Doc Talk

Dr Karen Soh, medical director of Prive Aesthetics, explains what fillers and thread lifts are, and how they can help your looks. Q I’ve heard that a thread lift can give you a higher nose bridge. How is it different from fillers? – Ee Hui Ling A Injectable llers or absorbable threads can be used to shape your nose without invasive surgery. Such procedures are regarded as non-surgical nose augmentation.

If you have a flat nose bridge or an ill-defined nose tip, fillers are more suitable. With fillers, an experienced injector can sculpt the nose the way you want it, for example, to correct a “bump”.

Most clinics use either hyaluronic acid fillers or calcium-based fillers. These can last six to 18 months, depending on the filler type and your metabolic and absorption rates.

Semi-permanent fillers which can last two to five years are also available, but I would not recommend them to those who are new to nose augmentation.

A nose thread lift, on the other hand, is best for those with a wide nose or an illdefined nose bridge. A thread lift improves the nose contour by giving you a slimmer bridge and more definition.

It uses PDO (polydioxanone) threads which are bioabsorbable – your body breaks them down in six to eight months, but the augmentation effect lasts one to two years.

Doctors can also use a combination of both. Talk about the procedures with your doctor to decide which is best for you. Q I’ve read conflicting reports about thread lifts. Is there is any danger in inserting a foreign object into my face? Will I get an allergic reaction? – Corrine Sim A Thread lifting is a non-surgical, minimally invasive skin lifting treatment that inserts “threads” into the superficial layer of the skin. Not only does this procedure give your face a lift, it can also give you a sharper face shape.

The most common threads used are PLLA (silhouette threads) and PDO. Both are made of the same material as threads for medical suturing. PDO threads last about six months; PLLA ones last about 12 months.

A thread lift can be used on the jawline to lift jowls, on the neck to diminish neck lines and a “turkey neck”, to give you fuller cheeks, to reduce the nasolabial folds, to lift the eyebrow and eye areas, and to make your nose bridge look higher.

The threads have some barbs, hooks and cones to anchor them to the skin layer in order to provide the lifting effect. These barbs, hooks and cones make the threads difficult to remove. Because removing them is not advisable, it is best to find a reputable doctor to perform your thread lift.

As of now, we have not encountered a case of thread rejection in patients. The most common issues with thread lifts are mild swelling, bruising or dimpling around the treated area. Whether you experience these issues or not can depend on the doctor’s skill. In any case, the problems usually go away after a few days.