I would love to be 18 again. What I would give to experience the wonders of youth with the wisdom of age. While I can’t rewind time to when I was 18, I can try to take the last three to four years of stress and gravitational effects off my face in the most minimally invasive way. I’m too much of a scaredy cat for plastic surgery, but silhouette soft thread lift is just a quick 30 mins procedure at the doctor’s office with almost no downtime!
Dr Charlene Goh of SL Clinic was very friendly, and I had no qualms sharing both my hopes and fears for a more youthful look. I lamented that I had a little bit of sagginess at my jowls even though I have a delicate face with a relatively sharp jawline. Dr Charlene Goh noticed that my nasal labial folds and marionette lines were quite visible. To counter the issues, she recommended that I try either HIFU or facial thread lifting.
At first, I was a little hesitant after hearing that it involves needles and putting a thread through my face. However, Dr Charlene Goh assured me that it is not as painful as it sounds as they will be numbing the entry points of the needle and when the thread passes through the subcutaneous tissue layer, it will not be painful, so I chose to go with thread lifting.
The photo on top is taken when I was in Melbourne earlier this year. While my jawline is relatively sharp for my face, you can see the evident marionette lines and nasal labial lines. My jowl is slightly saggy though not apparent from a straight face angle. When I tell others that I have (I admit, it’s only slight) sagging issues at my jowl, most people look at me in disbelieve. So here are some ‘proofs’.
This side profile photo taken in the same period shows my saggy jowls more clearly. It’s as if the apples of my cheek are drifting downwards slowly too. There is no filter or edits to any of these photos.
Now I am going show you a super cropped photo taken at a lower angle to show you the saggy side profile. You can compare these to the ‘after’ photos at later part of this post.
And yet another side profile photo showing my saggy jawline.
There are two options for thread lift at SL Clinic. The Korean thread lift and the Silhouette Soft thread lift which hails from the USA. Dr Charlene Goh explained that the Korean thread lift usually gave more defined results but is slightly more painful. She selected the Silhouette Soft thread lift for me as she felt that I only needed a little lift to see results. This choice is less painful than the Korean thread lift and gives a faster recovery.
My face was first cleansed thoroughly then numbed. Dr Charlene Goh marked out all the lines where the threads will enter and exit. The threads are made up of Poly L-lactic acid (PLLA), which is a well-known polymer that has been used for many years in many biomedical and pharmaceutical applications: suture thread, orthopaedic pins, rods, screws and nails for bone fractures. It is because this polymer shows excellent biocompatibility and is biodegradable that such applications have been developed. There are small cones on the threads which provide traction and helps the thread to anchor better into the subcutaneous tissue.
To make the process easier, I was given a topical anaesthetic to numb the areas of the thread’s entry and exit. I felt that the topical analgesic was probably the most painful part of the whole procedure. There were some points where it got a little uncomfortable for me as my face is tiny and thus a bit more tricky to work with. For the most part, however, it was painless. Once Dr Charlene Goh applies the sutures, she pulls on the threads and my skin to reshape the desired lifting effect by hand. The non-inserted ends of the suture are cut off.
I had a little bit of slight swelling after the procedure. As you can see from the photo, the swelling was negligible. I was still able to meet my friends for dinner after. I had to refrain from makeup at least for 24 hours, but I decided to extend it to three days. What I got excited about was how immediate the effects are! My nasal labial folds and marionette lines are lighter than before. More importantly, my jowls had that tiny extra lift that I wanted!
For the next week, I had very mild soreness at some of the entry points but no pain. After a week or so, the soreness and the tiny needlepoint wounds went away.
Selfie shown above is taken one week after thread lift.
Meanwhile, the silhouette soft threads, while being reabsorbed slowly releases collagen and helps to keep me looking youthful. The effect is supposed to last up to two years, and I would reconsider doing it again in a couple of years time.
The rest of the photos here on are taken a month after the thread lift. I’m so in love with the results.
I waited till I finished my review appointment with Dr Charlene Goh so she can give me the ‘all clear’ sign before sharing with all of you on this post. A couple of ex-schoolmates (all in their late thirties) who knew about my thread lift got so excited about my results. Now, they are considering it for themselves.
My jowls look so much firmer at any angle. While I still have some marionette and nasal labial lines, they are not as distinct as before. You can book an appointment at SL Clinic for a consultation. They have many branches, but if you are looking for Dr Charlene Goh, head to the Westgate branch.
501 Orchard Road, #04-04, Wheelock Place, Tel:+65 6235 3246
3 Gateway Dr, Westgate, #04-22, Tel:+65 6358 3088
9 Bishan Place, Junction 8, #04-02C, Tel:+65 6262 5698
1 Woodlands Square, Causeway Point, #04-11, Tel:+65 6877 0162
Thanks for reading!
