Aptos Workshop

Dr. Marlen Sulamanidze, Russian plastic surgeon who invented the Aptos Thread, conducted a workshop at the Cardinal Santos Medical Center from 2 to 6 pm on November 4, 2004. He demonstrated Aptos Lift techniques using his patented Aptos threads, wires, springs and needles.

I must admit that when the Aptos Lift was first introduced in the Philippines, I was skeptical of the claims that it could alleviate the problem of sagging skin. I had heard from some of my colleagues that the first few patients who had it done had results that were not so convincing. I surmised that probably it could be just a matter of technique, or it could be one of those new marketing gimmicks we often see in the beauty industry. So I welcomed the visit of Dr. Sulamanidze to Manila since it would give me the opportunity to observe the technique as performed by the inventor himself.

The first patient was a middle aged lady on whom Dr. Sulamanidze demonstrated the use of the Aptos threads for lifting sagging skin of the cheek area and the use of Aptos springs to remove so-called "marionette smiles" which are but vertical wrinkles beginning at the corners of the mouth up to the jaw line. Dr. Sulamanidze patiently showed us his preoperative markings on the face, injected anesthesia into the target areas, and explained how deep the threads should be placed. At the end of the procedure, there was indeed a remarkable lifting of the cheek skin and the disappearance of the marionette smiles.

The second patient was likewise a middle aged lady with sagging cheek skin, neck skin, and fairly deep nasolabial folds. Dr. Sulamanidze this time showed a different technique of lifting the cheek skin with non-barbed polypropylene sutures attached to specially designed Aptos needles, which are either curved or straight needles pointed on both ends with the suture attached to the needle at its middle portion. The threads are applied around triangular areas of subdermal tissue and anchored onto periosteum below the lateral canthal area of the eyelid. Again, there was a remarkable lifting of the cheek and neck skin. The nasolabial folds were treated by cutting the skin attachments using the Aptos wire which was threaded around the folds.

I asked Dr. Sulamanidze how long the lifting effect of his Aptos threads would stay. He replied that he has been doing the Aptos Lift since 1998, and results varied from as short as a few months to as long as 5 years. The short-lived results were due to faulty technique or to poor patient compliance in the immediate period after application of the Aptos threads. But Dr. Sulamanidze remarked that these cases could be corrected immediately by reapplication of the Aptos threads.

At the end of the workshop, I was thankful that I now have an alternative procedure to offer to my patients which is nonsurgical but which can lift and support sagging tissues.

More about the Aptos Thread Lift

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