Thread lift before and after photos

Before and after photographs are how most people judge a thread lift. They need more interpretation here than for most treatments, because a thread lift result changes substantially over the months after the procedure - in both directions.

Photographs are shown and discussed at consultation, where your practitioner can select cases relevant to your anatomy.

The standards these photos must meet

Before and after images used by registered health practitioners in Australia are governed by the Medical Board of Australia's Guidelines for advertising regulated health services.

Images must be genuine - real patients, real results.
Photographs on this website have been retouched only to protect patient privacy, never to enhance or alter the results of treatment.
Images must carry a clear and prominent disclaimer that results may vary between individuals.
Patients must consent to the use of their images.

Results may vary between individuals. A photograph records one person's outcome, not a prediction of yours.

Timing matters more here than almost anywhere

A thread lift result has three distinct phases, and a photograph from each shows something different:

Immediately after (days 0 to 7). This is the maximum lift, and it includes swelling from the procedure and the local anaesthetic. Swelling itself fills hollows and smooths contour. A photograph taken here overstates the settled result.
At 4 to 8 weeks. Swelling has resolved and the mechanical lift has settled somewhat. This is the most honest single point of comparison.
At 3 to 6 months. The collagen response along the threads has developed. Some people look better here than at week eight, because the collagen support arrives after the initial settling.

So the first question about any thread lift photograph is how long after the procedure it was taken. A gallery of day-three photographs is not a gallery of results.

Other things worth checking

Same lighting. Jowls, folds and jawline definition are read through shadow. Light from above deepens them; flat light removes them. This is the most common way facial galleries mislead.
Same camera height and head position. A camera slightly above eye level lifts the jawline. Tilting the chin up does the same thing. Both frames must match.
Same expression. A neutral face in both.
What else was done. Thread lifts are frequently combined with dermal filler, anti-wrinkle injections, a collagen stimulator or skin treatments. The visible change is then not attributable to threads alone. Ask.
How many threads. A result from four threads and a result from sixteen are different treatments at very different prices.
Which thread type. PDO, PLLA and PCA behave and last differently. A result from long-lasting barbed threads is not a guide to what smooth PDO threads will do.

Why your result will differ

Outcomes vary with the degree of skin laxity, skin thickness and quality, facial fat distribution, bone structure, age, the number and type of threads used, and individual healing.

The single biggest determinant is how much laxity there is to begin with. Threads reposition tissue; they do not remove skin. In a face with mild laxity that repositioning reads clearly. In a face with significant excess skin the same threads produce far less change - and gallery cases are generally selected from the first group.

What photographs cannot show

How long it lasted. The effect generally lasts 18 to 24 months and then fades. A photograph is a moment in that cycle.
How the face moves. Tissue held by threads can look correct at rest and behave differently in animation.
Complications. Dimpling, puckering, palpable or extruding threads, asymmetry and infection do not appear in a curated gallery.
Whether surgery would have been the better answer. A gallery of thread lift results tells you nothing about whether you are in the group for whom a facelift would be the appropriate procedure. That takes an examination.

Costs

Thread lift procedures at Me Clinic start at $4,600; treatment with Dr Ku starts from $4,900. Cost depends on the type and number of threads used. As at September 2024 and including GST, a consultation with a Cosmetic Doctor is $150.

Risks

Risks include pain, swelling, bruising, dimpling or puckering along the thread line, threads becoming visible or palpable, thread extrusion, asymmetry, infection, granuloma formation, nerve irritation, thread migration or breakage, little or no lift, and an unsatisfactory result. The full list is on the thread lift page.

Please read our information on the risks and complications of cosmetic surgery before proceeding.

Individual results may vary. Any surgical or invasive procedure carries risks. Before proceeding you should seek a second opinion from an appropriately qualified health practitioner.

See thread lift, Silhouette Soft, neck thread lift, nose thread lift, or all face procedures.