Profound RF vs. Thread Lift: Which is right for you?

When it comes to lifting and tightening the facial contours, there are several treatments that can help – some more invasive than others. As we age, the skin loses its firmness and elasticity, and our collagen and elastin levels become depleted. The fat pads which give our face its lovely youthful curves shrink, and the bones in our skull start to recede.

Once upon a time, facelift surgery was our only option for combatting these changes, however, over the last decade, the idea of a facelift has become outdated. Thanks to the advancements in medical aesthetic technologies, there’s no need for most people to undergo such an invasive procedure.

Treatments that combine energy-based technologies or regenerative thread techniques can offer awe-inspiring results. Here we take a deep dive into two of the most popular non-surgical skin tightening treatments – the Profound RF and Silhouette Soft – to help you establish which is most suitable for you.

What is radiofrequency microneedling & how does it work?

To put it simply, radiofrequency is all about stimulating collagen production within the skin. Collagen is the most abundant protein in the human body, and it’s responsible for giving our skin its structure and firmness. Our collagen production starts to decline by around one percent a year in our mid-twenties due to both internal and external factors, such as UV light, free radicals, and our diets.

Using a device such as the Profound RF, we can deliver radiofrequency and microneedling waves into the skin, causing tiny micro-wounds, making the skin think it is injured. When this occurs, our skin starts throwing out growth factors and new collagen to heal the perceived wounds; in due course, these show up on the surface as smoother, firmer and tighter skin.

Typically, radiofrequency does this by heating the lower layers of the skin (the dermis) to 42 degrees C, but the Profound RF penetrates much deeper into the facial tissues heating them to 67 degrees C, therefore stimulating a much stronger response.

The Profound RF isn’t your usual skin tightening treatment – it’s a doctor-led procedure that is clinically proven to deliver approximately one-third of a facelift in just one treatment. It can be used to treat the mid-face, jowls, neck and jawline and results last for several years.

What is a thread lift?

The most well-known brand in the thread-lifting market is Silhouette Soft, which uses poly-L-lactic acid sutures. They are threaded through the face underneath the top layer of the skin, from a starting point in the hairline, down through the cheek. The threads have tiny cones running along them, so as they are pulled tight, they lift the skin tissues and anchor them into a new position.

Silhouette Soft provides an instant physical lift and stimulates the body to restore the collagen that age has diminished. Similarly to the Profound RF, threads can be used in the jowls, the chin, the neck and the midface, but the results only last for approximately eighteen months.

Which is right for me?

The Silhouette Soft procedure itself is relatively comfortable, but you may be pretty sore, swollen, and the skin’s surface may appear uneven for several days afterwards. It’s also essential that patients are cautious with exercise and facial expressions for about three weeks. Over-exerting yourself can potentially loosen the threads and therefore lose some of the effects until you are healed.

When it comes to the Profound RF, you should expect approximately 5-7 days of downtime, but the difference is that you don’t face any of those restrictions when returning to a normal lifestyle. The Profound can treat areas where the skin is relatively thin and is suitable for a broader range of patients.

The result you will achieve with both treatments very much depends on what your face is like and what you would like to achieve. Ultimately, the best choice for you comes down to your own specific requirements, which can be established during a consultation with an experienced practitioner before deciding to go ahead.

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