In addition to smooth and spiral threads, people have come up with using hook and cone-shaped objects to anchor subcutaneous tissue and achieve an instant lifting effect. These are the later-developed rose and bell threads.
The rose thread (also known as the feather thread) is an improvement of the smooth thread. Its barbs are longer and sharper, and it can better hook the fascia layer to lift the skin, resulting in more immediate and better results than the smooth thread.
The bell thread has cone-shaped protrusions fixed in the fascia layer of the skin, which binds with the skin tissue, and then the slack part is pulled tightly to achieve the lifting effect. The PLLA lactic acid polymer cone on the thread can stimulate collagen proliferation after implantation, which helps to fix the skin tissue.
The thread material will be absorbed by the skin within two to six months, during which an inflammatory reaction may occur. This foreign body reaction stimulates collagen-producing cells to produce collagen and elastin, which is called pathological neocollagenesis. Eventually, the newly generated collagen and elastin will form a mesh structure to lift the subcutaneous tissue.
The precise effect can be predicted by calculating the number, location, direction, and depth of each thread. The procedure only requires local anesthesia and is safer and less painful than traditional face-lifting surgery. The main side effects are redness, swelling, pain, small nodules at the implant site, and temporary asymmetry. The effect depends on the type of thread used and the surgical technique, and generally lasts from six months to a year and a half.
Some medical cosmetic centers exaggerate the actual effect of the thread embedding procedure. The thread embedding procedure cannot firmly fix the loose skin, so its effect is between face-lifting surgery and radiofrequency tightening. Each tightening treatment has its advantages and disadvantages, and the most important thing is to discuss with the doctor and decide on the most suitable treatment for you.