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[Seo Jeong-hee's SNS]
[Seo Jeong-hee's SNS]

Broadcaster Seo Jeong-hee, 65, said she underwent a thread lift to address facial sagging and expressed satisfaction with the results, saying people around her have frequently been telling her she looks better.

Seo said on her SNS that she has been hearing a lot lately that her face looks improved. "I actually didn't do that much," she said. "But the change was bigger than I expected."

The procedures she disclosed were a thread lift and Silhouette Soft. "I reinforced the structural support of my face and repositioned the descended fat closer to where it originally sat," she said. "My facial contour has changed and my expression looks much more relaxed."

As people age, skin loses elasticity while facial fat and soft tissue descend, altering the face's contours. A thread lift involves inserting special threads beneath the skin to pull sagging tissue upward. Silhouette Soft, which Seo mentioned by name, is one of the products used in thread lift procedures.

Thread lifts work by inserting medical-grade threads beneath the skin to pull sagging tissue upward — a less invasive alternative to a facelift, which requires wide incisions. Depending on the type of thread used, the surface may carry tiny barbs or cone-shaped structures that grip the underlying tissue and lift it. The procedure is commonly applied to areas prone to sagging — the cheeks, jawline, nasolabial folds and neck. It can be used when fat has migrated downward, blurring the jawline or deepening smile lines.

Age-related changes in facial shape stem from more than just a loss of skin elasticity. The face contains multiple layers of fat, muscle and ligaments. Over time, collagen decreases, the structures that support tissue change, and the volume and position of fat shifts, causing the cheeks and jaw area to appear to droop.

Thread lifts physically pull this tissue to improve contour. The approach differs from surgery that removes fat or transplants it elsewhere. Seo's reference to "fat repositioning" is best understood as adjusting the position of subcutaneous fat and soft tissue by drawing it upward.

The American Society of Plastic Surgeons notes that thread lifts can be used for early-stage skin laxity and jawline changes, and that in addition to lifting tissue mechanically, the threads can stimulate collagen production.

Silhouette Soft, the specific product Seo named, combines absorbable medical-grade threads with bidirectional cone-shaped structures. While many conventional thread lift products use small barbs on the thread surface to grip tissue, Silhouette Soft is designed so that the attached cones support the underlying tissue.

The main materials are poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA) and a lactic acid–glycolic acid copolymer (PLGA) — biodegradable materials also used in medical sutures that break down and are absorbed by the body over time.

Immediately after the procedure, the threads produce a mechanical lifting effect. Over time, collagen formation around the threads may be stimulated. The manufacturer says these combined actions can be expected to improve the contour of the cheeks and jawline.

The procedure is generally performed under local anesthesia. The degree of sagging and skin thickness are assessed before the insertion points and angles are determined, and the threads are then adjusted to provide adequate tissue support.

The effects are not permanent. The manufacturer states that improvements can last up to approximately 18 months. For thread lifts in general, how long results last varies depending on the material used, the treatment area and the condition of the skin.

In cases of significant skin laxity or severe tissue sagging, results may fall short of expectations. Thread lifts improve contour by pulling facial tissue, and they differ from surgical facelifts — which excise loose skin — in both the degree and duration of their effects.

Thread lifts do not require large incisions, but they are not without side effects. Immediately after the procedure, pain, swelling and bruising can occur. As the inserted threads pull on tissue, the skin surface may temporarily appear uneven or dimpled.

The threads can also migrate or become palpable beneath the skin. Facial asymmetry, thread extrusion through the skin, infection, inflammation and nerve damage are among the known complications.

A 2021 literature review published in the journal Dermatologic Surgery reported that side effects following thread lifts can include facial asymmetry, swelling, bruising, infection and contour irregularities. Most resolved over time, but some cases required additional treatment.

After the procedure, care is needed to allow the threads to settle into the tissue. The manufacturer of Silhouette Soft advises patients to avoid rubbing or massaging the face for several days. Sleeping on one's back to avoid pressure on the face is recommended in the early period, and strenuous exercise, saunas and facial massage should be avoided for a set period.

If heat, severe pain or worsening swelling develops at the treatment site, patients should seek evaluation for possible infection or other complications.

Before the procedure, it is important to assess skin thickness, the degree of sagging and the distribution of facial fat. Patients who have previously had filler injections or other lifting procedures should inform their practitioner of that history.


rainbow@heraldcorp.com