WHAT ARE THREADS
PDO threads are a sterile, single-use, polydioxanone biodegradable suture in a cannula. They are made of a flexible and durable absorbable polymer. PDO threads offer a high safety profile, complete absorption, and minimal tissue reaction. The PDO thread generates tensing fibrosis in the surrounding tissue. They are embedded subdermally using a cannula and are dissolved and broken down by the body within 3–6 months. Placing threads subdermally initiates collagen production in the treatment area, which leads to increased volume and skin tightening overtime with effects lasting up to 24 months.
HISTORY
Polydioxanone threads were first used to correct facial paralysis. With time, studies revealed a mechanical induced skin tension and a stimulation of fibroblasts to natural neocollagenesis. Polydioxanone sutures have been used for almost 30 years in orthopedic surgery, plastic surgery and ophthalmology.
CATEGORIES OF THREADS
There are two categories of V Soft PDO Threads:
Smooth threads are great for patients looking for basic skin rejuvenation and tightening. Smooth threads are mono-filament sutures placed in an ultra-thin walled, sharp cannula. The treatment area is marked depending on the patient’s goals, and the number of smooth threads to be used is determined. Most areas require anywhere between 3–20 threads, depending on the treatment surface area.
Lifting threads are great for patients looking for a nonsurgical, immediate face lift and long-term collagen stimulation. The lifting threads come as barbed or molded. Barbed threads have laser cut bi-directional “barbs.” These barbs are what engage in the tissue in order to lift the skin. Molded threads tend to be stronger and are best used in patients with heavier tissue. All lifting threads are within either a sharp or blunt tipped cannula. Sharp cannulas are ultra-sharp, thin-walled cannulas, and recommended for their ease of use. They are great to initially train on as they can navigate the correct plane with ease. Blunt cannulas are more difficult to use, however skilled injectors tend to prefer these over sharp cannulas because they often cause less bleeding and bruising over sharp cannulas.
PDO Threads
PDO threads are on the cutting-edge of esthetic procedures. They are a non-invasive treatment that stimulates neocollagenesis through the body’s natural healing process, which increases collagen production and enhances blood flow. This will tighten the skin and improve overall texture and tone. PDO threads also give an immediate lift, and continuously improves results over time. While neurotoxins paralyze muscles to smooth wrinkles and dermal fillers temporarily build volume and support, PDO threads add in the missing biostimulation that neurotoxins and dermal fillers alone cannot produce. All three treatment modalities can be used in conjunction to provide the all-encompassing results your esthetic patients are looking for.
BENEFICIAL AREAS FOR PDO THREADS
LEVELS AND EFFECTS
PDO threads warrant a lifting and tightening effect while also smoothing out wrinkles and fine lines. Placing the threads in various levels of the skin will achieve different effects.
• Intradermal Level – To achieve a skin rejuvenating effect, smooth threads are placed intradermally. The presence of a foreign body and the mechanical injury by the sharp cannula stimulates the production of collagen. It also enhances the metabolism and blood flow to the treatment area, inducing neocollagenesis around the PDO thread.
• Subdermal Level – Inserting the thread in the level of the adipose tissue, in the subdermal fat compartment, stimulates natural lipolysis. Consequently, the number of adipocytes decreases leaving a decrease in the volume of adipose tissue.
• SMAS Level – To achieve a lifting effect, the thread is inserted into the superficial musculoaponeurotic system (SMAS).
BASIC PDO THREAD TECHNIQUE
SMOOTH THREADS
The practitioner places these threads intradermally in a grid-like pattern to trigger collagen production. Several threads are placed parallel to each other and then crossed in a 35–90 degree angle. The grid pattern ensures uniform collagen production to the entire area treated. This technique is excellent on the cheeks, around the mouth and eyes.
LIFTING THREADS
Lifting threads are placed in the SMAS by inserting the full length of the cannula into the patient’s skin after creating a pilot hole and anesthetizing the area. The practitioner then exaggerates the skin in the direction of the desired lift while removing the cannula. This allows the thread to engage in the tissue. Once all threads are placed, the excess thread at the insertion site is trimmed, which will allow the thread to slip under the skin and heal over appropriately.
WHY ADD PDO THREADS TO YOUR PRACTICE
Profits – Lucrative revenue stream with a projected market growth of >60% over the next five years. The average provider starting out with PDO threads can increase their production by $28,500 per month by performing 6 lifting thread cases and minimal smooth threads treatments. Imagine the potential profit that you can make by increasing your PDO case load!
Safe – PDO threads are minimally invasive with a high safety profile, complete absorption and very little tissue reaction. They are one of our safest procedures, especially over dermal fillers, as there is no risk of a vascular compromise such as a vascular occlusion or vascular compression.
Natural – Tightens and lifts tissue and improves skin texture by naturally inducing the production of collagen and increasing blood flow to the treatment area. By stimulating the body’s own healing process, results tend to appear very natural.
Versatile – Using PDO threads offers additional treatment options that deliver results you cannot achieve with neurotoxins and dermal fillers alone. They can be used in many different areas of the face, neck and body.
FDA CLEARANCE
The FDA requires PDO threads to be cleared as a Class II medical device with a 510K certificate and be in proper packaging. FDA approval status is only needed for pharmaceuticals like Botox, Class III medical devices and more.
V Soft Lift PDO threads are made by the largest PDO manufacturer in the world. They are the first PDO thread to be Class II FDA cleared for the thread inserted in the cannula. This is preferred over having FDA clearance on the thread alone. If a company only has FDA clearance on the thread alone and not the cannula, it may no longer have FDA clearance when used together as a unit. There may be companies that advertise that their product is FDA approved. They are either mistaken, purposefully misleading to make injectors think they are superior, or have no FDA clearance at all. These threads should not be used if there is no 510K. Using such threads could jeopardize your license.
WHO IS V SOFT LIFT
V Soft Lift is a premier PDO thread provider. We offer a wide variety of different types and sizes of PDO threads to meet many individual patient needs. Our PDO threads are FDA cleared, which reflects our commitment to extensive research and development to deliver the strongest and best biostimulatory PDO thread available on the market.
WHY V SOFT LIFT?
V Soft Lift offers the most extensive and innovative high-end PDO thread portfolio in the industry. The multiple advantages of using V Soft PDO are below:
RESULTS
• V Soft PDO threads offer tensile strength 10–20x greater than other comparable threads. Our threads have a special polymer coating that allows for slower absorption, giving you the most collagen and elastin biostimulation compared to any other PDO thread.
• V Soft PDO smooth threads have the most collagen biostimulation compared to other smooth threads which allows providers to use less threads resulting in quicker treatment times, lower cost and improved comfort for patients.
• Both V Soft barbed and molded lifting threads are designed for strong fixation and powerful lifting. Other PDO threads have a weaker fixation and therefore tend to require more threads to achieve the same result as V Soft PDO threads.
• V Soft PDO threads are loaded in a high-quality cannula made of surgical stainless steel with a diamond-cut and polished cannula tip designed for precision.
SAFETY
• V Soft PDO threads are manufactured by the largest PDO and cannula manufacturer in the world, who continuously strives for extended quality-controlled results in safety, which produces a robust final product.
• Manufactured in an ultra-clean, white room environment for pharmaceutical production.
• V Soft PDO threads are FDA cleared for the thread inserted in the cannula as a unit. This is preferred over having FDA clearance on the thread alone. This should allow every practitioner to feel comfortable offering V Soft PDO threads in their practice.
• V Soft lifting PDO threads are uniquely delivered with individual, sterile packaging. Our finished products are sterilized with EO gas, blister-packed, and then packed in aluminum pouches. Individual packaging eliminates exposure to air, which prevents degrading the thread integrity.
• All threads come with individual batch numbers and pre-printed batch label stickers, facilitating ease of medical record keeping.
VERSATILE
• V Soft PDO threads stimulate collagen production and when combined with neurotoxin and filler, can result in up to 40% improvement of esthetic outcome for better, longer-lasting results.
• V Soft carries a wide variety of specialty threads to ensure all patient needs and concerns are being addressed.
• V Soft offers numerous cannula types to accommodate different injector preferences and comfort levels.
PROFITABILITY
• Our PDO threads are competitively priced to ensure the highest level of profitability for our customers.
• We partner with the top US esthetic training organizations to provide high level PDO training included at no cost with the purchase of select thread packages. We offer various training options to fit what works best for you. This includes your own personal private training, attending a live hands-on course, or an online on-demand training course.
• We offer a variety of marketing materials including posters, brochures and digital marketing, which are great tools to use in promoting and educating your patients about the advantages of PDO threads.
• We offer a full variety of marketing materials including posters, brochures and digital marketing which are great tools to use in educating your patients about the advantages of PDO threads.
V SOFT SMOOTH PDO THREADS
MONO SMOOTH
29G x 30mm – most versatile smooth thread
- Workhorse thread used in any area
- Can be used all over the face, neck and body
- Most common for vermillion border
- Often used for the submental pocket
- (double chin)
- Great for acne and surgical scars
- Stubborn glabellar lines (“11’s”)
- Trigger point therapy
- Hair restoration (great in conjunction with PRP)
- Vaginal rejuvenation
29G x 40mm – used in areas that require the extra length
- Necklace lines
- Cheek
- Jawline
- Submental pocket (double chin)
29G x 50mm – used in areas that require even more length
- Jawline
- Cheek
- Body (abdomen, back of arms, thighs, etc.)
31G x 30mm – used in thinner skin or faired skinned patients
- Can be used all over the face and neck (not
- typically recommended for body treatments)
- Vermillion border
- Tear troughs
- Glabellar lines (“11’s”)
- Most suitable for body-tightening and lipolysis
- Jawline
- Cheek
TWISTED SMOOTH
(STIMULATES MORE COLLAGEN THAN MONO SMOOTH THREADS)
A helpful tip from our clinical staff: when using twisted mono threads, more pressure is required over the distal end of the cannula to ensure the thread slips off and stays in the skin. It is also recommended to use neurotoxin first in hyperactive muscle treatment areas (i.e. glabella).
29G x 40mm – most versatile twisted thread
- Necklace lines
- Stubborn glabellar lines
- Submental pocket (double chin)
- Vermillion border pop
- All over the face aside from tear trough
27G x 50mm – for larger areas with heavier tissue; the go-to for body treatments
- Most suitable for body-tightening and lipolysis
- Jawline
- Cheek
MINI SMOOTH
A helpful tip from our clinical staff: mini threads are sometimes confused with the 29G x 30mm mono smooth threads. The gauge and length of the cannulas are the same, however the 29G x 30mm mono’s have a 30mm length thread, whereas the 29G x 30mm mini’s only have a 10mm length thread. The difference is indicated on the box, on the foil packaging, and by looking at the location of the pledget holding the thread in place on the cannula.
29G x 30mm – for small target areas
- Cupid’s Bow
- Philtrum
- Localized, small scars
- Trigger point therapy
V SOFT LIFTING PDO THREADS
BARB STAR
19G x 100mm – most common for training purposes; universal thread cases
- Available in sharp (FF) and blunt (FCN)
- 3–5 vector lift*
- Neck
- Body
19G x 90mm – for shorter vectors
- Available in sharp (FF)
- Great for the shorter nasolabial fold vector
- during a 3-vector lift
- Neck
- Body
- 19G x 40mm – for small target areas
- Available in blunt (FCL)
- Nose
21G x 90mm – for thinner skin
- Available in sharp (FF) and blunt (FCL)
- 3–5 vector lift*
- Neck
- Jawline
21G x 60mm – for small target areas and thinner skin
- Available in sharp (FF) and blunt (FCL)
- Brow lift
- Foxtail lift
- Nose
23G x 60mm – for very thin skin
- Available in blunt (FC)
- Brow lift
- Jawline
- Neck
MOLDED ARTE
A helpful tip from our clinical staff: the Arte 3 17G lifting threads are made with a plastic stopper placed in the hub of the cannula to ensure the thread stays put while placing the thread. It is imperative to remove this plastic stopper before removing the cannula. This will ensure the thread stays behind and engages into the tissue.
Arte 1 – 19G x 100mm – universal patient case thread
- Available in blunt (FCL)
- 3–5 vector lift*
- Neck
- Body
Arte 1 – 18G x 100mm – universal patient case thread
- Available in blunt (FCL)
- 3–5 vector lift*
- Neck
- Body
Arte 2 – 18G x 100mm – for heavy tissue and thinner dermis, face, and body
- Available in blunt (FCN)
- 3–5 vector lift*
- Neck
- Body
Arte 3 – 17G x 70mm – for heavier tissue with a thick dermis in a short target area
- Available in blunt (FCV)
- NLF focus
- Jawline
- Neck
- Body
- Brow lift (not for universal cases; thicker skin than normal cases specifically)
Arte 3 – 17G x 100mm – for heavier tissue with a thick dermis
- Available in blunt (FCV)
- 3–5 vector lift*
- Jawline
- Neck
- Body
The Arte collection contains our strongest lifting threads. These threads are used for patients looking for drastic results and/or patients that have heavier than normal tissue. This collection is also preferred for body lifting. The higher the number (Arte 1–3), the stronger the thread due to the gauge increase and cog placement (see
next page for comparison photo).
THREAD SHAPES
CANNULA SHAPES
