The Next Revolution In Aesthetics
by Lawrence Janowski, MD
The word “game changer” is sometimes thrown around too loosely. Many new technologies are introduced every year around the world, and are often touted as revolutionary. Very few actually turn out to be. In this case, I feel I am using the term appropriately when I discuss the non-surgical lifting technique called Silhouette threadlifting. I have not been as excited about something in the aesthetic field in many years. I firmly believe Silhouette threadlifting will be as common as Botox® and fillers, it’s just a matter of time.
One of the main limitations we have in non-surgical aesthetics is in our ability to lift the skin. Fillers can do this to some extent, as we can see when we volumize the midface. This can have a nice lifting effect on the jowl, and remains a very important use for fillers. But what if we could lift when we don’t need to add volume, but just want to lift? And what if we can do this safely, in a few minutes, with instant results, without surgery, without any incisions, and without painful energy devices? Introducing Silhouette threads. This is a very clever technology first designed in Asia that combines the use of very fine threads made of suture material, with the simplicity of a needle injection. Silhouette (polydioxanone) is the material the threads are made of, which is the same material used in sutures for cardiac surgery. It is a re-absorbable material that is simply injected into the skin, not unlike a filler. The threads have tiny bristles or barbs that, once injected, create a very mild “tug” on the skin, pulling it in the direction of the injection point. Several threads can be placed in an area to create more lift. Though instant results are seen, results improve over 3-6 months because the thread itself is made of a collagen-stimulating substance, not unlike a collagen stimulating filler. The threads are fully absorbed at 6 months, but because the collagen is left behind, results last 12-15 months. Silhouette threads can be used virtually anywhere on the face. They can be used to lift the brow, lift the mouth corners, lift the jowl, improve lip lines, lift the neck, and improve nasolabial folds. In some cases, they will replace fillers when only lifting is desired, or can be combined with them when both lift and volume are desired. They can even improve lines in the Botox® areas! The procedure takes no longer than a filler injection procedure, and recovery is minimal, if any.
The Silhouette threads represent a whole new genre of facial rejuvenation, one that I believe is here to stay. To learn more about the procedure, go to www.novathreads.com, or come in for a complimentary consultation.
*Results may vary from patient to patient