little time out of your day for self-care. If you’re ready to rejuvenate your skin, look younger and boost your self-esteem, contact the dedicated beauty experts at Nubo Spa in Berkeley, CA today to schedule your initial consultation and discover if a PDO thread lift is right for you. Our team is committed to blending science, art, and medicine to provide you with your ideal anti-aging treatment.