Study and Analysis of the Clinical Effects and Maintenance Duration of Facial Rejuvenation Treatment in Middle-Aged and Elderly Individuals through the Combined Use of Facial Hyaluronic Acid Fillers and PPDO Thread Lift.

[OBJECTIVE] This study aims to compare the clinical efficacy and longevity of facial rejuvenation treatments using PPDO thread lifts alone versus in combination with facial hyaluronic acid fillers in middle-aged and elderly patients.

[METHODS] A retrospective analysis of case data was conducted on 92 middle-aged and elderly patients treated in our hospital with suboptimal facial contours or signs of aging from January 2016 to January 2017. Patients who exhibited facial aging issues and desired rejuvenation, had complete case data for analysis, received treatments at our hospital, and agreed to 5-year post-treatment follow-up were included. Based on the different treatment interventions received by the patients, they were divided into the control group (n=43) and the observation group (n=49). Patients in the control group received standalone PPDO thread lift intervention, while patients in the observation group received a combination of facial hyaluronic acid filler in addition to the treatment received by the control group. Clinical treatment effects, complication rates, facial improvement maintenance duration, and facial contour scores were compared between the two groups at different time points (preoperative, T0; postoperative 1 month, T1; postoperative 3 months, T2; postoperative 6 months, T3; and postoperative 12 months, T4).

[RESULTS] The observation group, receiving both PPDO thread lifts and hyaluronic acid fillers, demonstrated a significantly higher total effective treatment rate of 89.80% compared to 72.09% in the control group treated solely with PPDO thread lifts. Within the initial month post-surgery, the observation group experienced rates of facial pain, swelling, bruising, concavity, and thread extrusion at 61.22%, 53.06%, 30.61%, 20.41%, and 0.00%, respectively, while the control group experienced rates at 55.81%, 48.84%, 39.53%, 20.93%, and 2.33%, respectively. No significant difference in complication rates was observed between the two groups (P > .05). The combined treatment method resulted in a significantly prolonged facial improvement maintenance duration, averaging 4.67 years, compared to 4.13 years in the control group. At T0, facial contour scores showed no significant difference between the groups (P > .05); however, at T1, T2, T3, and T4, the observation group exhibited significantly higher scores compared to the control group (P < .05). Although there were variations in the types of complications, the overall rates of complications did not show a significant difference between the two groups, thus affirming the safety of the combined treatment.

[CONCLUSION] The study concludes that combining facial hyaluronic acid fillers with PPDO thread lifts offers superior facial rejuvenation outcomes and longer-lasting effects without increasing complication risks, proving to be a highly safe and effective strategy for middle-aged and elderly patients seeking facial aesthetic improvements.