APTOS Thread Lift Review: A Real Case for Jowls and Double Chin in Her 60s

I'm Dr. Jong Hoon Lee, a doctor at Gangnam HERA in Seoul. I co-authored LIFTINGOLOGY, I have run more than 20 hands-on thread-lifting seminars for other physicians, and in 2026 I completed the official APTOS Professional Course in Georgia. Many international patients ask me for an "APTOS thread lift review" before they book. Instead of describing it, in this video I filmed one complete case, from design to the finished result, on a patient in her late sixties.

My short answer: an APTOS thread lift can lift jowls, soften folds and tighten a loose double chin without surgery — but after 50 it needs more threads, an even spread and usually a little help from filler.

Who was the patient, and what bothered her?

A 68-year-old mother whose son was getting married the following month, and who suddenly noticed her folds, jowls and double chin in the mirror. She also felt her forehead had become hollow. Like many patients her age, she had thought about a surgical lift but was frightened of surgery, and wanted to know how far a non-surgical method could take her.

When I examined her, the nasolabial folds had dropped noticeably, the marionette lines were deep, and the jowls — what Koreans call simsulbo, the heavy pouch beside the chin — had descended. Under the chin, the platysma bands (the vertical bands of neck muscle) had stretched, which made the double chin and the vertical neck lines more visible.

How did I design the thread lift?

Two separate plans: NAMICA threads for the face, and long Light Lift 50 threads for the double chin. I draw the design on the skin before anything goes in, because the direction of each thread decides where the tissue goes.

The face: NAMICA threads for folds, marionette lines and jowls

For the mid and lower face I used APTOS NAMICA 19 threads. In the video I showed the effect I was aiming for by lifting the skin with my hands — the difference between pulled and not pulled. In the end I placed five NAMICA threads on the face, running through the nasolabial fold area, the marionette area and the jowls, to lift them as a single unit rather than spot by spot.

The double chin: a hammock of Light Lift 50

For the double chin I used two Light Lift 50 threads in what we call a hammock technique. The threads pass from near one ear, under the chin, to the other side, and then back again, like a sling. They gather the stretched platysma bands and the soft tissue under the jaw. Because the double chin and the face are lifted together, the jawline gains much clearer definition than if I had treated the face alone.

What did it look like right after?

The jawline and the area under the chin were visibly tighter, and the lines did not show from the side or when she bowed her head. I checked both angles on camera, because a neck thread that looks fine from the front can still show when the head moves.

There was a small amount of skin bunching where tissue had been gathered. At that level, I expected it to settle quickly. If you are reading reviews, this is worth knowing: a little puckering in the first days is common after a thread lift, and it is different from a thread that has been placed badly. Our thread lift patient guide goes through candidacy, thread types and recovery in more detail.

Why do patients over 50 need more threads?

Because the sagging is no longer in one spot — it is spread across the whole lower face, so the lift has to be spread evenly too. In your twenties or thirties the skin still has good elasticity, so even a few threads can lift the whole area. In the fifties and sixties, if I lift unevenly, one part is pulled hard while another part is left wrinkled and crumpled. That uneven look is what makes a thread lift look "done".

There is a second point. Many older patients also have hollows — a sunken forehead, flattened cheeks. A thread pulls tissue; it does not add volume. If I pull without thinking about the hollows, they can look deeper. So part of the skill is lifting in a way that does not make the hollow areas worse. This case was not an easy one, either for placing the threads or for the filler work that went with it.

Can one thread lift fix everything?

No. It is important not to over-pull, and to make the lift last — and that usually means combining methods rather than asking threads to do it all. Patients sometimes want threads to fix both the sagging and every hollow. I prefer to combine treatments in small amounts so they support each other. In this case the threads handled the lift and filler handled the volume the forehead and face had lost.

My aim with a case like this is a face that looks rested and younger, within a range that is not overdone or awkward. I don't promise a number of years, because that depends on your skin, your sagging and how your body responds; what I can do is tell you honestly what I expect for your face before we start. If your concern is mainly the neck, who a neck thread lift suits and what it cannot do is a good next read.

What aftercare matters after a face and neck thread lift?

Avoid pressure on the face, avoid opening your mouth very wide, and if you had a neck thread, move your shoulders with your head.

• No pressure. Sleeping on your side or pressing on the face can push on tissue that is still settling around the threads.
• Small mouth movements. Very wide yawning or biting into large food stretches the area early on.
• Turn with your shoulders. After a neck thread, turning the head alone pulls on the hammock under the chin. Letting the shoulders move with the head keeps the tension even.

You receive written aftercare instructions on the day, and an English interpreter is with you throughout the visit. If you are flying in, the complete guide to thread lifts in Korea covers timing and recovery for travelers.

Is an APTOS thread lift only for older patients?

No. This patient was in her sixties, but patients in their twenties and thirties can also benefit — often with just a small change. When an APTOS lift is combined with a little filler, even a slight improvement in the line of the jaw can create a cleaner V-line. Age is not the deciding factor; the degree of sagging and the quality of the skin are.

The honest limits

A thread lift repositions tissue; it does not remove skin. When there is a lot of excess skin, threads cannot give the same result as surgery, and I will tell you that at consultation rather than sell you more threads. Bruising, swelling, temporary puckering and a feeling of tightness are possible, and results vary from person to person. APTOS threads absorb slowly — the manufacturer and our clinic guidance give up to about 24 months — but the face keeps aging, so maintenance is part of the plan.

What I liked about this case is that it shows the whole process honestly: the design, the threads, the result on the day and the parts that still needed time to settle. You can read more about the threads themselves on our APTOS thread lift page, and see real HERA results in our before-and-after gallery.