Open Pilot Study on the Rejuvenation Effect of Absorbable Threads in the Genital Area.

Purpose: We propose a new method of genital rejuvenation based on absorbable thread insertion. In this study, we aimed to assess the safety and efficacy of particular absorbable threads made of P (LA/CL), the so-called Nano Spring 7, for vulvar rejuvenation. Patients and Methods: The study was conducted in two parts: the first by anatomical dissection and the second by clinical study. The first part of the study clarified safety and efficacy of thread insertion in this anatomical area. During the second part, 19 patients underwent Nano Spring 7 absorbable thread insertion in the subcutaneous layer of the labia majora to improve esthetic parameters and were followed up after 7, 30, 90, and 180 days. We evaluated outcomes using four different patients' questionnaires and one investigator's questionnaire. Results: The anatomical dissection defined the correct anatomical layer of threads implantation and the subcutaneous structures allowing for the thread anchoring. All the patients completed the study. The patients' and investigators' subjective evaluations during follow-up and at the end of the study were very positive. All the patients showed a decrease in discomfort sensations related to the labia majora conditions and aesthetic improvement in the vulvar area and recommended the treatment to their friends. Conclusion: The use of absorbable threads is an innovative, safe minimally invasive approach to genital rejuvenation.

Soft-Tissue Correction Method for a Sunken Eyelid.

The periocular area is one of the initial parts of the face that show signs of aging, where patients usually worry about the visual manifestations of aging, such as the sunken lower eyelid. The condition is usually caused by iatrogenic factors or involutional changes in the periocular area. This study aimed to develop and improve surgical methods to fill the sunken lower eyelids and examine their efficacy and safety. This study included 26 patients who had been treated with the musculofascial flap transposition method from the upper to the lower eyelid, under the posterior lamella. In the presented method, a deepithelized triangular musculofascial flap with a lateral feeding pedicle was transposed from the upper eyelid to the lower eyelid tear through depression. In all patients, the method achieved either a complete or a partial elimination of the defect. The proposed method to fill a defect of soft tissues in the arcus marginalis can be considered useful if upper blepharoplasty has not been performed previously and the orbicular muscle has been preserved.

Elimination of Aesthetic Deformations of the Midface Area Our Experience.

INTRODUCTION: The aesthetic manifestations of the aging process in the cheekbone, cheek and infraorbital areas are especially concerning for patients, so rejuvenating interventions in these areas are most in demand. OBJECTIVE: To introduce the experience of our clinic for aesthetic manipulation using Aptos (anti-ptosis) thread lifting methods in the midface area. METHODS: Among the surgical interventions that we used were Aptos thread lifting methods both in combination with lower blepharoplasty, and without it. At the same time, special attention was paid to the individual approach, trying to minimize invasiveness and, most importantly, trying to achieve the effect of moving subcutaneous soft tissues to a new, more advantageous position from an aesthetic point of view, with their fixation to dense structures. RESULTS: The results of application of the presented methods to lift the cheek-zygomatic and infraorbital regions using Aptos methods were studied. In the overwhelming majority of cases, the results satisfied both surgeons and patients. CONCLUSIONS: Aptos methods for lifting the midface soft tissues, which we used, are quite effective for rejuvenating the aging face. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE IV: This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these evidence-based medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .

Avoiding complications with Aptos sutures.

BACKGROUND: Over the past decade, several methods of minimally-invasive thread-mediated lifting have been widely adopted in aesthetic surgery. Early use of these methods met with great enthusiasm, and threadlifting was often performed without sufficient regard for proper indications, controls, or outcomes. Soon after, reports of early-relapse ptosis, complications, and other undesirable side effects began to appear in the literature. OBJECTIVES: The authors describe the current best practices associated with threadlifting to ensure proper use and improved results. METHODS: The authors retrospectively reviewed their collective case data, analyzing the results of 12,788 face and neck threadlift procedures in 6098 patients over 12.5 years. RESULTS: The data showed inconsistent results and early relapse of deformity with the Aptos Thread and Aptos Thread 2G methods. Complications included thread visibility, migration, and exposure; linear bleeding along the needle course; skin dimpling; hypocorrection and hypercorrection; transient paresthesias; and a small number of cases of injury to major vessels, nerve branches, and parotid capsule/duct. As new devices were developed and the indications for each technique refined, soft tissue suspension became more effective and durable, and the incidence of complications correspondingly decreased in the latter part of the series. CONCLUSIONS: Threadlifting is a relatively modern trend in aesthetic surgery that demands a similarly novel approach from surgeons. When performed properly, threadlifting is associated with minor and infrequent complications and is a helpful clinical alternative to traditional facial rejuvenation techniques.

APTOS suture lifting methods: 10 years of experience.

Over the past decade we have developed and successfully used methods of minimally invasive aesthetic surgery, based on special threads provided with microscopic angled barbs (Aptos Thread), double-pointed needles (Aptos Needle), and elastic needles (Aptos Spring). This article describes our original techniques of subcutaneous suturing through and lifting of soft tissue, which make it possible to obtain qualitative, sufficiently long-standing lifting of the face and neck with no cuts or with tiny cutaneous incisions. Our 10-year experience in using the Aptos methods has demonstrated that these are simple, safe, and efficient techniques for rejuvenation of the face and neck.

A novel option of uninterrupted closure of surgical wounds.

BACKGROUND: A cosmetically pleasing postoperative scar is an important aim of all aesthetic surgeries. Use of proper suture materials for delicate and gentle suturing of the operative injury is an important requirement for achieving satisfactory scars. However, closure of the edges of wounds by means of conventional suture materials does not always meet the requirements to achieve this objective. AIM: To simplify and facilitate the process of surgical wound closure, to improve the quality of scar, and to achieve a good cosmetic effect through the introduction of a new type of suture material. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We have introduced a new surgical suturing material-a nontraumatic, barbed thread connected with the suture needle-APTOS SUTURE (European patent 1075843 as of 1999). Presented herein is a new modification of the technique of uninterrupted subcutaneous and intracutaneous suturing of wound edges, and the details of our experience with this material. RESULTS: Our experience shows that, with use of APTOS, wound closure is carried out easily and quickly. The wound remains stable, the time of healing is shortened, and the process of suture removal is simplified, resulting in an aesthetically pleasing scar. CONCLUSIONS: The technique of surgical wound suturing proposed herein is a simple, facilitated, and efficient option of wound-edge closure, which can successfully be used, both in general and in aesthetic surgery for wound closure, such as plasty of scars, face lift, mammoplasty, and abdominal plasty.