Two philosophies, one name
The split is simpler than it sounds. Smooth threads go under the skin and gradually dissolve, stimulating your own collagen as they do — they work like a biostimulator packed into a thread. Barbed threads (also called cog threads) have micro-structures on their surface that literally "grip" tissue and lift it into a new position — a mechanical lift with results visible right after the treatment.
Smooth threads
biostimulation and improved skin quality
- stimulate your own collagen and elastin production
- improve hydration, density and skin texture
- results build over several weeks after the treatment
- minimal puncture marks, short recovery
- well suited to early loss of firmness
Barbed threads (cog)
mechanical lift and facial recontouring
- immediate, visible tissue lift
- contour correction — cheeks, jawline and neck
- the effect is reinforced by collagen over the following weeks
- require precise planning and technique from the doctor
- ideal candidate: moderate tissue sagging, good skin elasticity
How to recognise what you need — a home test
Before you book a consultation, spend a minute in front of the mirror with one simple question: what actually bothers you? The answer points the way:
- Thin, dull skin, no firmness, fine crepey lines — that's a quality problem, not a gravity problem. Your skin needs nourishment and stimulation from within. Direction: smooth threads or biostimulators.
- Cheeks starting to "drop", a less defined contour, jowls forming — that's a problem of gravity and tissue displacement. Your skin may still be dense, but the tissue has shifted. Direction: barbed threads.
- Both at once — thin skin and visible tissue sagging. This is a common scenario after your forties: biostimulation alone won't lift tissue, and a mechanical lift alone won't improve skin quality. Direction: a combined plan, tailored by your doctor.
- You want a "refresh" without a specific concern — smooth threads are usually enough as a preventive, biostimulating treatment before sagging becomes visible.
When to combine them — the logic of a treatment plan
The best results rarely come from one type of thread used alone. In practice, combining both philosophies — mechanical lifting and biostimulation — gives a fuller, more lasting result than either used on its own. The logic is simple: barbed threads give tissue a new position. Biostimulators and smooth threads improve the environment that has to hold that change in place.
Barbed threads + smooth threads
Structural lift combined with skin biostimulation. Often part of the same treatment plan, though not necessarily the same session.
Smooth threads + biostimulators
for skin that needs regeneration without a mechanical lift: improved density, hydration and firmness over a few sessions.
Barbed threads + biostimulators + hyaluronic acid
a full plan for a face with both volume loss and tissue sagging: lifting, hydration from within, and volume restoration.
Smooth threads + PRP
a natural biostimulation protocol: threads initiate collagen synthesis, platelet-rich plasma supplies growth factors. Results build together over several weeks.
That's why a good consultation before a thread treatment starts with a question: "what's your main concern, and what result are you hoping for?" — not straight away with a specific method. Threads are a tool. The question is: for what purpose?