If you’re looking to rejuvenate the appearance of your face and neck, you’ve likely heard of facelifts and MINT thread lifts. While they both have similar goals, the procedures themselves vary quite a bit.
For starters, a facelift involves surgically lifting and repositioning the skin and underlying tissue to improve the appearance of wrinkles, sagging skin, and other signs of aging.
MINT thread lifts, on the other hand, use specialized threads to lift and tighten the skin without the need for such an involved surgery.
Both procedures can help to improve the overall appearance of the face, but they differ in terms of invasiveness, recovery time, and cost.
To make sure that you get the best results and the best experience, we’re going to break down the facelift vs thread lift debate.
What Is Involved In A Facelift?
To understand the facelift vs MINT thread lift debate further, let’s start with more on facelifts.
The main goal for a facelift is to lift and tighten facial tissue that has lost some of its elasticity. As a surgical procedure, it is more invasive than other treatments. With that, it is also a more permanent solution to concerns about aging.
A facelift can target more than just the face. One common procedure is the TLC facelift, a comprehensive treatment for the face, neck, jaw line, brow line, forehead, cheeks, jowls, and under eye area.
Treatments last between seven and ten years. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, a facelift costs on average around $8,000.
How Does a MINT Thread Lift Work?
If you’re looking for a minimally invasive alternative to facelifts, you may have heard of the thread lift.
In fact, the MINT portion of MINT thread lift stands for “Minimally Invasive Non-Surgical Thread.”
This medical grade thread is used to pull and lift skin. When the thread is tightened, the appearance of wrinkles are reduced.
MINT lifts can target the forehead, cheeks, jowls, jaw line, browline, and the under eye area.
Treatments tend to last between one and two years. Average costs for a thread lift range from $1,500 to $2,800.
Why Patients Opt For MINT
Let’s start our facelift vs MINT thread lift debate with the pros of the thread lift.
The advantages of MINT thread lifts include:
- Speed – Given that a thread lift can be done in less than an hour, many patients opt for this procedure.
- Minimally Invasive – Since the thread lift doesn’t require surgery nor deep cutting, there’s a lower risk for infection or other complications.
- No General Anesthetic Required – Thread lifts may be a more feasible option for patients whose health problems make anesthesia a complication.
- Low Recovery Time – Despite some redness or swelling that resolves in a few days, a thread lift has a significantly faster recovery time than other major procedures.
- Less Painful – With a less invasive procedure comes less bruising and swelling and also less overall pain.
- Customizable Treatment – Patients can choose to have as little as one or two areas on their face treated.
Now, like any cosmetic procedure, there are some trade-offs to consider as well.
The cons of MINT thread lifts include:
- Temporary Solution – Compared to a facelift that lasts up to ten years, the effects of a thread lift last between six months and two years.
- Initial Signs of Aging – Thread lifts are most successful for patients with initial signs of aging, namely those in the 35-55 age range.
- Still Surgery – Though it is minimally invasive, a thread lift is still technically a surgery. With this type of procedure comes the risk of bruising, discomfort, and risk of infection.
- Less Dramatic Results – While not necessarily a negative for patients who are looking for subtle results, a thread lift is necessarily less impactful than a deeper surgical procedure.
- Cost – Though the overall cost of a MINT lift vs facelift is cheaper, it is worth keeping in mind the comparison to a facelift’s longer-lasting result.
Choosing Between Facelift Vs MINT Thread Lift
So, what’s the right answer between a facelift and a thread lift? The truth is that it depends on your goals, since these lifts produce different results, at a different price point.
With the less invasive thread lift, you can go for small cosmetic enhancements.
A facelift may be a more worthwhile solution if you’re feeling that any signs of aging have become more pronounced.
At Profile MD, we are happy to be able to support patients who are considering a thread lift. We know it’s a big decision, so we encourage you to reach out for a complimentary consultation. You can reach our expert team here.
