How a PDO thread lift works

A PDO thread is a suture made of polydioxanone, a material surgeons have used to close wounds for decades because the body dissolves it over six to eight months. Barbed (cog) and cone threads carry small barbs or cones along their length and lift; mono, screw and twisted threads carry none and are placed for lines, texture and soft volume without lifting. PDO dissolves in about six to eight months, PLLA in about twelve and PCL in twelve to eighteen; we use every type where it fits, and the doctor says which is right for your area. Under local anaesthetic, the doctor passes each thread under the skin of the area being treated through a needle or a blunt cannula from a small entry point. For a lift the doctor then draws the thread back so the barbs or cones catch the tissue and hold it in a higher position. Several threads a side, 30 to 60 minutes in all, and you go home the same day. The lift is mechanical and immediate; in our account, what holds it is the tissue that firms around the threads over the following months, and what ends it is the threads dissolving. Every procedure is done by our doctor at PDO Threads Clinic, 8 Exhibition Road, after a free consultation.

What the threads do, and what the studies measured

• The lift: the 160-patient PDO series used two or three threads a side on the cheeks and two to four on the jawline. The improvement was clear at one month, noticeably less by six months and absent by one year. In the 62-patient study one manufacturer submitted for its product's US mid-face clearance, 97% improved on a wrinkle severity scale at twelve weeks and 90% at twenty-four weeks.
• The areas: on the face, the cheeks and mid-face, the jawline and jowls, the brow, the forehead, the nose, under the eyes, the nasolabial folds and the marionette lines. On the neck and under the chin, lines and laxity; on the body, the décolletage, the arms, the abdomen, the buttocks and the breasts. The US lifting clearances cover the mid-face only and the cheeks have the trials; the brow and the nose have small published series, and the neck rests on one maker's wording and our practice. The body areas rest on a review, one study alongside liposuction and our practice, so the doctor says at the consultation what to expect for them.
• The tissue response: in a rat study more filaments meant more collagen at two weeks, and much less by week twelve. We plan and price a thread lift on the lift you see, not on collagen.
• The limits: a 2025 review of 12 studies and 818 patients called the complications mild and the long-term efficacy data lacking. It is not a facelift, and it does not try to be one.

The regulators' position

In the US, lifting threads are FDA-cleared, not approved, and only for the mid-face. The records clear barbed polydioxanone sutures to hold the cheek tissue in an elevated position, and several other PDO thread records state in terms that the suture is not intended for lifting. None of the US clearances we have read covers the neck, the brow, the nose or any body area. We do not name a thread brand on these pages; the doctor tells you at the consultation which thread is used for your area and why. With us the threads are placed by our doctor.

The procedure

• Consultation: the doctor looks at your face at rest and moving, says whether tissue has dropped or skin has loosened, and whether threads, a tightening treatment or surgery is the right answer; photographs are taken with your consent.
• On the day: the face is cleaned and marked, local anaesthetic is injected along each thread's path, and each thread is placed through a needle or a blunt cannula, drawn back to engage the barbs, trimmed and buried. Several threads a side; 30 to 60 minutes in all.
• After: swelling, tightness and some bruising for a week or two; a pulling feeling when you smile for the first days; in our experience the entry points heal in days. Sleep on your back with the head raised for about a week. No make-up on the entry points for 24 hours. No sauna, steam, pools, hard exercise or alcohol for about a week. No wide mouth opening, hard or chewy food, massage or facials for one to two weeks. No dental treatment for two weeks.
• Review: within a week, then photographs at two to four weeks and at six months; a repeat is planned only once the lift has faded, and if a thread troubles you, the doctor sees you straight away.

Who it suits, and who it does not

Adults aged about 35 to 65, the range Save Face gives, with an early drop of the cheeks or jawline and skin with some spring. Not in pregnancy or breastfeeding, with an active skin infection, cold sore or inflamed skin. Not with a bleeding disorder, blood thinners, regular aspirin or anti-inflammatory painkillers that cannot be paused, an autoimmune disease without the doctor's advice first, or a suppressed immune system. Not with keloid scarring, recent dental work, or surgery or another implant in the same layer. Very thin skin, which would show the threads, and heavy sagging, which they will not lift, are the two the doctor will tell you threads do not suit. For loose rather than dropped skin, Ultherapy, which we also provide, is the alternative the thread lift or Ultherapy page explains.

Book a free consultation

Call PDO Threads Clinic on 0207 043 8107 or use the form below. The doctor assesses your face, explains the threads, the risks and the aftercare, and gives you the plan in writing. The full guide covers the rest.