Aktuelle Dermatologie 2004; 30 - 82
DOI: 10.1055/s-2004-835608

Lifting of soft tissues: old philosophy, new approach – A method of internal stitching (APTOS NEEDLE)

MA Sulamanidze 1, TG Paikidze 1, GM Sulamanidze 1
  • 1Clinic of Plastic and Aesthetic Surgery, Total Charm, Moscow, Russia

Carrying out aesthetic operations aimed at lifting soft tissues (face lift – classic or endoscopic, mastopexy, etc.) envisages moving subcutaneous soft tissues to a new, aesthetically more advantageous, higher position, and stitching them with noose sutures. The same aim is pursued by the method APTOS THREAD – a method allowing of lifting soft tissues by means of specially designed threads provided with microscopic angle-wise projections. While the former is used only in an open operational wound, making it possible to achieve stable, long-term outcomes, the latter is minimally invasive, to be performed with no cuts, not always, however, with a long-term effect. We have decided to unite the possibility of stitching soft tissues with noose sutures without mobilization thereof with the advantage of the minimally invasive APTOS THREAD method, to have devised a specially designed atraumatic needle which we called the APTOS NEEDLE and developed a new technology of soft tissue lifting without skin cuts. The APTOS NEEDLE is double-edged, while the tissue-suturing thread is factory-connected with the needle in the middle. Depending on the nature of the operation, the needle may be either straight, or curved along the circumference. Such a needle possesses a possibility of bilateral passability which does provide its passage under the skin along a polygonal or long contour without completely emerging to the skin surface, which makes it possible for the thread to pass under the skin, allowing subcutaneous stitching of soft tissues, without skin retractions, to finally yield an even pulled up contour. The APTOS NEEDLE method makes it possible to carry out the operations aimed at lifting the soft tissues of the forehead, lateral portions of the brow, buccozygomatic areas, sagged neck, as well as mastopexy. We have used this method since May 2003 in a total of 82 cases. The operations are carried out fast and easily, with neither operational wound, nor haemorrhage, accompanied by inconsiderably pronounced postoperative pain syndrome, absence of a cutaneous wound and scar, it all followed by a short rehabilitation period with a long-lasting and stable post-interventional effect.