French Lift® vs. PDO Threads vs. Dermal Filler: What's the Difference?

If your face is beginning to look heavier, less defined or more lax, it can be difficult to determine which nonsurgical aesthetic treatment actually addresses the problem.

Should you add filler?

Try PDO threads?

Or consider a more structural lifting procedure such as the French Lift®?

These treatments are often grouped together under “nonsurgical facial rejuvenation,” but they work in fundamentally different ways.

At DelMar Aesthetics, one of the most important parts of facial rejuvenation is determining whether the concern is primarily volume loss, skin quality or tissue laxity.

Once we understand the problem, choosing the appropriate treatment becomes much easier.

What Does Dermal Filler Do?

Dermal fillers are injectable products used to add or restore volume and enhance selected facial contours.

Depending on the product and treatment plan, filler may be used in areas such as the:

• Cheeks

• Chin

• Jawline

• Lips

• Lower face

• Selected folds or contours

For the appropriate patient, filler can create beautiful, subtle improvements.

But filler primarily adds volume.

It does not physically reposition lax facial tissue in the same way a lifting procedure is intended to.

When Can Too Much Filler Become a Problem?

As the face ages, patients sometimes begin receiving increasing amounts of filler in an attempt to recreate lift.

This can work to a point.

But if the underlying issue is significant tissue descent rather than volume loss, continuing to add filler can make the face look heavier.

This is why we believe in structure over volume.

Sometimes a patient needs filler.

Sometimes the face needs support or lifting.

And sometimes the most natural treatment plan involves less product—not more.

What Are PDO Threads?

PDO threads are absorbable sutures placed beneath the skin.

Depending on the thread and technique, they may provide temporary mechanical support while also stimulating a healing response as the material gradually dissolves.

PDO thread treatments can be appropriate for selected patients seeking modest improvement without surgery.

However, the longevity and degree of correction are different from more structural lifting approaches.

Is the French Lift® the Same as a PDO Thread Lift?

No.

This is one of the most important distinctions for patients researching the French Lift.

The French Lift® is not simply another PDO thread treatment.

The technique uses permanent suspension sutures rather than absorbable PDO threads and is designed to provide structural repositioning of facial tissue.

At DelMar Aesthetics, the French Lift is considered for appropriately selected patients experiencing facial laxity who want a more significant lifting approach without undergoing a traditional surgical facelift.

What Areas Can the French Lift Address?

Depending on the patient's anatomy and treatment plan, the French Lift may be used to address concerns such as:

• Facial laxity

• Jowling

• Loss of jawline definition

• Descending cheek tissue

• Lower-face heaviness

• Selected neck concerns

Every face ages differently, so candidacy and treatment design must be individualized.

French Lift vs. Filler

The simplest distinction is:

Filler adds volume.

French Lift repositions tissue.

This matters because volume loss and tissue descent can sometimes look similar to the patient but require very different solutions.

For example, strategically placed cheek filler may provide beautiful support in someone with genuine volume loss.

But attempting to correct significant lower-face laxity by continually increasing cheek volume may eventually distort natural facial proportions.

The treatment should match the anatomy.

French Lift vs. PDO Threads

Both treatments involve the placement of sutures beneath the skin, but the materials, technique, goals and expected longevity are different.

PDO threads are absorbable.

The French Lift utilizes permanent suspension sutures and represents a different approach to structural facial lifting.

A consultation is important because neither procedure is appropriate for every patient.

Does the French Lift Replace a Surgical Facelift?

No nonsurgical or minimally invasive procedure should be represented as identical to surgery.

A traditional surgical facelift can provide a degree of tissue repositioning and correction that nonsurgical procedures cannot reproduce.

The French Lift occupies a different space.

It may be considered by appropriately selected patients who want meaningful lifting but are not ready for—or do not want—a traditional surgical facelift.

Setting realistic expectations is an essential part of treatment planning.

Can French Lift and Filler Be Combined?

Yes, when appropriate, because they address different components of facial aging.

A patient may have both tissue laxity and true volume loss.

In that situation, repositioning tissue and then conservatively addressing remaining volume deficiencies may create a more balanced result than attempting to accomplish everything with filler alone.

Other treatments may also be incorporated to address skin quality, pigmentation or texture.

This is what we mean by comprehensive facial rejuvenation.

How Do I Know Which Treatment I Need?

Ask yourself what bothers you when you look in the mirror.

Is your face losing definition because certain areas look hollow?

Are your cheeks or jawline beginning to descend?

Are you primarily concerned about wrinkles and skin quality?

Or is it a combination?

During a facial assessment, we evaluate the face from multiple angles and consider skin quality, facial structure, volume distribution and laxity before recommending treatment.

The goal is not to fit you into a procedure.

The goal is to determine which procedure fits you.

French Lift® in Florida

DelMar Aesthetics in Palm City, Florida specializes in advanced nonsurgical facial rejuvenation and the French Lift®.

Patients seeking the French Lift travel to our Palm City practice from throughout the Treasure Coast, Palm Beach County, South Florida and beyond.

Our approach emphasizes structural rejuvenation, conservative treatment and preservation of each patient's natural facial identity.

Natural. Lifted. Still You.

If you are considering filler, PDO threads or the French Lift and aren't sure which approach is appropriate, schedule a facial rejuvenation consultation at DelMar Aesthetics.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the French Lift a thread lift?

The French Lift uses permanent suspension sutures and should not be confused with a standard absorbable PDO thread treatment.

How is French Lift different from filler?

Filler is primarily used to add or restore volume. The French Lift is designed to reposition lax tissue. Some patients may benefit from one treatment, while others may benefit from a combination approach.

Are PDO threads permanent?

PDO sutures are absorbable and gradually break down over time.

Can filler lift jowls?

Strategically placed filler can improve facial proportions and support in appropriate patients, but significant tissue laxity is different from volume loss. Adding increasing amounts of filler is not always the best solution.

Who is a good candidate for the French Lift?

Candidacy depends on facial anatomy, degree of laxity, expectations and overall treatment goals. An in-person or appropriate preliminary consultation is necessary to determine whether the procedure is suitable.

Where is the French Lift available in Florida?

DelMar Aesthetics offers the French Lift® in Palm City, Florida and evaluates patients traveling from the Treasure Coast, Palm Beach County, South Florida and other areas for treatment.