The short answer
A PDO thread lift at our Cashiers office uses absorbable barbed sutures placed under the skin to reposition tissue that has descended with age. It is minimally invasive, performed under local anaesthetic by Anita Dormer, MD, and the effect is temporary because the threads absorb over time.
Send us a short note about what is bothering you and we will reply with available times. First appointments are always an assessment.
Rather ask first? Call 828-998-2798 or speak to the team.
The thread lift conversation almost always starts with a comparison. Patients arrive having read that it is a lunchtime facelift, and the first job at consultation is to correct that: the American Society of Plastic Surgeons is explicit that a thread lift is not a substitute for surgery, and the degree of change is smaller.
Where it does fit is mild to moderate laxity in someone who does not want an operation. For plateau patients that matters practically as well as clinically – the nearest surgical facilities are a long drive down the mountain, and a minimally invasive option performed in Cashiers is a different proposition entirely.
This page is about pdo thread lift alone. medical aesthetics in Cashiers covers the full range at this location.
A PDO thread lift places absorbable barbed sutures under the skin to reposition descended tissue. The threads absorb over months, so the effect fades rather than holding.
The full explanation of how this treatment works, who it suits and what the evidence supports is on the main pdo thread lift page.
| PDO thread lift | Radiofrequency microneedling | Surgical facelift | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Invasiveness | Minimally invasive, local anaesthetic | Non-surgical | Surgical, with anaesthesia |
| Best suited to | Mild to moderate laxity | Texture and early laxity | Advanced laxity |
| Downtime | Several days of swelling and tightness | A few days of redness | Weeks |
| Durability | Temporary – threads absorb over time | Temporary – maintained with sessions | Longest lasting |
| Reversible | No, though the effect fades as threads absorb | Not applicable | No |
| At the Cashiers office | Decided at your assessment, not from this table | Decided at your assessment, not from this table | Decided at your assessment, not from this table |
The patients this suits are usually in their forties and fifties with early descent along the jaw and mid-face, good skin quality, and no wish for surgery. Someone with advanced laxity is better served by an honest conversation about what threads will and will not do.
Risks are discussed in full before anyone commits: bruising, swelling, threads that can be felt or seen, asymmetry and infection are all documented by the ASPS and are all part of the consent conversation at this office.
the juvederm page for Cashiers and the lip filler page for Cashiers come up frequently in the same appointment. Whether they can be combined safely on one visit is decided clinically, not by preference.
This treatment runs at more than one of our locations, including our Asheville PDO Thread Lift treatments.
| Coming from | Approximate drive | Main route |
|---|---|---|
| Highlands | 12 minutes | US-64 West |
| Sapphire | 8 minutes | US-64 East |
| Glenville | 15 minutes | NC-107 North |
| Lake Toxaway | 25 minutes | US-64 East |
| Franklin | 45 minutes | US-64 West then NC-28 |
Full routes, parking notes and travel times are on the page for driving to our Cashiers clinic.
There is no fixed price list on this page, and that is deliberate. Two people asking for the same treatment can need very different amounts of product across a different number of sessions. Costs are worked out at your assessment and confirmed before you commit to anything.
Anita Dormer, MD leads every consultation at this practice. That means the decision about what is appropriate is made by a physician with a working knowledge of facial anatomy, not by a sales conversation.
Background on the practice is on the practice background page.
It is temporary. The threads are absorbable and break down over time, and the supporting effect goes with them. Anyone describing thread lift results as lasting indefinitely is not describing the procedure accurately.
Expect tightness, swelling and possibly bruising for several days, and pause strenuous exercise for a short period. It is a treatment worth booking when you do not have a full social calendar in the week that follows.
No. A facelift is surgical, addresses advanced laxity and lasts far longer. A thread lift is minimally invasive, suits milder laxity and is temporary. The comparison table above sets out the difference.
The ASPS documents bruising, swelling, infection, visible or palpable threads, asymmetry and thread migration. All of these are covered at consultation before any decision is made.
The clinical detail on this page is drawn from the references below, all of which describe treatments in general rather than individual terms.
Book in for an assessment. You will get an honest view of what is achievable, and a plan only if one is warranted. Individual results vary.
