Contraindications
- You are not a candidate for PDO Threads if you: are pregnant or breastfeeding, in vitro fertilization, and breastfeeding are allergic to any of its ingredients, have acute illness or autoimmune deficiencies, have a bleeding disorder, or have keloid or hypertrophic scarring.
Patients on whom the pdo threads should not be used include: active acne (including cystic and vulgaris acne); autoimmune disorders such as scleroderma, sarcoidosis, and amyloidosis; patients with a tendency to develop keloids or hypertrophic scars; compromised or unsuitable injection/treatment sites; patients receiving anticoagulants or platelet aggregation inhibitors (e.g., aspirin, coumarin, heparin); patients with cancer or undergoing cancer treatment; known sensitivity to polydioxanone; other high-risk medical conditions such as Hepatitis B or C, HIV, brittle diabetes, tuberculosis, or other systemic diseases; and patients under 18 years of age.
- Any dental work 30 days prior to PDO threads.
Before your procedure
- Avoid alcohol and smoking 24 hours before treatment.
- Avoid Aspirin, Ibuprofen, Advil, St. John’s Wort, oral Vitamin E, and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) in the 24 hours prior to your treatment as they may promote the risk of bruising and bleeding in the injection area.
- If you are currently taking anti-coagulation medications (Warfarin, Coumadin, Heparin, Lovenox, Enoxaparin, Lepirudin, Refludan, Ticlopidine Ticlid, Clopidogrel, Plavix, Tirofiban, Aggrastat, Eptifibatide, Integrilin), discuss the use of these medications with your healthcare provider prior to your treatment. You may or may not be a candidate for treatment with PDO.
What to expect
- After the treatment, DO NOT massage areas where the threads are placed unless instructed.
- Treated areas may be slightly red, swollen, slightly irregular, and bruised for the first 2-5 days. This will settle out.
- Please remember that the Thread Lift procedure may take several months to see the full effect. Depending on the degree of skin laxity, you may require more treatments. Keep in mind, the best results are seen with a combination approach.
After your procedure
- Ice the treated area for a few minutes for four to five times during the day for the first week if you are experiencing slight bruising or swelling.
- Do not wash or touch your face for at least 12 hours.
- Gently wash the treated areas, but avoid rubbing or massaging the face too strongly for at least 2–3 weeks.
- Restrict facial movements for one day.
- Be careful with facial expressions, such as smiling or laughing with your mouth too wide. Avoid opening your mouth too wide for 3 weeks or more. If possible, postpone dental procedures for 4 weeks. If dental work is necessary, consult both your provider and dentist beforehand.
- Recommend a soft diet for the following 3 days after the procedure.
- Avoid applying makeup or facial cream for at least two days.
- Do not pull your skin, massage, scrub or exfoliate the skin for at least three weeks.
- A scratchy feeling is normal and should subside within 1–2 weeks.
- Avoid physical exercise for 7 days post-procedure. Heavy lifting or strenuous exercises should be avoided for 3–4 weeks. Follow the detailed instructions from your provider.
- A stinging or “pulling” sensation is normal. If no contraindications or allergy, you may take Tylenol® 500mg (1–2 tablets) every 6 hours as directed, if needed.
- If at all possible, avoid alcohol and anti-coagulant medications (e.g., Aspirin®) unless prescribed for medical reasons for 7 days.
- Refrain from taking blood-thinning vitamins (e.g., Vitamin C, A, and E) for 7 days.
- Avoid extreme temperatures, such as saunas or very cold environments, for 10 days.
- Stay hydrated and maintain a healthy, soft-food diet for the first few days to avoid excessive chewing or strain on facial movements.
- If prescribed, complete any prescribed course of antibiotics as part of your treatment protocol.
- Try keeping your head elevated for a week.
- Avoid sleeping on your stomach or side for the first week after the procedure. Sleeping on your back with your head slightly elevated can help minimize swelling and protect the treated area. Sleep on your back, with two pillows on the sides if possible, to prevent any swelling.
- Avoid straining or placing pressure on your face.
- Avoid dental procedures for a minimum of 4 weeks and up to 8 weeks, unless absolutely necessary. If dental work is required either before or after the PDO Thread Lift procedure, it is essential to consult both your provider and dentist for guidance.
Precautions
- Infection, swelling, bruising, granuloma (foreign body reaction), and thread protrusion are possible but uncommon.
- In rare cases, temporary facial nerve weakness may occur due to local anesthesia, swelling, hematoma, or pressure from the cannula or threads. If you experience facial nerve issues, contact your practitioner immediately.
- For exposed lifting threads (barbed threads), contact your provider immediately without delay. Exposed cog threads require a provider’s intervention.
- Non-barbed threads (smooth threads) can be removed without a provider’s assistance but must not be trimmed. Follow your provider’s direction.
- Polydioxanone (PDO) threads are generally well tolerated; however, possible adverse reactions may include mild pain, itching, swelling (edema), or hematoma at the injection site, typically short-term. Patients should contact their physician if these or other symptoms occur. Potential aesthetic complications include skin bunching or dimpling, thread migration, visibility of threads after placement, and thread exposure. If any of these conditions occur, patients should seek medical attention promptly.
- Please do not hesitate to report any worsening or persistent symptoms to our office. Watch for evidence of infection such as increased pain, redness, swelling, irritation, rash, fevers or drainage. If you develop a cold sore or fever blister, please call our office immediately at (818) 458-9556 to speak with a provider. If the symptoms are severe, please call 911 or go to the emergency room.
Follow-up
- Please schedule a follow-up visit 2 weeks from the day of treatment. We want to make sure the threads are in place and there are no complications.
- Attend any scheduled follow-up appointments to monitor healing and ensure the best possible outcome. Contact your provider if you notice anything unusual or have concerns.
Contraindications
- You are not a candidate for PDO Threads if you: are pregnant or breastfeeding, in vitro fertilization, and breastfeeding are allergic to any of its ingredients, have acute illness or autoimmune deficiencies, have a bleeding disorder, or have keloid or hypertrophic scarring.
Patients on whom the pdo threads should not be used include: active acne (including cystic and vulgaris acne); autoimmune disorders such as scleroderma, sarcoidosis, and amyloidosis; patients with a tendency to develop keloids or hypertrophic scars; compromised or unsuitable injection/treatment sites; patients receiving anticoagulants or platelet aggregation inhibitors (e.g., aspirin, coumarin, heparin); patients with cancer or undergoing cancer treatment; known sensitivity to polydioxanone; other high-risk medical conditions such as Hepatitis B or C, HIV, brittle diabetes, tuberculosis, or other systemic diseases; and patients under 18 years of age.
- Any dental work 30 days prior to PDO threads.
Before your procedure
- Avoid alcohol and smoking 24 hours before treatment.
- Avoid Aspirin, Ibuprofen, Advil, St. John’s Wort, oral Vitamin E, and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) in the 24 hours prior to your treatment as they may promote the risk of bruising and bleeding in the injection area.
- If you are currently taking anti-coagulation medications (Warfarin, Coumadin, Heparin, Lovenox, Enoxaparin, Lepirudin, Refludan, Ticlopidine Ticlid, Clopidogrel, Plavix, Tirofiban, Aggrastat, Eptifibatide, Integrilin), discuss the use of these medications with your healthcare provider prior to your treatment. You may or may not be a candidate for treatment with PDO.
What to expect
- After the treatment, DO NOT massage areas where the threads are placed unless instructed.
- Treated areas may be slightly red, swollen, slightly irregular, and bruised for the first 2-5 days. This will settle out.
- Please remember that the Thread Lift procedure may take several months to see the full effect. Depending on the degree of skin laxity, you may require more treatments. Keep in mind, the best results are seen with a combination approach.
After your procedure
- Ice the treated area for a few minutes for four to five times during the day for the first week if you are experiencing slight bruising or swelling.
- Do not wash or touch your face for at least 12 hours.
- Gently wash the treated areas, but avoid rubbing or massaging the face too strongly for at least 2–3 weeks.
- Restrict facial movements for one day.
- Be careful with facial expressions, such as smiling or laughing with your mouth too wide. Avoid opening your mouth too wide for 3 weeks or more. If possible, postpone dental procedures for 4 weeks. If dental work is necessary, consult both your provider and dentist beforehand.
- Recommend a soft diet for the following 3 days after the procedure.
- Avoid applying makeup or facial cream for at least two days.
- Do not pull your skin, massage, scrub or exfoliate the skin for at least three weeks.
- A scratchy feeling is normal and should subside within 1–2 weeks.
- Avoid physical exercise for 7 days post-procedure. Heavy lifting or strenuous exercises should be avoided for 3–4 weeks. Follow the detailed instructions from your provider.
- A stinging or “pulling” sensation is normal. If no contraindications or allergy, you may take Tylenol® 500mg (1–2 tablets) every 6 hours as directed, if needed.
- If at all possible, avoid alcohol and anti-coagulant medications (e.g., Aspirin®) unless prescribed for medical reasons for 7 days.
- Refrain from taking blood-thinning vitamins (e.g., Vitamin C, A, and E) for 7 days.
- Avoid extreme temperatures, such as saunas or very cold environments, for 10 days.
- Stay hydrated and maintain a healthy, soft-food diet for the first few days to avoid excessive chewing or strain on facial movements.
- If prescribed, complete any prescribed course of antibiotics as part of your treatment protocol.
- Try keeping your head elevated for a week.
- Avoid sleeping on your stomach or side for the first week after the procedure. Sleeping on your back with your head slightly elevated can help minimize swelling and protect the treated area. Sleep on your back, with two pillows on the sides if possible, to prevent any swelling.
- Avoid straining or placing pressure on your face.
- Avoid dental procedures for a minimum of 4 weeks and up to 8 weeks, unless absolutely necessary. If dental work is required either before or after the PDO Thread Lift procedure, it is essential to consult both your provider and dentist for guidance.
Precautions
- Infection, swelling, bruising, granuloma (foreign body reaction), and thread protrusion are possible but uncommon.
- In rare cases, temporary facial nerve weakness may occur due to local anesthesia, swelling, hematoma, or pressure from the cannula or threads. If you experience facial nerve issues, contact your practitioner immediately.
- For exposed lifting threads (barbed threads), contact your provider immediately without delay. Exposed cog threads require a provider’s intervention.
- Non-barbed threads (smooth threads) can be removed without a provider’s assistance but must not be trimmed. Follow your provider’s direction.
- Polydioxanone (PDO) threads are generally well tolerated; however, possible adverse reactions may include mild pain, itching, swelling (edema), or hematoma at the injection site, typically short-term. Patients should contact their physician if these or other symptoms occur. Potential aesthetic complications include skin bunching or dimpling, thread migration, visibility of threads after placement, and thread exposure. If any of these conditions occur, patients should seek medical attention promptly.
- Please do not hesitate to report any worsening or persistent symptoms to our office. Watch for evidence of infection such as increased pain, redness, swelling, irritation, rash, fevers or drainage. If you develop a cold sore or fever blister, please call our office immediately at (818) 458-9556 to speak with a provider. If the symptoms are severe, please call 911 or go to the emergency room.
Follow-up
- Please schedule a follow-up visit 2 weeks from the day of treatment. We want to make sure the threads are in place and there are no complications.
- Attend any scheduled follow-up appointments to monitor healing and ensure the best possible outcome. Contact your provider if you notice anything unusual or have concerns.
