Barbed sutures "lunch time" lifting: evidence-based efficacy

There is a growing trend nowadays for patients to seek the least invasive treatments possible with less risk of complications and downtime to correct rhytides and ptosis characteristic of aging. Nonsurgical face and neck rejuvenation has been attempted with various types of interventions. Suture suspension of the face, although not a new idea, has gained prominence with the advent of the so called "lunch-time" face-lift. Although some have embraced this technique, many more express doubts about its safety and efficacy limiting its widespread adoption. The present review aims to evaluate several clinical parameters pertaining to thread suspensions such as longevity of results of various types of polypropylene barbed sutures, their clinical efficacy and safety, and the risk of serious adverse events associated with such sutures. Early results of barbed suture suspension remain inconclusive. Adverse events do occur though mostly minor, self-limited, and of short duration. Less clear are the data on the extent of the peak correction and the longevity of effect, and the long-term effects of the sutures themselves. The popularity of barbed suture lifting has waned for the time being. Certainly, it should not be presented as an alternative to a face-lift.