VectorLift: Anatomically Guided Thread-Lifting Technique With Reduced Pain and Downtime - Results from a Real-World...

Thread lifting has emerged as a minimally invasive alternative to surgical facial rejuvenation, providing mechanical tissue repositioning with shorter recovery times. Advances in biomaterials and thread design have improved safety and lifting capacity; however, variability in clinical outcomes persists due to differences in vector design, thread type, tissue manipulation, and anesthesia techniques. These factors may influence complication rates, procedural tolerance, and postoperative downtime, contributing to ongoing concerns regarding the predictability and reproducibility of thread-lifting procedures.

To describe the development of a vector-optimized thread-lifting technique (VectorLift) and to compare its clinical performance in an exploratory, real-world, non-randomized comparative study with two commonly used thread-lifting approaches employing different biomaterials and insertion methods.

The VectorLift protocol was developed using anatomically guided vector placement, ligament-oriented reinforcement, and optimized local anesthetic infiltration. Over a three-year period, 44 female patients (mean age 47 years) underwent facial thread-lifting procedures. Eighteen patients were treated using the proposed technique with cannulated polydioxanone (PDO) threads, while the remaining patients were treated with either double-needle poly-L-lactic acid (PLA) plus poly(L-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) cone threads or cannulated PLA/polycaprolactone (PCL) threads. Clinical outcomes included recovery time (days of downtime), intraoperative pain levels, patient satisfaction measured using the FACE-Q scale before treatment and two weeks post-procedure, and complication rates including dimpling, bruising, edema, and transient asymmetry. Standardized clinical photographs were obtained before and immediately after treatment.

VectorLift was associated with lower reported intraoperative pain, shorter recovery time and lower rates of early postoperative complications compared with the other techniques, while patient satisfaction scores were comparable among groups. Immediate photographic assessment confirmed visible aesthetic improvement without overcorrection.

VectorLift is an anatomically guided thread-lifting technique that, in this real-world non-randomized comparative study, was associated with improved procedural tolerance and shorter postoperative downtime while maintaining high patient satisfaction and effective aesthetic outcomes. Further controlled studies with larger patient populations and longer follow-up periods are warranted to confirm these findings.