Prolene Suture Suspension Within a Multimodal Facial Rejuvenation Protocol: A 30-Year Experience

Area of Science:

• Plastic Surgery
• Aesthetic Medicine
• Facial Rejuvenation

Background:

• Growing demand for facial rejuvenation due to increased life expectancy and focus on quality of life.
• A 30-year single-surgeon experience with a minimally invasive suture suspension technique is presented.
• Retrospective case series focusing on patient satisfaction.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe a minimally invasive suture suspension technique for facial rejuvenation.
• To report patient satisfaction findings over a 30-year period.
• To evaluate the safety and efficacy of the technique in a large patient cohort.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective chart review of 4400 patients (aged 18-65) undergoing brow, temporal, or cheek suspension.
• Procedures performed without surgical dissection via small stab incisions for permanent suture placement.
• Technique combined with micro-fat grafting or laser resurfacing in select cases; patient satisfaction assessed via a 5-point Likert scale.

Main Results:

• 2500 brow and 1900 cheek/temporal suspensions performed.
• 93.2% of patients reported satisfaction scores of 4 or 5.
• Common postoperative findings included transient swelling, dimpling, and bruising; 2.3% required revision.

Conclusions:

• The suture suspension technique is a safe, well-tolerated, and minimally invasive option for selected patients with early facial aging.
• The technique can be integrated into a multimodal protocol with adjunctive cosmetic procedures.
• Aesthetic improvements appear to be maintained over time in selected patients, though duration of effect requires further standardized quantification.