How a cone structure holds soft tissue differently from a barbed thread, which findings it is selected for, and where it is not the right choice.
Most thread lifting is explained in terms of pulling. A thread goes in, tissue is drawn upward, and the face is tighter. That description covers part of what happens and leaves out the part that determines whether the result looks like a face that has been restored or a face that has been tightened.
Silhouette Soft is built around a different structural idea, and understanding it explains why it is chosen for a particular kind of finding rather than as a general-purpose option. Instead of features that grip along the length of a thread, it carries cones arranged so that they engage tissue from two directions.
This page covers what that structure does, which findings it is selected for, why repositioning is a different objective from pulling, and where the material is not the right selection. The other two thread types used at Edition have their own pages, as does the deep cheek region in detail.
Silhouette Soft is a poly-L-lactic acid thread carrying cones in a bidirectional arrangement. The cones engage soft tissue over a broader contact area than a barbed thread does, and because they oppose one another the tissue is gathered and supported between them rather than dragged along a line. At Edition it is selected where the finding is descent of soft tissue that still carries volume — midface descent and deep cheek descent in particular — because that is a repositioning problem rather than an edge-moving one. It holds for approximately one year to a year and a half. Where the finding is a collapsed contour line, or where change in the skin itself is part of the aim, a different material suits better.
On this page
- Why the structure matters
- What a bidirectional cone arrangement does
- Repositioning is not the same objective as pulling
- The findings it is selected for
- What the material is, and how long it holds
- Two things patients read into the name
- Where it is not the right selection
- How it is combined with other materials
- What to expect afterwards
- What the structure needs from the tissue around it
- Questions patients ask
Why the structure matters
All lifting threads solve the same basic problem: how to grip soft tissue firmly enough to move it, without cutting through the tissue you are gripping.
There is more than one solution, and the solution chosen determines how force is distributed. A thread that engages at many small points along its length concentrates force at those points. A thread that engages through a smaller number of larger structures distributes it across a broader contact area.
Neither is better in the abstract. They suit different tasks, and the task is set by the finding.
Where a defined boundary has to be moved decisively and held — a contour that has collapsed — concentrated engagement along a line is the appropriate instrument, and that is the reasoning behind the PDO options. Where a body of soft tissue that still carries volume has to be lifted and supported without being dragged, distributed engagement is what the job calls for.
What a bidirectional cone arrangement does
The cones are the distinguishing feature, and "bidirectional" is the operative word.
Cones on one portion of the thread face one way; cones on the other portion face the opposite way. The consequence is that tissue is not simply pulled along the thread in a single direction. It is engaged from two sides and held between the opposing sets — gathered and supported rather than dragged.
Three practical consequences follow.
Force is distributed rather than concentrated. A cone presents a broader bearing surface to the tissue it engages than a small barb does, which spreads the load. That matters most in tissue that carries volume, where concentrated points of engagement have more mass to hold and correspondingly more force at each point.
Tissue is compacted between the opposing sets. Because the two directions of engagement work against each other, soft tissue between them is drawn together. In a region that has descended and flattened, this restores some fullness to where the tissue is being held — the shape as well as the position changes.
The correction is supported rather than suspended. The distinction is not merely verbal. A suspended correction depends entirely on the anchor; a supported one distributes the work across the structure holding it.
Repositioning is not the same objective as pulling
At Edition, the description of what this thread is used for is specific: it holds descended soft tissue, and it repositions that tissue in cases of midface descent that still carries volume and of deep cheek descent.
The word doing the work there is repositioning. It is worth separating it from pulling, because the two produce different-looking results.
Pulling moves tissue along a line and holds it further up that line. If the line is correct, the outcome is good. If it is not — or if the tissue in question is a volume rather than an edge — the result is a face under tension, which reads as tight.
Repositioning returns a body of tissue towards the location it previously occupied, restoring where it sits rather than only how taut it is. A midface that has descended has not merely fallen; it has left an emptiness above and created fullness below. Moving that tissue back addresses both at once, whereas tightening the region addresses neither.
This is why the finding matters so much more than the material. A cone structure applied along the wrong vector still produces a tightened face — it just does so with a broader contact area. Direction is decided before the material is chosen, and how it is designed is set out in the page on thread direction and vector.
The findings it is selected for
Two presentations point towards this material.
Midface descent with volume. The soft tissue of the middle of the face has moved downward and it still carries substance. The face reads as heavier below and emptier above — the same material, in the wrong place. This is a repositioning problem, and it is what a supporting structure is for.
Deep cheek descent. The deep tissue of the cheek sitting lower than it did, which frequently takes the jawline down with it. The tissue involved is a body rather than an edge, so distributed engagement is appropriate; the region itself and what a lift does to the jawline through it are covered in the page on deep cheek descent.
Both descriptions have the same shape: something with mass has travelled, and the task is to put it back and hold it there. Where the finding instead is a boundary that has lost its definition, a different property is called for.
What the material is, and how long it holds
Silhouette Soft is made of poly-L-lactic acid, usually written PLLA. It is absorbable, and it is used in a range of medical applications.
Two effects follow from it, as with any absorbable lifting thread. The mechanical effect is immediate: tissue is engaged, repositioned, and held. The biological effect develops as the material is absorbed over the following months, and it is why the appearance continues to settle rather than being fixed on the day — a degree of change is apparent immediately, with tissue stabilising and the change becoming more natural over roughly one to three months.
At Edition the confirmed figure for how long the result is maintained is approximately one year to one year and six months, with variation according to individual skin elasticity and how far ageing has progressed. Weight change, lifestyle, the region treated, the state of the tissue and the degree of descent all bear on it as well. How this compares with the other materials is set out in the page on how long a thread lift lasts.
Two things patients read into the name
The word "soft" in the product name does a certain amount of unintended work in consultations, and it is worth separating what it refers to from what people take it to mean.
It does not mean a weaker lift. Patients frequently assume a ranking in which one material lifts strongly and another lifts gently, and choose accordingly. That is not the axis the selection runs on. The difference is in how force is distributed and what kind of tissue that distribution suits, not in how much correction is achievable. A cone structure applied to the finding it fits produces a full correction of that finding.
It does not mean a subtler result. How visible a change is depends on how far the tissue has to travel, how much of it there is, and how much of the correction the covering transmits — none of which is a property of the thread. A patient hoping for an understated outcome is describing a design decision about how much to move, which is discussed directly rather than approached through the choice of material.
There is a related misreading worth naming, because it costs people money. Comparing thread types by price or by name across clinics, without knowing which finding each is being proposed for, compares things that are not comparable. Two quotes for two materials are answers to two different questions unless the same examination sits behind both, and the examination is the part that determines whether either answer is right. A number attached to a material tells you what the material costs; it tells you nothing about whether it is the one your face calls for.
Where it is not the right selection
Three findings point away from it.
A collapsed contour line. Where the presentation is a defined boundary that has broken — a jawline edge that has lost its shape — the requirement is decisive engagement along that line rather than distributed support across a body of tissue. That is what the PDO options are selected for, and their reasoning is set out in the page on PDO threads.
Where the aim includes change in the skin itself. Lifting addresses position. Where the concern also includes the quality of the covering, a material selected with that in view fits better, which is what Aptos is used for.
Where the finding is volume loss rather than descent. This is the boundary that applies to every thread type. If tissue has diminished rather than travelled, there is nothing to reposition into the hollow, and gathering what remains does not fill it. Distinguishing the two is the subject of the page on Skin, Fat, or Retaining Ligament.
There is also the qualifying finding that applies regardless of material: skin condition. Where the covering has substantially reduced recoil, less of any correction transmits to the surface and less of it holds, whatever structure is used to achieve it.
How it is combined with other materials
A patient may receive more than one thread type in a single procedure, and the reason is straightforward once the logic above is clear.
Findings differ across a face. A midface carrying descended volume and a jawline whose edge has collapsed are two different problems occurring on the same person, and there is no reason to treat both with whichever material suits one of them. Where the examination finds both, the design uses each material where its property is the appropriate one.
This is a consequence of designing from findings rather than from a product list. It is not a package, and it is not an escalation — it is what happens when a face presents with more than one thing.
What to expect afterwards
Recovery is not materially different by thread type, so this is brief and the detail sits in the aftercare pages.
Swelling and a sensation of tightness are usual for around 3 to 7 days. Bruising varies with skin condition and individual healing. Temporary unevenness or a pulling sensation can occur while tissue settles, usually improving within one to two weeks.
Most patients return to work and ordinary activity from the following day, with washing and light make-up possible from then, taking care around the treated area. Vigorous exercise and alcohol are generally avoided for about two weeks, saunas from around two weeks onward, and for the first fortnight facial massage, strong pressure and sleeping face-down are best avoided. Strong-pressure treatments such as deep manual massage are avoided for at least three months. Progress is reviewed at around one month.
What the structure needs from the tissue around it
A cone holds by presenting a surface to the tissue it sits in. That is a different mechanism from a barb, which engages by catching, and it has a consequence that is easy to overlook: the cone needs something to press against.
Where soft tissue is reasonably plentiful and mobile, there is ample material for the cone to engage, and the hold is distributed across the surface it meets. Where the layer is very thin, there is less of it in contact and the same structure has less to work with. Where tissue has become fibrotic — after repeated procedures, or where scarring has formed for another reason — it is present but it does not move, and a structure designed to reposition tissue cannot reposition tissue that is tethered.
This is the anatomical reason behind the selection criteria set out above, and it explains why the same material is a good choice in one face and not in another with a similar outward complaint. The question is not only what the threads are; it is what they will have to hold.
Questions patients ask
Are cones better than barbs?
They are different rather than better. Cones distribute force across a broader contact area and hold tissue between opposing sets, which suits repositioning a body of tissue. Barbs concentrate engagement along a line, which suits moving a boundary decisively. The finding decides which is appropriate.
Will the cones be palpable?
Some patients notice a sensation of the threads being palpable in the early period, along with tightness and slight asymmetry, as the tissue adapts and settles. This generally stabilises with time. Where it persists, the area is examined directly rather than left.
Does it give more volume to my cheeks?
It repositions tissue that has descended and gathers it between the opposing sets of cones, which can restore fullness where that tissue now sits. It does not add volume. Where the finding is genuine volume loss rather than displacement, a volume-based approach is what addresses it.
Why does it last longer than PDO?
Different materials are absorbed over different periods. PLLA persists longer than PDO, which is reflected in the figures — approximately one year to a year and a half against approximately 6 to 8 months. Duration is a property of the material rather than a measure of how well it lifts.
Can I request Silhouette Soft specifically?
You can raise it. Whether it is appropriate depends on what the examination finds, and a material decided in advance becomes a constraint on a plan that has not been made yet. The selection follows from skin elasticity, fat distribution, and the cause of the descent.
How many threads are used?
The average across thread lifting at Edition is around 14, adjusted for the degree of descent, skin thickness, the amount of fat, facial structure, and the direction of lift intended. The number follows from the design rather than being set beforehand.
About the author
Dae-hee Han, MD — Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon (specialist certificate No. 2045, issued 3 March 2014; medical licence 00394, issued 26 February 2009). Master’s degree, Ajou University School of Medicine. Training at the Craniofacial Center, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taiwan (2013), and the IFAAS Mini Fellowship, University of Florida, USA (2016). Three rhinoplasty papers published in SCIE-indexed international journals. More than 4,500 nose surgeries — Dr. Han’s career total from 2017 to 2025, counted from medical records. Eighteen years in practice since medical licensure in 2009; thirteen years as a board-certified plastic surgeon. He carries out consultation, surgery and follow-up personally; fee guidance is given by the clinic’s consultation manager.
Last reviewed: 2026-08-15
Clinic information
Edition Plastic Surgery Clinic & Dermatology
6F, OPUS 407, 407 Gangnam-daero, Seocho-gu, Seoul 06614, Republic of Korea
One minute on foot from Gangnam Station Exit 10
Tel +82-2-591-0100 · editionprs@gmail.com
Consultation hours: Monday to Friday 10:00–19:00 · Saturday 10:00–17:00 · closed Sundays and public holidays
Disclaimer
Individual results may vary. Bleeding, infection, swelling, asymmetry, and scarring can occur. Please decide after a full consultation with a board-certified specialist.
This page is general medical information. It is not a diagnosis, and it does not promise a particular outcome. Surgical fees are given after an in-person consultation.