Thread lifts or facelift: which solution for a sagging jawline?

Two answers to the same phenomenon: sagging

Over the years, the contour of the face loses definition: early jowls, a less firm neck, deepening folds. Two approaches come up in every search:

• Thread lifts: barbed absorbable threads inserted under the skin at the practice, which moderately reposition the tissues and stimulate collagen
• The cervicofacial facelift: the reference surgical procedure, which tightens the deep structures (SMAS) and redrapes the skin

The confusion comes from marketing: threads are sometimes presented as a 'facelift without surgery'. They are not one — and that is precisely what you need to understand before choosing.

Thread lifts: for whom, for what?

The right candidate

The ideal candidate is generally between 40 and 55, with early to moderate sagging: a jawline that is starting to blur, early jowls, skin still of good quality. In this profile, threads deliver a visible yet subtle repositioning, with no significant social downtime.

What you should know

• Performed at the practice, under local anaesthesia, in under an hour
• Simple recovery: a feeling of tightness, possible small bruises for a few days
• Moderate immediate result, optimised at around 2–3 months (collagen effect)
• Duration: around 12 to 18 months, as the threads are absorbable
• Price in Paris: from €800 per session depending on the number of threads

The limitations

Threads do not remove any skin and do not treat the neck to any significant degree. On marked sagging, they give a disappointing result — subtle at best, useless at worst. An honest practitioner declines to place threads when the indication is not there.

Cervicofacial facelift: for whom, for what?

The right candidate

Once sagging is established — well-defined jowls, a lax neck, a frank loss of jawline definition — most often after 50–55, the facelift becomes the only answer that matches the demand.

What you should know

• Surgical procedure under anaesthesia, with scars concealed around the ear
• Social downtime of 2 to 3 weeks (swelling, bruising)
• A natural result when well executed: the face looks rested, not 'pulled'
• Duration: around 10 years, with ageing then resuming its course on a rejuvenated basis
• Price in Paris: from €8,000 depending on the extent of the procedure

We covered the question of age in a dedicated article on the cervicofacial facelift.

A simple way to know where you stand

1. Early sagging, looking for a fresher appearance → thread lifts, often combined with other aesthetic medicine treatments (hyaluronic acid, skin quality treatments)
2. Marked sagging, neck included → facelift; threads would only postpone a decision that has become necessary
3. In between: the clinical examination decides — skin elasticity, degree of tissue ptosis, realistic expectations

An often overlooked point: the two approaches are not mutually exclusive over time. Threads at 45 in no way rule out a facelift at 58 — and a facelift can then be maintained with aesthetic medicine.

Key takeaways

• Thread lifts: early sagging, office-based, 12–18 months of effect, from €800
• Cervicofacial facelift: established sagging, surgery, ~10 years of result, from €8,000
• The deciding factor is your degree of sagging, not your preference for one option or the other
• Thread lifts do not replace a facelift: each technique has its own indications

To find out where you stand and what each option would achieve on your face, book a consultation with Pr Ignacio Garrido in Paris 16.