The cheek-finger test should be employed, where two marks are placed on the cheek, which is then lifted towards the top of the ear.
PDO THREAD NASOLABIAL FOLD SKIN
In my experience, skin laxity greater than 1.5cm does not give a good clinical outcome. Patients older than 55 may also have greater skin laxity. The older patients’ tissues do not generate as much collagen as when they were younger, resulting in a poor aesthetic outcome of short duration. The immune system degrades as we age so the speed and degree of this reaction is diminished. The age of the patient is important because, for PDO threads to provide optimum results, the induction of a reaction from the immune system is required, which results in desirable neocollagenesis. In my experience, the ideal age for PDO threads empirically seems to be the 40 to 55 age group who are otherwise fit and well, although this can vary due to biological ageing differences. The results of some PDO face and neck lifting procedures using current methodology were found to last six months or less. Many patients complained that they were not getting the aesthetic result they had hoped for when speaking with other practitioners in consultation or through general discussion, and felt they were not getting 'value for money'. Due to the variability and number of factors involved in achieving the final aesthetic outcome, it is my opinion that this advice should be given with caution. In one case, the practitioner had based this on the premise that the aesthetic result would improve due to neocollagenesis and subsequent tissue contraction. From speaking to patients originally treated by different practitioners, the results were poor initially and the practitioner's promise of improvement over the subsequent three or four months did not materialise. The results of some PDO face and neck lifting procedures using current methodology were found to last six months or lessĪ very common complaint from patients was that, although initially the procedure was good, they felt that over subsequent months the results deteriorated. These protocol variations were developed over a three-year time period and included input from the medical team of experienced aesthetic nurses and doctors in my clinic. The common complaints and how they were managed were resolved in-house and protocol variations were produced as necessary. There were no 'formal complaints' and no implementation of formal complaint procedure protocols needed to be invoked. Most complaints were not of a serious nature and none resulted in any long-term permanent damage or harm to the patients. Complaints from threadlift patients having these procedures, which totalled 84, were analysed to determine the reasons behind these poor patient experiences. Clinical auditĪn in-house clinical audit at my clinic of some 300 PDO threadlift procedures (cogged and non-cogged), in the maxillary and mandibular regions, has suggested that the outcomes and techniques being used currently do not give consistently satisfactory results.
PDO THREAD NASOLABIAL FOLD HOW TO
For the second part of this article, I shall explain how to accurately select the correct patients for the treatments and the reasons why there could be poor aesthetic outcomes. In the first of this two-part article, I explained the importance of correct placement, anaesthesia and how to avoid certain complications.