Key takeaways
- In a 2025 review of 12 studies, improvement showed immediately after the procedure, and complications were mild.
- Follow-up ran to 2 years at most, and the authors say long-term efficacy data are lacking.
- PDO threads are cleared as absorbable sutures, and several clearances say they are not intended for lifting.
- We could not confirm area-specific before-and-after measurements for jowls, cheeks, brows or neck.
- Ask a provider what results you can realistically expect, and for photos of patients with similar skin tones.
PDO thread before and after: jowls and jawline
Jowls are named outright in the procedure's own description: ASPS describes the thread lift as reducing the appearance of wrinkles and early jowls, by mechanically lifting tissue where barbed sutures are placed and by stimulating collagen.
The study evidence for the procedure: a 2025 systematic review in Dermatologic Surgery covered 12 studies of absorbable facial thread lifts — 818 patients, covering October 2018 to December 2022, mostly PDO — and found improvement immediately after the procedure in all of them, with complications the reviewers described as mild.
What no study we could confirm does is measure the jowl or jawline itself.
Before-and-after numbers for jowl position or jawline definition are not in our record, and the review's follow-up ran to 2 years at most, with its authors concluding long-term efficacy data are lacking.
PDO threads are 510(k)-cleared absorbable polydioxanone surgical sutures whose cleared indication is soft tissue approximation. The cleared indications for several products state the suture is not intended for lifting and supporting tissues and is for dermatological use only. A before-and-after pitch of an “FDA-cleared jowl lift” goes beyond what any of those clearances say.
PDO thread lift before and after: cheeks
The cheek is the one mid-face area with a suture suspension clearance in our record — and it is not a PDO product.
Silhouette InstaLift is a 510(k)-cleared absorbable poly(glycolide/L-lactide) suture whose cleared indication is mid-face suspension surgery, to temporarily fixate the cheek sub-dermis in an elevated position (K200140, cleared in 2020).
Read that wording closely: it is the only suture in this page's record whose clearance describes an elevated position — temporary, and specific to the cheek's sub-dermis.
The PDO clearances our researchers read name no cheek or mid-face indication, and several state the suture is not intended for lifting and supporting tissues.
PDO threads vs. Silhouette InstaLift: what each is cleared for
| PDO threads | Silhouette InstaLift | |
|---|---|---|
| Material | Polydioxanone | Poly(glycolide/L-lactide) |
| Cleared as | Absorbable surgical suture, 510(k) | Absorbable surgical suture, 510(k) |
| Cleared indication | Soft tissue approximation | Mid-face suspension surgery, to temporarily fixate the cheek sub-dermis in an elevated position |
| Lifting | Several clearances say not intended for lifting and supporting tissues | Elevated position, temporary, cheek sub-dermis |
| Example clearance | PDO MAXX Threads (K190245, 2019) | K200140 (2020) |
For PDO threads on cheeks specifically, we could not confirm cheek-side before-and-after measurements: the 2025 review pooled facial thread-lift studies, and nothing in our record breaks out cheek results on their own.
PDO thread before and after: brows
Brows are the gap in the record.
ASPS's procedure description names wrinkles, early jowls and sagging skin, and names the face and neck as the zone it tightens — no brow result.
The PDO clearances our researchers read name no area results at all.
And we could not confirm published before-and-after data for brow thread lifts.
Be clear about what that means: a gap in what we could search is not evidence that brow threading works or doesn't.
It means this page can't describe an expected brow result, and we won't invent one.
If brows are the area you are weighing, the American Academy of Dermatology's pre-procedure questions fit exactly: ask what results you can realistically expect, and ask for before-and-after photos of patients with skin tones similar to yours.
Find PDO thread lift providers near you
Compare Google ratings, reviews and posted prices at med spas in your city.
PDO thread lift before and after: neck
The neck comes in through the treatment zone: ASPS describes the thread lift as tightening the face and neck and as reducing wrinkles, early jowls and sagging skin, with the same two mechanisms — the barbed sutures' mechanical lift and collagen stimulation.
The scope caveat matters most here: the timing evidence on this page — the 2025 review — covered absorbable facial thread lifts, so its immediate-improvement finding is a facial one, not a neck-specific measurement.
We could not confirm neck-specific before-and-after measurements to quote alongside it.
What the 2025 review covered
- Absorbable facial thread lifts, mostly PDO
- Improvement immediately after the procedure
- Complications rated mild
What it didn't establish
- Neck-specific before-and-after measurements
- Long-term efficacy, which its authors call lacking
For the rest of the picture — what the procedure costs, how long results may last, downtime and who may place threads in your state — our PDO thread lift guide covers it in full.
Frequently asked questions
What do PDO thread before-and-after photos really show?
A photograph shows one patient at one point in time — it is not a measurement or a study.
Under the FTC's endorsement guides, an ad that pairs before-and-after pictures with a results claim conveys that the result is typical — and if consumers cannot generally expect such results, the ad would be deceptive.
The American Academy of Dermatology suggests asking a provider directly what results you can realistically expect, and asking for before-and-after photos of patients with skin tones similar to yours.
When do PDO thread lift results appear?
The study record puts improvement immediately after the procedure: the 2025 systematic review found it in all 12 studies of absorbable facial thread lifts it covered — 818 patients, mostly PDO. “Immediately” is what researchers recorded across those studies, not a promise for any individual result, and the same review rated the complications it found mild.
A licensed provider can tell you what to expect in your case.
Do PDO threads work on jowls?
The description on record supports the intent: ASPS names early jowls among what a thread lift is described to reduce, via barbed sutures that mechanically lift tissue and stimulate collagen.
The evidence is thinner: the 2025 review found immediate improvement across facial thread-lift studies, but we could not confirm a study measuring jowl change specifically, and the PDO clearances our researchers read name no jowl indication — several state the suture is not intended for lifting.
Are PDO thread lift results permanent?
Nothing we can cite says so.
The threads are absorbable polydioxanone sutures, the longest follow-up in the 2025 review was 2 years, and its authors concluded long-term efficacy data are lacking — so the record establishes neither permanent results nor any fixed duration.
Treat a “permanent” claim the way you would treat a quoted number of years: as marketing, until a practice can name the study, the measurement and the follow-up behind it.
Sources
Every number on this page comes from one of these sources and was checked against it.
- accessdata.fda.gov · U.S. Food and Drug Administration
- accessdata.fda.gov · U.S. Food and Drug Administration
- accessdata.fda.gov · U.S. Food and Drug Administration
- Update on Absorbable Facial Thread Lifts · Riopelle et al., Dermatol Surg, 2025
- Thread Lift · American Society of Plastic Surgeons
- Best questions to ask when considering a cosmetic treatment · American Academy of Dermatology
- 16 CFR 255.2 -- Consumer endorsements. · ecfr.gov
Medical disclaimer. MedSpaStandard is for education only and is not medical advice. Talk to a licensed provider about your own health, and check any provider's license with your state board.