In short. Suspension threads are absorbable strands placed under the skin to hold tissue in a raised position, and liquid lifts are filler used to build a jawline outline. Neither repositions descended tissue in the way a facelift does. Published results for threads are inconsistent, the effect fades, and complications are real.

Key points

  • Threads hold tissue while the material remains, and they dissolve over months.
  • Published reports are inconsistent about how much threads change and for how long.
  • Visible threads, dimpling and asymmetry can occur, and correction is not straightforward.
  • A liquid lift adds volume to the jaw; volume does not change position.
  • A thread or filler treatment is not equivalent to a facelift.

What are suspension threads?

Absorbable suspension threads are marketed with language borrowed from surgery: lifting, repositioning, a non-surgical facelift. The gap between that language and what the threads actually do is the largest in this field, and it is worth understanding before you are quoted a figure for one.

They are fine strands of absorbable material placed under the skin, some with small barbs designed to grip tissue and hold it in a raised position. They are inserted through a needle, so there is no incision. The material dissolves over months, and the grip they provide depends on the tissue they are anchored in, which in a descended face has already moved.

What the published results show

Reports are inconsistent. Some describe visible improvement in selected patients for a period of months; others describe little change, or a change that disappears quickly. Published work does not establish how long the effect lasts, which patients do best, or how the results compare with an operation, and it does not establish a winner between thread types.

Why the effect fades faster than patients expect

The thread dissolves on a predictable timetable, but the lift it produced depends on tissue that is continuing to descend. Nothing holds the result once the material is gone, and the skin the thread passed through has been treated as a foreign body. This is why a result that looks reasonable at one month can be difficult to find at six.

The complications are not minor

Threads can be visible or palpable under the skin, particularly when the face moves or the skin is thin. They can produce dimpling or irregularity along their path. Asymmetry between the two sides is recognised, and correction is not straightforward, because the thread has to be found and removed through a small opening. Infection is uncommon and is described in published reports.

Threads Liquid lift Facelift
What is used Absorbable strands, some with barbs, placed under the skin Filler along the jaw and the lower cheek Soft tissue repositioned to an earlier position
What it changes Holds tissue in a raised position while the material remains Builds an outline where volume has been lost Changes position, which volume cannot do
Needle or incision A needle, with no incision An injection Incisions that heal as permanent scars
Main risks Visible or palpable threads, dimpling, asymmetry, uncommon infection A heavier lower face where tissue has descended Permanent scars
What it cannot do Hold the result once the material has gone Change position Avoid permanent scars

What is a liquid lift actually doing?

These terms describe filler used along the jaw and the lower cheek to build an outline. Where the face has lost volume and the skin is reasonably firm, this can sharpen a jawline in a way patients like. Where the face has descended, adding volume there makes the lower face heavier. The word lift implies a change of position, and volume does not change position.

Why equivalence with a lift is the wrong claim

A lift repositions tissue and leaves permanent scars. Threads leave no scars, produce a shorter and less predictable change, and dissolve. Those are genuinely different products, and describing one as an alternative to the other is a marketing decision rather than a clinical one.

Which claims should you refuse?

Do not accept a thread or filler treatment described as a non-surgical facelift, or as equivalent to surgery. Do not accept a stated number of years of duration presented as established fact. Do not accept a package of repeat treatments sold before any result from the first has been assessed.

What an operation actually does, and what it costs you, is set out in the article on what a lift can and cannot do about jowls. The full range of volume treatments is covered on the Fillers site.

Sources

Internal links

Frequently asked questions

Do thread lifts really lift the jawline?

They can raise tissue a little in selected faces for a period of months, and published reports are inconsistent about how much and for how long. The thread dissolves, and the tissue it grips is the tissue that is already descending, so nothing holds the result once the material is gone. Any practitioner stating a fixed duration with confidence is stating something the literature does not support.

What can go wrong with threads?

Threads can be visible or palpable under the skin, particularly when the face moves or the skin is thin. They can produce dimpling or irregularity along their path, and asymmetry between the two sides is recognised. Correction is not straightforward, because the thread has to be found and removed through a small opening. Infection and stitch reactions are uncommon but described.

Is a liquid lift the same as a thread lift?

No. A liquid lift is filler placed along the jaw and lower cheek to build an outline, which is a change in volume rather than position. Where the face has genuinely lost volume this can sharpen a jawline; where the face has descended it makes the lower face heavier. The word lift is used in both cases for marketing rather than for accuracy.

Risks & Limitations

  • Scars from a lift are permanent. They are placed where they are least visible and mature over 6 to 12 months, but they never disappear.
  • Bruising and swelling lasting two to three weeks; the final appearance is judged at 6 to 12 months, not at six weeks.
  • Numbness or altered sensation of the cheek, ear or jawline, usually recovering over weeks to months.
  • Temporary weakness of the nerve that moves the face, which usually recovers over weeks to months; permanent weakness is rare and is the complication that matters most.
  • Asymmetry between the two sides. Most faces are asymmetric to begin with, so improvement is realistic and perfection is not.
  • Hairline changes, and hair loss along the incision lines, which is usually temporary but can be permanent.
  • With filler or energy devices: over-filling, lumps, irregularity, burns or blistering, and a heavier-looking lower face.
  • Bleeding or a collection of blood under the skin, which may need drainage; infection, which is uncommon.

When to Seek Care

  • Sudden facial droop, weakness or asymmetry, or numbness of the lip or chin — seek urgent care.
  • A lump in the cheek or jaw that is new, hard or growing.
  • Rapidly increasing swelling, a tense painful area, or bleeding that does not stop with gentle pressure.
  • Fever above 38 °C, spreading redness, warmth, or discharge from an incision.
  • Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath — seek emergency care immediately.

References & Further Reading

  • American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) — facelift and facial rejuvenation guidance
  • International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS)
  • American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) — skin ageing and sun protection resources
  • National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE, UK) — relevant guidance
  • Cochrane Library — systematic reviews in facial aesthetic surgery

Medically reviewed by Tongchun Mao, MD (毛彤春), Deputy Director & Head of Aesthetic Surgery. Last reviewed: 19 September 2026.

This page is patient education, not medical advice, and it does not cite individual studies. Discuss your own case with a qualified clinician. To arrange an assessment at Chongqing West District Hospital, see Contact & Consultation.