What is a Featherlift?

Just a couple of years ago, "thread" lifting or "suture" lifting was a media darling. And now? Contour threads ("Thread lift") have been removed from the market and APTOS threads (the "Featherlift") are gone, too.

Unfortunately, these procedures were unimpressive in their results and flawed even in theory.

The idea was that barbed sutures--like porcupine quills--could be inserted under the skin, engage the tissue and then either lift it or bunch it together. Sounds great, right? So what was the problem?

The problem is that living tissue expands to accommodate tension, meaning that if you pull on skin it will grow and stretch out to eliminate that pull...and it does so pretty quickly. Doctors know this, which is why it was perplexing that any doctor ever offered it. In fact, we make use of this property with devices known as "tissue expanders," which we use for reconstructive procedures.

So why, you might ask, does a real surgical facelift last? Aren't we just pulling tissue? Not at all. The difference is that in a real surgical facelift, we are actually dissecting and then repositioning tissue planes. It's a little bit like peeling up a sticker and then re-adhering it in a new location. Unfortunately, that requires real surgery and its associated downtime, but a natural and lasting appearance is the result.