Are PDO thread lifts safe?
A thread lift is marketed as a lighter option than surgery. That raises two fair questions: how safe is it, and what could cost you more later?
What Healthline reports
Healthline says: "PDO thread lifts have a much lower risk of complications than facelift surgeries. There’s less risk of scarring, severe bruising, or bleeding when performed by a trained professional. Minor complications occur in 15 to 20 percent of procedures but are usually easily corrected."
Two things stand out. The lower risk is tied to a trained professional, and minor complications are common even so. Both facts belong in your decision.
The list of things that can go wrong
A study hosted by the National Library of Medicine (PMC) lists adverse events reported in the literature, such as asymmetry, bruising, swelling, discomfort, erythema, bleeding, visible threads, thread migration, infection, granuloma, skin rippling, skin irregularity, and thread extrusion. That same study reported minimal and transient adverse events in its own patients.
Use that list as a checklist of warning signs. If any appear after your visit, you will know the name of what you are describing when you call.
Questions to ask before you book
- Who will place the threads, and how many have they placed?
- Which of these problems do you see most, and how do you correct them?
- Is a corrective visit included in the price?
- Who do I call in the first days?
Where to read more
Healthline offers an overview of the PDO thread lift procedure, benefits and side effects. For WebMD's angle, see thread lifts as a minimally invasive alternative to plastic surgery. A separate PMC paper studies polydioxanone thread face lift technique in patients with facial palsy.
Judging the risk fairly
Lower risk than surgery is not the same as no risk. Choose the provider who can name the common problems and explain how they fix each one.