Problems with a Silhouette Lift and how to resolve them.
Hi Dr. Irwin- I recently had a Silhouette Lift which is a thread/suture lift. The sutures have little dissolvable cones made of Polylactic acid which are supposed to completely dissolve over 9 months. It\'s only been 3 months and the volume in my face is way too full. My doctor told me that I am at the peak right now, but that it will likely remain constant over the next 3-6 months and THEN start to go down slowly. Is this true or will my face continue to grow as the cones dissolve completely over the next 6 months? I\'m scared and miserable over the results. Is there anything else I can do to make the collagen go away quicker? Steroid injections, massage, running, heat therapy? I am so depressed and have started to see a therapist. I feel like my face is ruined forever.
I’m so sad that this happened to you and I think you’re very wise to see a therapist during this difficult period.
In my opinion, these lifts are not a good idea. There are just too many variables and the “cones” of polylactic acid just dont’ have much data or experience behind them, at this point in time. That doesn’t help you much I know.
Here are some suggestions:
- Tell your surgeon you’d like to have an appointment every two weeks with her/him to assess the progress and your satisfaction;
- If in several weeks, you are not seeing improvement, tell him/her nicely but firmly that you would like a second opinion and who would he or the company recommend;
- Call the company who makes these and report the problem…..sometimes they are helpful as a resource. Let them know (and the surgeon) that you are seeing a therapist regarding this issue;
- Ask all of the above, if there’s anything you can do to help it resolve faster. I can’t recommend any of the things you mentioned above. Sometimes they can make things worse!
I hope this helps,
Dr. I
