The short version
A middle option that is often oversold as a facelift. Results are subtle and temporary, and visible complications are common enough to plan for.
What the cost figure means
No reliable national estimate. ASPS describes the procedure but publishes no average fee. Price depends on the number and type of threads and the areas treated; ask for a written quote and the cost of revision.
Advertised prices on file
$310–$5,920 per treatment
From smooth-thread sessions to full PDO and Silhouette InstaLift plans across three menus; two menus price per thread ($500–$600).
Read from 3 published U.S. clinic menus on September 1, 2026. A convenience sample, not a national survey: prices vary by city and provider, packages are usually cheaper per session, and menus change without notice.
Total course = per-session fee × planned sessions + consultation + product, cartridge, or serum + anesthesia or facility + prescriptions and aftercare + expected maintenance. Ask for the plan price in writing.
Healing and results timeline
- Appointment
- About 45–90 minutes under local anesthesia
- Downtime
- Swelling, bruising, and tightness for 3–7 days; avoid wide mouth opening and pressure for weeks
- Healing
- Swelling and bruising settle over 1–2 weeks. Puckering along the thread path usually smooths within weeks. Threads absorb over months.
- Results appear
- Immediate but partly swelling; settled at 2–4 weeks
- Duration and maintenance
- Often described as 1–2 years; supporting data are limited
Benefits, limitations, and risks
Realistic benefits
- No incisions or general anesthesia
- Short procedure
- Can be combined with fillers or energy devices
Limitations
- Subtle and temporary
- Visible complications are common
- May complicate a later facelift
Common effects
- Swelling and bruising
- Dimpling or puckering
- Tightness or pulling sensation
Serious risks
- Visible or palpable threads, extrusion
- Infection or granuloma
- Nerve or salivary duct injury; asymmetry needing revision
Candidacy and pause signs
Usually considered for: Adults with mild laxity who understand the limited durability and want to avoid surgery for now.
You have significant laxity, very thin skin, an active infection, keloid tendency, or the provider promises facelift-level results or cannot name the thread product.
Operator, setting, and regulation
Who performs it in the U.S.: Dermatologic or plastic surgeons and trained physicians. Thread placement involves facial anatomy where nerve injury is possible.
Regulatory status: Thread products are FDA cleared as absorbable sutures for tissue approximation or face suspension in specific 510(k) filings; clearance does not mean a proven lifting result. Check the product in the 510(k) database.
Rules differ by state and by country. A product approved in one market may be unapproved in another, and the same device can be used within or outside its cleared indication.
Questions to ask before you pay a deposit
- Which thread product and how many, and what is its 510(k) indication?
- How often do you see dimpling or visible threads, and how do you fix them?
- What would this cost compared with the surgical alternative over five years?
Sources on file
These links support the claims above. Reviewed September 1, 2026. Where a figure comes from a survey, the caveat is in the file, not in a footnote.
- American Society for Dermatologic Surgery — thread lifts (opens in a new tab)
- American Society of Plastic Surgeons — thread lift (opens in a new tab)
- Aesthetic Plast Surg 2021 — complications after facial thread lifting: meta-analysis (PubMed) (opens in a new tab)
- Dermatol Surg 2021 — safety profile of thread lifts on the face and neck: systematic review (PubMed) (opens in a new tab)
- U.S. FDA — surgical sutures special controls guidance (opens in a new tab)
- U.S. FDA — 510(k) premarket notification database (opens in a new tab)