The short answer
After a thread lift, the main aim is to leave the threads undisturbed. You can speak and smile normally. Wide yawning, laughing with your mouth wide open and hard or chewy food are the things to skip.
The written aftercare you receive before you leave takes priority over this page. Early swelling exaggerates the appearance, so please do not judge the result yet.
Thread lift aftercare in the first 24 hours
During the first week
No facials, facial massage, gua sha or at-home devices. No HIFU, radiofrequency or laser over the thread paths.
None that requires holding the mouth wide open. If it is booked, tell the clinic so it can be timed.
Chew on the softer side and avoid gum.
Wash and apply products by pressing and patting, not rubbing.
No strenuous exercise, swimming or contact sports while entry points heal. Adjust goggles, helmets, headbands or masks that press on the threads.
Do not let anyone else adjust, massage or add threads, and do not try to flatten a dimple yourself.
Sleep, sun, make-up and exercise
| Topic | What to do |
|---|---|
| Sleep | Face-up with your head raised on an extra pillow while tightness and tenderness last. Use a clean pillowcase each night while entry points are open. |
| Sun | Sunscreen daily once entry points have closed, without rubbing. Avoid strong sun, saunas and steam early on. |
| Bruises | A sun-exposed bruise can leave a brown mark in Fitzpatrick III to V skin. |
| Make-up | From the next day on intact skin, kept away from entry points until they close. |
| Exercise | Walking from the next day. Harder exercise waits until swelling and tenderness settle. Your written aftercare gives the timing. |
| Face exercises | Avoid facial yoga and face exercises while the threads integrate. |
What is normal, and what is not
Swelling, bruising at entry points, tenderness along each thread path, and tightness on opening the mouth wide or turning the head. Small dimples usually flatten as swelling resolves. It may feel uneven while swelling settles.
Pain that increases or feels out of proportion, spreading redness, warmth, pus at an entry point, fever or feeling unwell.
A thread end visible at the skin, or a hard line felt or seen under thin skin.
A dimple or asymmetry that persists once swelling has gone, new facial weakness, persistent altered sensation, or cheek swelling that changes with meals.
Outside clinic hours, and early reporting
Spreading redness with fever needs a doctor the same day. Threads cannot be dissolved on demand. An intact thread can sometimes be removed physically in the early period, so early reporting matters. Please contact the clinic rather than waiting for the next review.
What thread lift aftercare cannot do
Threads move tissue. They do not firm the skin, so laxity calls for a different approach, and aftercare will not change that. Careful care also cannot prevent every problem. Dimpling, asymmetry, a visible or palpable thread, infection and, uncommonly, extrusion remain possible. Threads may not suit heavy laxity, thin or excess skin, or lost volume. Thread lift vs fillers explains why, and who should wait.
Your review, and treatment elsewhere
The review is scheduled after swelling has settled, so the tissue position can be judged. The doctor examines your face upright and in animation. A persistent dimple can be released at review. Any energy-based skin treatment or filler is decided then, and fees are explained in writing first. If your threads were placed elsewhere, contact that clinic or another doctor. Bring the thread type, the vectors and the date if available.