NovaThreads

Until recently, the only way to address problems caused by facial skin laxity—such as jowls and drooping eyelids or cheeks—was facelift surgery. After all, while skin resurfacing treatments can help to restore some degree of firmness, once loose skin is present, only a scalpel can truly remove it. However, while the approach of relying on injectable compounds and skin resurfacing until facelift surgery becomes absolutely necessary works for many patients, not everyone is willing or able to have surgery. If you're in this group, you'll be happy to know that several new procedures have been developed and added to Gunn Dermatology to fill in the gap between noninvasive facial rejuvenation and surgery. Because Dr. Stephen Gunn, Plastic Surgeon is an amazing surgeon, but avoiding the knife is a goal for many of us.

One Wrinkle Thread $75  Four Wrinkle threads $500   8 Wrinkle Threads $900

Lift Threads  $300  One   $800 Three   $1500 Six

 

Benefits

The NovaThread process provides ongoing and progressive rejuvenation for the facial tissues. Patients who have a thread lift for the purpose of stimulating collagen will notice a gradual improvement in their skin's tone and firmness. While their threads are in place, the body's healing response will be constantly activated because the body will want to "heal" the sutured areas and expel the sutures. The body is biologically programmed to react this way when it senses any foreign object present within the dermis. Fortunately, because the threads placed under the skin during a thread lift are so small, the patient will not feel any of this happening. Most people cannot feel their sutures at all once the skin has healed around them.

  • Lifts brows

  • Lifts eyelids

  • Lifts and contours the nose

  • Lifts Jawline and Jowls

  • Minimal Pain

  • Minimal Downtime

  • Immediate and Longterm Results

About NovaThreads

A NovaThread lift is a type of procedure wherein temporary sutures are used to produce a subtle but visible "lift" in the skin. Instead of removing the patient's loose facial skin surgically, Dr. Gunn simply suspends it by stitching up portions of it. This has the effect of pulling the skin back slightly and therefore lifting and tightening the face. In addition to being ideal for lifting the skin, threads combat aging in another way: by provoking the body's "healing response" and causing the body to direct large surges of collagen to treated areas. This is important because of the vital role collagen plays in the aging process.

 

What to Expect

Duration:

60-90 minutes

Recommended Sessions: 

Dependent upon your skin concern and desired outcome. The average client repeats the treatment every month for 12-18 months for optimal results.

After Treatment Care:

A post treatment cream and skin care plan will be suggested for you to use for at least 3 days after the the treatment.  Most patients are able to go back to all activities immediately after the treatment.  However, you may have some mild bruising and tenderness that can last 2-3 weeks.

How it works

Nova Threads immediately lift the skin and then produce collagen over the next 6 months.  Collagen helps support "growth factors" that greatly influences the condition of our skin. In addition to being used for wound healing, collagen helps to keep our skin strong, voluminous and supple. As we get older, our bodies gradually produce less and less collagen, which leads to an 80% reduction in skin thickness by about age 70. This loss of volume and strength is a large factor in the creation of excess skin and wrinkles. As the skin grows weaker, it's no longer able to support the tissues beneath it adequately, meaning that gravity pulls it downwards and stretches it. Infusing the skin of the face with fresh collagen when the signs of skin laxity are still mild can help to both reduce looseness (by thickening and hydrating the skin) and prevent it from getting worse (by strengthening the skin).

 

Treatment Pairings:

Because thread lifts are so low-risk and boast such a short recovery time, it's possible to combine them with other nonsurgical procedures in order to create more comprehensive, noticeable results. Once your skin has healed around the threads inserted during a “NovaThread Lift," we recommend pairing your thread lift with a treatment like Ultherapy.

Ultherapy uses gentle pulses of ultrasound energy to heat the connective tissues beneath the skin, thereby stimulating collagen production. Ultherapy, which is often referred to as being a "nonsurgical facelift," is safe enough to be applied to virtually any area of the face and neck. By combining this procedure with a thread lift, you can maximize the overall amount of skin firming you receive and create more even lifting by treating the neck as well as the face.

While thread lifts can tighten the skin effectively, they aren't designed to address blemishes on the skin's surface. As such, banishing the superficial signs of aging—like age spots, areas of uneven pigmentation, and fine lines—will require a technique known as "skin resurfacing." During skin resurfacing, the top layer of the dermis is removed, stripping away the aforementioned blemishes. A new, more youthful-looking layer of skin then grows in its place.

By combining a number of different non-surgical anti-aging treatments, patients can achieve a profoundly positive change in their appearance – without enduring the extended recovery time associated with surgery.

Skincare Pairings:

 
 
 

FAQs

“What is the advantage of a NovaThread lift over a face lift?”
— For many patients, the biggest advantage of having a thread lift rather than a facelift is the greatly reduced recovery time associated with thread lifts. When a patient has facelift surgery, he or she must be heavily sedated; as such, the patient must arrange for someone to drive him or her home from the hospital. Most facelift patients also require around the clock assistance from a caretaker for at least three days after they have surgery. Furthermore, if the patient still has children at home, childcare aid may also be needed. Facelift patients usually need to take one to two weeks off of work, too, in order to heal.
“How risky is the NovaThread lift?”
— Thread lifts are low risk, thanks to how noninvasive they are. There is virtually no risk of major scarring, severe bruising, bleeding or other complications after having a thread lift. In rare cases, patients may experience irritation, infection or their sutures becoming visible under their skin. If this occurs, however, the sutures can simply be removed and the patient's face will return to its prior state.
“Am I a good candidate for the NovaThread Lift?”
— The ideal thread lift candidate is usually in his or her late thirties to early fifties, however any patient can have a thread lift as long as realistic expectations are held. Thread lifts can provide a facelift alternative for older patients who are unable to have surgery for medical reasons. Because thread lifts can be performed under local anesthesia, many people who have age-related conditions that make them ineligible for surgery (like high blood pressure, type two diabetes and cardiovascular disease) can safely have this treatment.
“How Long will results from the NovaThread Lift last?”
— It's important to understand that while no lifting technique can produce permanent results, facelift surgery will usually produce longer lasting results than a thread lift. The results of facelift surgery can last up to a decade, whereas a thread lift will generally last from one to three years. However, because the thread lift procedure is so low-risk, patients who like the results of their thread lift can usually opt to have a fresh set of threads placed once their old threads are absorbed by the body which is 6 months to three years.