SUMMARY
There is no literature comparing the effectiveness of laser-cutting or molded barbed polydioxanone (PDO) threads when used in protocols for facial lifting. The objective of this study was to compare the efficiency of laser-cutting (n=10) or molded (n=15) threads in facial lifting procedures. Adverse events, quality of treatments, and self-perception facial improvement were investigated immediately and after 90 days of the clinical procedures. Data pointed that the most prevalent adverse events reported by the patients, for both threads, were pain and sensation of skin traction at the intervention sites (56%). According to the Numeric Visual Scale (NVS), the molded thread received score 10 in 42.8% of the patients. It was observed more reports of major (n=32) and noticeable (n=46) facial aesthetic improvement by patients who received laser-cutting threads. The results suggest that both, laser-cutting or molded threads, cause few adverse events, allow good acceptance by patients, and permit to treat successfully different facial areas.