The Genoese plastic surgeon, Sergio Capurro, was invited to present his innovative ambulatory elastic lifting procedures of the face and neck at the IMCAS World Congress, which was held in Paris from 28th to 31st January, 2016.
These elastic lifting procedures of the face and neck aroused considerable interest on account of their efficacy, the natural appearance of their results and, especially, their minimally invasive nature. These new lifting techniques have been made possible by the invention of an elastic surgical thread; this non-absorbable thread is impalpable, does not cut into the tissues, and is transformed into a ligament. The elastic thread is mounted on an atraumatic two-tipped needle, which allows these lifting procedures to be carried out without, or with only minimal, skin dissection.
Elastic Plastic Surgery, as this technique that uses the elastic thread is called, does not require any dissection of the skin of the cheeks or neck. Even elastic lifting of the eyebrows and the periocular tissues is carried out without skin dissection in the temporal region; the excess tissues are simply restored to their original position through incisions of a few millimeters. The only exception is elastic MACS lifting, in which the incision runs around the sideburn and stops at the tragus, and skin dissection extends only slightly beyond the zygomatic arch.
The idea behind these new lifting procedures that use elastic threads is that we cannot really rejuvenate the patient by carrying out extensive skin dissection. Tissue dissection causes vascular, trophic and nerve damage. It damages a biological asset which the author wishes to maintain and improve through these revolutionary techniques. As the elastic thread is impalpable and is transformed into a ligament, it also finds application in procedures for lifting the breasts and buttocks.