What Is Curl Lift (Soft Thread Lift)?

As the years go by, the forces of gravity work on the muscular and subcutaneous tissues of the face to displace them downwards. The areas to suffer most from this sagging are the cheeks, around the eyes, the brows, the jowls, and the neck. While the classic face lift has always been an option for patients, there is now a less invasive procedure available which can lift, contour and suspend the sagging tissues of the face and neck.



The Curl Lift Procedure can provide quick and relatively bloodless lifting for patients who may need only little to moderate rejuvenation. The Curl Lift is also been called the Soft Lift, is a minimally invasive face-lifting procedure that involves the placement of special nylon threads in a loop fashion and then pulling them upwards. The threads are placed with a needle through a small incision in the hairline and then tensioned according to the degree of suspension required. Threads can easily be removed, added or changed. The entire procedure ! is performed under local anesthesia, with most patients able to return to work in 24 hours. Dr. Patrick Treacy traveled to the United States and Paris, France to learn the "Soft Lift" (Curl Lift) first hand from Drs. Pierre Fornier who is credited with being the father of modern day liposculpture.

What Areas Can Be Treated?

The areas which may be treated thus far with Curl Lift are unlimited but include the outer brow for zygomatic arch ptosis (1), the cheeks for buccal and infraorbital ptosis (2); the jaw line for mental ptosis such as jowls (3) and the neck for submental ptosis (4). Diagram five (5) is an alternate suture suspension technique for the cheeks. Most younger patients will not need all these areas corrected. Common areas for younger patients are the cheeks and brows since they are the first in line to begin their descent. As you age the lower half of the face begins to sag as well. These diagrams below are made for APTOS threads but have a similarity to Curl Lift.

Is this procedure the same as the APTOS thread?

The Curl Lift is different from the Feather Lift procedure which uses monofilament, polypropylene threads with cogs or "barbs," called APTOS? threads to lift the underlying tissue and contour the face. Incidentally this procedure and the use of these monofilament threads was originally pioneered by Marlen A. Salamanidze, M.D. of the Clinic of Plastic and Aesthetic Surgery in Moscow, Russia in 1999. It also worthy of notation that the original, Russian-made threads are different than the K.M.I. threads, as is another company's threads in Brazil. Dr. Treacy will be visiting Dr .Salamanidze in Moscow in April 2005 as he has been invited to Russia to give a lecture on fibroblast therapy. This procedure is considered less appropiate than Curl Lifting as the barbed sutures can be difficult to extract if there is any problem. The Curl Lift is also FDA approved but it is unsure whether the APTOS suspension system will get similar status.

Are You A Candidate For Curl Lift ?

If you are in good physical and emotional/mental health, have realistic expectations, no serious health defects, have reasonably normal skin thickness and have the desire to rid yourself of loose sagging tissue of the face and neck, you may be a good candidate for a Curl Lift. Those with considerable laxity may opt for a face or neck lift instead but you can discuss this iwth Dr. Treacy at the time of consultation and he can refer you to a relevant cosmetic surgeon. Please disclose all medications you are presently taking and have taken within the last 6 to 9 months, This can be very important. You will also discuss the available anesthesia that will be used for your procedure. Most Curl Lift procedures can be performed under regional or local anesthesia with the addition of an oral sedative. However, increasingly, doctors are using twilight sedation with local anesthesia. Your doctor may take before photos of the area to be treated, but usually this is reserved for the ! day of the procedure.

Preparing For Your Procedure

Be sure to follow your doctor's guidelines regarding medication alerts and avoidances. Caffeine and Nicotine may be on this no-no list as they are vasoconstrictors and delay healing. Vitamin E, alcohol, and aspirin increases the chances of bleeding and bruising. Vitamin C is considered helpful in collagen synthesis and health by some doctors so please ask your doctor if you may take this vitamin and what dosage. Sometimes Dr. Treacy may suggest using Arnica to help with bruising and swelling.

How Curl Lift Is Performed

The face is swabbed and scrubbed usually a Betadine solution to decrease the amount of surface bacteria to help avoid infection. After you are dried your face is carefully felt and measured and will be marked for the placement of the threads. Your doctor then begins to infiltrate the area using a hypodermic needle with a local anesthetic mixture comprised usually of Lidocaine, epinephrine, normal saline and a sodium carbonate buffer. This ensures that you will not feel any pain and also the epinephrine decreases the amount of blood loss and anesthetic absorbed during the procedure. The epinephrine does this by temporarily narrowing the bore (vasoconstriction) of the blood vessel. After you are adequately anesthetized, your surgeon inserts a hollow trocar (a stainless tube with a needle-sharp end) at the specified entry points and through the subcutaneous fat along a specified plane. The exit point is then made and a suture is inserted into the trocar. The thread is pull! ed through the other side of the trocar and the trocar removed, with the thread staying in place. The thread is positioned, tugging and testing its placement and finally anchored when the needed placement is achieved, the threads are cut just at the skin and inserted under the surface of the skin. Each area is treated and the treatment areas normally taped to prevent movement in the first few days. Excessive movement can dislodge the intended placement of the threads, altering the desired result. '