Does combine thread lifting with liposuction achieve superior outcomes over liposuction alone for neck lipodystrophy

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Aging of the neck is multifactorial with various skin changes. For an aesthetically pleasing neck appearance, it is critical restoring a cervicomental angle of 105 to 120 degrees, and a distinct mandibular border. A multi-modality approach is required to rejuvenate the neck and address these multiple facets of aging. Many treatment options can be combined to address the aging changes of the neck.Submental fat can be addressed by traditional or assisted liposuction. However, some patients with poor skin tone may not achieve optimal outcomes. Thread lifting is a minimally invasive, office‐based procedure with fewer perioperative complications and gaining popularity as a substitute for surgical lifting.METHODS: This study aimed to answer whether combining thread-lift with traditional liposuction for rejuvenation of submental lipodystrophy will achieve a superior outcome in terms of patients’ satisfaction and aesthetic results or no? To answer this question, the authors conducted a retrospective comparative study on all cases with submental lipodystrophy (known as ‘double chin’) who underwent neck rejuvenation by either liposuction alone as group A, or liposuction combined with thread lifting as group B, to compare the results of both groups, and the subgroups based on the degree of neck lipodystrophy, in terms of patients’ satisfaction and aesthetic results. RESULTS: The overall complication rate was 20% for group A and 25% for group B. However, there were no major complications in both groups.While superior aesthetic results and patient satisfaction were obtained by combined liposuction and threading of cases with severe neck lipodystrophy, in cases of mild and moderate lipodystrophy no statistically significant difference was observed between both groups.Conclusion: Combined liposuction and thread lifting is effective and gives superior aesthetic results and patient satisfaction more than liposuction alone in cases with severe lipodystrophy especially for the cervicomental angle improvement. However, in mild and moderate cases of lipodystrophy, the additional thread-related complications, extra duration, and cost of thread lifting outweigh its benefits.