With aesthetic procedure trend predictions for 2020 indicating a backlash against obvious lip augmentation fillers, the large, obviously filled lips that have come to define the market in recent years, could lip thread lifts present a far more natural-looking method of lip augmentation?
As well as the perioral lines, threads can be used to lift the upper lip to create the illusion of more natural fullness. “People are always intrigued by a new application of an existing product”, says Jonquille Chantrey, who runs a practice in Alderley Edge, Cheshire. “But I think the idea of lip threads also started to become more popular when Kylie Jenner had her lip filler reversed. Public opinion on filler has started to change, and some may think threads can give more lift with a natural look.”
Facial animation and mobility of the lips is a key consideration where lip augmentation and fillers are concerned, and Chantrey says this is one of the main reasons she doesn’t offer the procedure herself. “I’ve done a lot of work with facial animation. I want a natural result for my patients when they’re speaking and animating, and sometimes threads don’t quite give as natural a result. It can give a nice lift but you need an option with a lot more versatility when you understand all of the structures around the lip from an animation perspective”, she says. “I’ve seen tethering – so uneven areas – asymmetry, puckering, and in one case, it had created almost scar tissue around the vermillion border.”
The difficulty of removing threads from the lip area is also a red flag for Dr Chantrey, who says she personally prefers to only carry out non-surgical procedures that are reversible. “Threads are better used in areas of the face that aren’t as mobile or dependent on natural animation”, she advises, adding “Anything in regards to the lips has always got to be about understanding the muscles and the anatomy, what’s going on with the teeth, maxilla and mandible. If threads are something you’re really keen on you can always become much more proficient in other areas.”