A Less-Invasive Facelift

Needle and thread used to weave youthful look into cheeks, brows, necks.

Surgeons at Rockwood Clinic PS, of Spokane, have begun using a new, less invasive form of cosmetic plastic surgery, called a Contour ThreadLift, on eligible patients, mostly women, who are seeking a more youthful appearance.

The procedure was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration less than eight months ago, says Dr. Carol Hathaway, a Spokane Valley plastic surgeon. It is designed to lift sagging eyebrows subtly, reposition sagging cheeks, lift soft tissues of the mid and lower face, and stop premature skin aging. In the process, needles are guided just under the skin and used to thread and cinch up special sutures that have barbs just less than one inch apart along their length.

The barbed sutures, called contour threads, have been available here for only about two months, says Chris Meston, Hathaway’s aesthetician.

The results of a Contour ThreadLift are far less dramatic than with conventional, more invasive cosmetic plastic surgery, says Dr. Kai Morimoto, a plastic surgeon with Rockwood Clinic PS, of Spokane.

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