Due to the pandemic's cancellation of events, appearances, and delays in filming schedules, several celebrities, among them Eva Mendes, have seized the considerable free time to undergo certain procedures. Sharing a vivid photo of the treatment on Instagram, the 45-year-old actress disclosed her experience of having a mono thread lift. The post garnered over 85,000 likes, yet numerous of her followers were perplexed by it, not knowing what a thread lift is or the reason for Mendes to get one.
What is a thread lift?
The non-surgical facial rejuvenation method has gained prevalence in recent times for its capacity to temporarily lift the skin and subcutaneous tissue and enhance collagen production and firmness. The procedure involves inserting small, dissolvable threads beneath the skin's surface; when positioned appropriately, they will provide a more elevated and toned look, particularly around the jowls and in the mid and lower face. "Ideal candidates are patients seeking very minor changes to assist in lifting the skin, but 'minor' is the crucial word," clarifies Dr. Deepak Raj Dugar, a board-certified plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills, California. "The outcomes are undoubtedly very short-lived and can bring about side effects such as thread extrusion or the cosmetic display of the thread through the skin if injected improperly."
Technically, thread lifts can be carried out anywhere on the face or neck, but the surgeon suggests avoiding the under-eye, nose, and temple areas. "These regions have thinner skin, and threads, when done inappropriately, can show prominently through the skin and have adverse cosmetic impacts," Dr. Dugar advises. "We don't frequently recommend threads to our patients, but when utilized carefully by a highly skilled practitioner, they can offer some benefits, temporarily."
A mono thread lift, similar to the one Mendes had, employs smooth threads instead of those with barbed edges, which tend to exert more pull. "The notion of mono threads is to provide subcutaneous support to the skin, without a major pulling effect," Dr. Dugar remarks. He gets the sense that by choosing a thread lift, Mendes was aiming to prevent the skin on her neck from sagging. "I presume the objective was to offer some subcutaneous support to her neck—however, I would be cautious in recommending this treatment to patients, ever," he notes, pointing to laser therapy as a more appropriate choice. "Threads in the neck are much less researched and don't have widely confirmed evidence of significant effect."
For those intrigued by a thread lift, consulting a medical professional is essential. "I believe doctors, nurses, and nurse practitioners can all possess sufficient skills to perform this," Dr. Dugar elaborates. "But my strongly expressed caution is that I don't consider threads to be the trend of the future. I view them simply as one of the numerous tools that cosmetic practitioners have and would not be my first, second, or even third option in managing anti-aging for my patients."
