Aptos® Thread Lift Richmond, BC & Vancouver

Local anaesthetic is used to numb the entry points and the thread paths, so most people feel pressure or tugging rather than sharp pain. You stay awake and can talk with the physician throughout. Tenderness and some tightness for a few days afterwards are common.

Most people return to social activities within 3-7 days. Swelling, bruising and minor skin puckering (dimpling) are common and typically settle within one to two weeks. Light activity is usually fine the next day, with limits on wide mouth opening and facial massage for a few weeks.

The main difference is the material. PDO threads typically dissolve in about 6-9 months. Aptos threads are made of PLACL, a PLLA/PCL blend designed to stay flexible and dissolve gradually over about 18-24 months, with barbs that anchor the tissue. Your physician recommends a thread type for each area.

Common effects are swelling, bruising, tenderness and skin dimpling for up to about a week. Early on you may feel the threads or some tension when pressing firmly; this usually fades as they settle. Less commonly, threads can be seen or felt for longer, the face can look asymmetric, or an infection can develop; rarely a thread needs adjusting or removal. Tell us promptly about worsening swelling, spreading redness or fever.

The lift is visible right after treatment, although swelling and tightness can make it look uneven for the first week or two. It then keeps improving over 3-6 months as collagen forms. Because the threads are absorbable, results are temporary: they commonly last around 12-18 months, varying with thread type, age, skin quality and metabolism. Maintenance can be discussed at follow-up.

Richmond Anti-Aging Clinic is at Unit 110, 5580 No. 3 Rd, Richmond, BC, about a 3-minute walk from Lansdowne Station on the Canada Line, so it is reachable by SkyTrain from Vancouver and Burnaby. We see patients from Richmond and across Greater Vancouver by appointment, daily 9:00-18:00. Consultations are available in English, Mandarin and Cantonese, and a physician assesses suitability before any treatment.

The main downsides are that the result is modest and temporary, and that there is some recovery. A thread lift repositions tissue less than surgery, commonly lasts around 12-18 months, and suits mild to moderate sagging with reasonable skin quality. Swelling, bruising and dimpling are common for about a week; less often threads can be felt or seen, the result can look uneven, or infection can occur. Heavy or very loose skin may respond poorly.

Prices are not listed online. The cost of an Aptos thread lift depends on the areas treated, the number and type of threads each area needs, and whether it is planned together with other treatments. Dr. Charles Jiang assesses your face and plans the lift vectors first, and you receive a quote for your own plan after that assessment. Book a consultation at our Richmond clinic to get one.

It can be, for the right face. A thread lift may suit people with mild to moderate sagging of the cheeks, jowls or jawline who want a visible lift without surgery and accept a temporary result and about a week of social downtime. It is less suitable for heavy or very loose skin, where a surgical facelift gives a larger and longer-lasting correction. Your physician will tell you whether threads, another non-surgical option or a surgical opinion fits your goals.

It is not offered during pregnancy or breastfeeding, with an active skin infection or inflammation in the area, or with a blood clotting disorder. Active autoimmune conditions that affect healing, blood thinners and advanced sagging that needs surgery also rule it out or need a physician's review first.

Both are absorbable thread lifts, but they hold tissue differently. Aptos threads are made of PLACL (PLLA and PCL) with small barbs along their length and dissolve gradually over about 18-24 months. Silhouette InstaLift® uses absorbable sutures with small cones that grip the tissue. Neither suits every face: your physician chooses the thread type for each area after assessing your skin and how much it has sagged.

Mainly because the result is smaller and shorter-lived than a surgical facelift, and because older permanent threads caused problems such as visible threads and infection. Today's threads are absorbable, but a thread lift still cannot remove excess skin. It is a different tool for a different degree of sagging: mild to moderate laxity rather than the significant sagging a facelift corrects. Your physician will tell you when surgery is the more realistic option.