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THREAD LIFTS

Thread Lifts in Dallas

Dissolvable sutures with barbs, set beneath the skin, that can raise facial tissue by a few millimeters.

Avg. Cost
No Dallas price range listed
Downtime
Usually back at work right away
Results Last
1 to 3 years per ASPS; several studies found shorter
Appointment
About 30 to 45 minutes

The basics

What a thread lift is

Absorbable barbed sutures, placed under the skin, are what a thread lift uses to raise the face and neck (ASPS). The appeal is a relatively light recovery. The cost of that is a modest lift of a few millimeters that typically lasts one to three years. A facelift, by comparison, can last up to a decade (ASPS).

Mechanism

How threads lift tissue

Tiny barbs catch the tissue and hold it higher. The FDA clearances for both MINT and Silhouette InstaLift describe the purpose of face or mid-face suspension surgery as “to temporarily fixate the cheek sub dermis in an elevated position” (FDA 510(k) K220549; FDA 510(k) K200140). According to the ASPS, threads also prompt the skin to make collagen (ASPS).

Thread materials

How long each material lasts in the body

Numbers differ between sources and products.

MaterialReported time in the bodySource
PDO (NovaThreads)About four to six monthsASPS
PDO6 to 8 monthsHong et al.
PDO (MINT, rat study in the 510(k) summary)180 to 220 daysFDA 510(k) K192423
PLLARoughly 12 monthsHong et al.
PCLRoughly 1 to 1.5 yearsHong et al.

The time a thread spends in your tissue is not the same as the time the lift lasts, which is covered further down.

Barbed or smooth. The ASPS explains that smooth threads lift less than barbed ones and serve mainly to stimulate collagen (ASPS).

How strong is the collagen evidence?

Not strong. Using ultrasound, one study scanned 10 patients at 30, 60, 90 and 120 days following PDO thread placement and observed collagen building up around them (Lots 2023). In a mouse study of PCL threads cited by a 2024 review, new collagen had increased at 8 weeks (Hong et al.). In a 2025 randomized trial, the authors said a longer follow-up would be required to know whether collagen stimulation helps results last (Germani et al. 2025 trial).

Broader reviews are similarly cautious. A 2018 systematic review in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery concluded that a decade of work had produced little or no substantial new evidence that the procedure is effective or safe (Gülbitti et al. 2018 review). In Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, a 2021 review found no new evidence in favor of the procedure and said patients deserve to hear about adverse events, the length of the effect and the limits of the efficacy data (Atiyeh et al. 2021 review).

Duration

How long results last

One to three years is the usual range given by the ASPS (ASPS). Several published studies found a shorter effect:

  1. 160 patients, barbed PDO threads. Improvement had clearly dropped by 6 months and was gone by 1 year (Bertossi et al. 2019).
  2. 12 studies in a 2018 systematic review. Ten showed, at most, very limited durability. Thread makers funded both of the positive studies (Gülbitti et al.).
  3. 22 patients in a 2025 randomized trial. Each side of the face got either 3 or 6 PDO threads. Early improvements in volume and tissue position were already fading at 60 days. Doubling the threads did not change the outcome significantly (Germani et al.).

Patient satisfaction drops over time as well, from 98% just after treatment to 88% later in pooled 2021 meta-analysis data. The authors advise telling patients beforehand that the effect may not be lasting (Niu et al. 2021 meta-analysis).

What to expect

Recovery after threads

Local anesthesia is an option for this procedure. According to the ASPS, most people go back to work right away, and strong pain medicine is seldom needed (ASPS). With Silhouette InstaLift, mild soreness and swelling can hang on for a few days. The ASPS also says not to rub your face hard during washing or moisturizing for at least one week (ASPS).

The side effect seen most often is swelling, at a pooled 35% across 26 studies (Niu et al.). Get your aftercare instructions on paper, with the activities to skip and the length of time for each.

Is this right for you?

The ASPS profile of a typical candidate: aged from the late thirties to the early fifties, with mild to moderate, not severe, skin laxity (ASPS). The ASPS adds that threads can serve older patients whose health conditions rule out a facelift (ASPS). The researchers behind the 160-patient study went further and would reserve threads for people unable to have more invasive facial surgery (Bertossi et al.).

Age shifts the risk picture. In the 2021 meta-analysis, patients over 50 had dimpling at 16% compared with 5.6% for younger patients, and infection at 5.9% compared with 0.7% (Niu et al.).

You may be disappointed with threads if:

  • Your skin is severely lax (ASPS)
  • You want the longevity of a facelift, which per the ASPS can last up to a decade (ASPS)

For severe laxity, a board-certified plastic surgeon can tell you if surgery would serve your goals better.

Pricing

Thread lift pricing around Dallas

We do not publish a Dallas price range for thread lifts. Price changes with the brand of thread, how many threads are placed and which areas are treated. Ask for a written quote showing the brand, the thread count and the full total.

Choosing a provider

Finding a qualified Dallas provider

Threads are surgical devices. The FDA regulates lifting threads as Class II medical devices (surgical sutures), and the cleared uses read as surgical terms, among them “face suspension surgery” and “soft tissue approximation” (FDA 510(k) K220549). PDO alone does not mean lifting clearance. Lifting and supporting tissues fall outside the intended use in the PDO Max sutures clearance (FDA 510(k) K210871).

What Texas rules require. The Texas Medical Board has authority over medical cosmetic procedures in the state (TDLR). A physician can do the procedure personally or delegate it to a PA or APRN, and the physician is responsible for registering the delegation with the board (22 TAC §169.5). In addition:

  • The physician who delegates must be trained in the procedure, or familiar with it and able to do it, and must confirm that whoever performs it is trained (22 TAC §169.26).
  • A written order is needed for the delegation (22 TAC §169.27).
  • Each public area and treatment room must post the name and Texas license number of the delegating physician (22 TAC §169.28).
  • Whoever does the procedure must sign and date a written protocol (22 TAC §169.26).
  • Holding an esthetics or cosmetology license does not authorize needle-based medical-type procedures (TDLR).

Board certification. For facial procedures, the relevant member boards of the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) include the American Board of Dermatology, the American Board of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery and the American Board of Plastic Surgery (ABMS). As the ASPS points out, “There is no ABMS-recognized certifying board with ‘cosmetic surgery’ in its name” (ASPS). License status for a Texas physician or PA, plus any board disciplinary actions, appears on the Texas Medical Board Look Up a License page.

Bring these questions to the consultation:

  1. Which thread brand is planned for me, and does the FDA clearance cover lifting?
  2. How many of these procedures has my practitioner done?
  3. Who is the delegating physician, and which board certifies them?
  4. Which complications have your own patients had, and how do you handle asymmetry or a thread that works its way out?
  5. Do the before-and-after photos show patients treated here, or are they stock or manufacturer images?
  6. For my level of skin laxity, what result can I realistically expect, and for how long?

Treatment Areas

Areas treated

Cheeks and mid-face Jowls and jawline Brows Neck

Frequently asked questions

Can a thread lift replace a facelift?

Only partly. Threads lift the face and neck using absorbable barbed sutures set under the skin, without the incisions a facelift needs (ASPS), and you recover faster than you would from a facelift (ASPS). What you give up is reach and staying power. According to the ASPS, a facelift can last as long as a decade while threads usually hold one to three years, and they are meant for mild to moderate laxity rather than severe (ASPS). A 2021 meta-analysis pooled satisfaction at 98% right after treatment, falling to 88% in longer follow-up (Niu et al. 2021 meta-analysis).

How much lift should I expect?

A small amount. In the words of the ASPS, thread lifts "will generally only lift the face by a few millimeters", which is more subtle than a surgical facelift (ASPS). The same source matches threads to mild or moderate skin looseness, not severe (ASPS). If your skin is looser than that, a consultation with a board-certified plastic surgeon can settle whether surgery makes more sense.

What side effects are common after a thread lift?

A 2021 meta-analysis pooled 26 studies and reported these rates: swelling 35%, dimpling 10%, paresthesia (numbness or tingling) 6%, threads that could be seen or felt 4%, and infection and extrusion at 2% each (Niu et al. 2021 meta-analysis). Absorbable threads had lower paresthesia and extrusion rates than non-absorbable threads, and patients older than 50 had more dimpling and infection (Niu et al.). Rarer, more serious complications include hematoma, injury to the parotid gland or duct, and facial nerve injury (Yi and Park 2025).

Is a thread lift reversible?

In some cases. The ASPS says sutures that show through or irritate the skin can be taken out (ASPS). Absorbable threads also break down by themselves. The ASPS puts NovaThreads (PDO) at roughly four to six months in the tissue (ASPS), and an animal study summarized in the FDA 510(k) for MINT PDO threads found the threads absorbed over 180 to 220 days (FDA 510(k) K192423). The lift, separately, usually lasts one to three years according to the ASPS (ASPS).

Which threads have FDA clearance for lifting?

Two examples follow. Hans Biomed's MINT product family, a PDO thread, is cleared for face suspension surgery to hold the cheek in a raised position temporarily (FDA 510(k) K220549). The FDA cleared Silhouette InstaLift, a poly(glycolide/L-lactide) suture, for mid-face suspension surgery (FDA 510(k) K200140). A thread made of PDO is not cleared for lifting by default. The clearance for PDO Max sutures leaves lifting and supporting tissues out of the intended use (FDA 510(k) K210871). MINT and Silhouette InstaLift were both cleared through 510(k), meaning the FDA judged each substantially equivalent to a device on the market; that is a different route from premarket approval (PMA) (FDA). To check a brand yourself, search the FDA 510(k) database.

Who may legally do a thread lift in Texas?

In Texas, the Texas Medical Board has oversight of medical cosmetic procedures (TDLR). A thread lift puts surgical sutures under the skin; the FDA clearance for MINT threads, for example, names face suspension surgery as the use (FDA). 22 TAC §169.5 lets a physician (MD or DO) perform it or delegate it to a physician assistant (PA) or advanced practice registered nurse (APRN), with the physician registering the delegation with the Texas Medical Board. Under 22 TAC §169.26, the delegating physician has to be trained in the procedure, or familiar with it and capable of performing it, and has to ensure the person performing it is trained. Esthetics and cosmetology licenses do not cover medical-type procedures that involve needles (TDLR). Physician and PA licenses can be checked through the Texas Medical Board license lookup.

Thread Lifts by Dallas neighborhood

Medical disclaimer. We provide this page for general education, and it is not medical advice. A thread lift is a medical procedure with risks and possible complications, and results vary between people. We last checked the cited sources in October 2026; thread research continues to evolve. Ask a qualified, licensed medical professional about your own case.

References
  1. [1] American Society of Plastic Surgeons. What You Need to Know About Thread Lifts.
  2. [2] American Society of Plastic Surgeons. Thread Lift.
  3. [3] Niu Z et al. (2021). A Meta-Analysis and Systematic Review of the Incidences of Complications Following Facial Thread-Lifting. Aesthetic Plastic Surgery 45(5):2148-2158.
  4. [4] Gülbitti HA et al. (2018). Thread-Lift Sutures: Still in the Lift? A Systematic Review of the Literature. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery 141(3):341e-347e.
  5. [5] Bertossi D et al. (2019). Effectiveness, Longevity, and Complications of Facelift by Barbed Suture Insertion. Aesthetic Surgery Journal 39(3):241-247.
  6. [6] Atiyeh BS et al. (2021). Percutaneous Thread Lift Facial Rejuvenation: Literature Review and Evidence-Based Analysis. Aesthetic Plastic Surgery 45(4):1540-1550.
  7. [7] Germani M et al. (2025). Is More Always Better? A Randomized Comparative Clinical Trial About the Impact of Polydioxanone Threads Quantity for Facial Lifting. Aesthetic Surgery Journal Open Forum 7:ojaf002.
  8. [8] Lots TCC (2023). Effect of PDO facelift threads on facial skin tissues: An ultrasonographic analysis. Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology 22(9):2534-2541.
  9. [9] Hong GW et al. (2024). Thread Lifting Materials: A Review of Its Difference in Terms of Technical and Mechanical Perspective. Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology 17:999-1006.
  10. [10] Yi KH, Park SY (2025). Facial Thread Lifting Complications. Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology 24(1):e16745.
  11. [11] U.S. Food and Drug Administration. 510(k) K220549: MINT Product Family (Hans Biomed).
  12. [12] U.S. Food and Drug Administration. 510(k) K200140: Silhouette Instalift (Silhouette Lift, Inc.).
  13. [13] U.S. Food and Drug Administration. 510(k) K210871: PDO Max Suture with Dual Needle.
  14. [14] U.S. Food and Drug Administration. 510(k) K192423: MINT.
  15. [15] 22 Texas Administrative Code §169.26.
  16. [16] 22 Texas Administrative Code §169.5.
  17. [17] Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. Medspas at a Glance.

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