Dubbed a quick fix for hoisting up cheeks and jowls without the need for a surgical facelift—“threads,” aka sutures, are inserted into the skin via a needle—the original thread lifts quickly fell out of favor with the rest of the  country in 2002 when the barbed polypropylene threads often resulted in facial distortion and asymmetries. Some even broke under the skin, causing infections, or protruded through thinning skin in aging patients.

In 2015, Silhouette InstaLift spearheaded the shift from permanent, polypropylene threads to dissolvable, poly-l-lactic acid (PLLA) sutures. Brands such as Nova Threads and MINT have also introduced similar versions made of polydioxanone (PDO).

These modern thread lifts—many experts are moving away from the term “thread lift” and toward “absorbable suture suspension” to shake the stigma associated with old-school methods—also provide more than just a lifting benefit.