Feather Lift Surgery (Feather Facelift)

A feather lift, which is also referred to as an APTOS thread lift and APTOS lift or a suture suspension face lift, is a form of cosmetic facial surgery that is less invasive than a full facelift. With a feather lift, the patient can still achieve a more youthful appearance while enjoying a speedier recovery, less discomfort and less potential for scarring.  The procedure is most desirable to those whose facial skin is beginning to sag or those whose skin is developing a weak appearance.  It is not recommended for those with heavy sagging, however, as it is only capable of correcting mild to moderate sagging.

Understanding the Feather Face Lift

Before performing a feather face lift, the surgeon first identifies the areas on the patient's face that should be lifted in order to achieve the most desirable results.  These locations are marked and then general anesthesia is injected through the paths where threads will be inserted into the skin.  The most common locations for inserting the threads include behind the ear when providing the neck a lift, inside the hairline when providing a lift to the cheeks, jowls, forehead and eyebrow area.  In addition, a thread is generally put along the hairline in order to provide support to the other threads, which are able to provide lift due to the barbs running in both directions along the thread.

After the threads have been put into place, they are clipped and allowed to slip below the skin.  The area where the threads were inserted is then taped in order to prevent the threads from slipping.  In all, the procedure generally takes one to two hours to complete.

Risks Associated with Feather Lift Surgery

As with any surgical procedure, there are several potential complications that can develop when getting a feather lift.  Some of these include:

• Bleeding
• Bruising
• Infection
• Scarring
• Swelling

Some of the risks that are specifically associated with the feather lift include:

• Asymmetrical results
• Change in sensitivity in the areas that were operated upon
• Feeling unhappy with the results
• Movement of the threads

If movement of the threads occurs, the procedure may need to be repeated in order to get them back into the right location.  Similarly, if the results are asymmetrical or otherwise unpleasing, the procedure may need to be repeated in order to achieve better results.