Smooth PDO Threads: Stimulating Your Skin’s Natural Ability to Look Younger
Beautiful Skin Doesn’t Always Require Surgery
Many people notice subtle changes in their appearance long before they’re ready to consider surgery.
The skin feels thinner.
Fine lines become more noticeable.
The jawline loses definition.
The face simply doesn’t look as firm or vibrant as it once did.
Fortunately, modern facial aesthetics offers treatments that work with your body’s natural biology rather than simply masking the signs of aging.
One of the most exciting advancements is Smooth PDO Threads. A minimally invasive treatment that stimulates your own collagen production to gradually improve skin quality, firmness, and overall facial rejuvenation.
At her Henderson, Nevada practice, Marielaina Perrone, DDS, incorporates Smooth PDO Threads into personalized facial rejuvenation plans designed to restore youthful skin while preserving natural facial expression and harmony.
Because the goal isn’t to look different. It’s to look like a healthier, more refreshed version of yourself.
What Are Smooth PDO Threads?
Smooth PDO (polydioxanone) threads are tiny, absorbable medical sutures placed just beneath the skin to stimulate your body’s natural healing response. Unlike lifting threads, Smooth PDO Threads are not designed to physically pull or reposition tissue.
Instead, they encourage your skin to produce new collagen and elastin. The proteins responsible for youthful skin firmness, elasticity, and texture. As the threads naturally dissolve over several months, the newly formed collagen continues supporting the skin long after the threads have disappeared.
Why Collagen Matters
Beginning in our late twenties, collagen production gradually slows.
As collagen declines, the skin begins to lose:
- Firmness
- Elasticity
- Volume
- Smooth texture
- Structural support
This natural aging process contributes to:
- Fine lines
- Wrinkles
- Crepey skin
- Mild skin laxity
- Loss of facial definition
Smooth PDO Threads work by encouraging your body to rebuild some of this lost collagen naturally.
Are Smooth PDO Threads Right for Your Skin Goals?
Smooth PDO threads are not designed to create dramatic surgical lifting or replace lost facial volume. Their role is more subtle: supporting gradual skin rejuvenation and collagen remodeling. Select each question to decide whether this approach fits your goals.
1. What Would You Like to Improve?Start with the concern—not the treatment
Facial aging does not happen in only one way. Fine lines, texture changes, loss of firmness, volume loss, and skin laxity are different concerns and may require different solutions. Smooth PDO threads may be considered when the goal is gradual improvement in skin quality rather than significant lifting or replacement of lost volume.
✓ Fine lines and early textural changes
✓ Mild loss of firmness
✓ Crepey or aging skin appearance
✓ Desire for gradual, subtle rejuvenation
“Successful facial rejuvenation begins by understanding what bothers the patient—not by choosing a treatment first.”
— Marielaina Perrone, DDS
2. What Exactly Are Smooth PDO Threads?Understanding what the treatment can—and cannot—do
Smooth PDO threads are absorbable polydioxanone sutures placed beneath the skin. Unlike barbed lifting threads, smooth threads are not primarily intended to mechanically reposition sagging tissue. They are placed to create a controlled tissue response as the material gradually dissolves, with collagen formation and remodeling occurring around the treated area.
✓ They are not dermal fillers
✓ They do not work like Botox®
✓ They are not a surgical facelift
✓ Improvement develops gradually rather than instantly
3. Smooth PDO Threads, Botox, or Juvederm?Different treatments solve different problems
These treatments are not interchangeable. Botox® is used to temporarily reduce targeted muscle activity. Hyaluronic acid fillers such as Juvederm® are used to add or restore volume in selected areas. Smooth PDO threads take a different approach by encouraging a tissue-healing and collagen response.
✓ Botox®: targets selected muscle movement
✓ Juvederm®: restores or adds volume
✓ Smooth PDO Threads: focus on gradual tissue remodeling and skin quality
“The question should not be which treatment is better. The question is which treatment addresses the change we are trying to improve.”
— Marielaina Perrone, DDS
4. When Will You See a Difference?Think gradual improvement—not overnight transformation
Because smooth PDO thread treatment relies partly on the body’s tissue response, results develop over time and vary among patients. Early changes may be subtle, with additional improvement appearing as collagen remodeling progresses over the following weeks and months.
✓ Immediately after: temporary swelling, tenderness, bruising, or redness can occur
✓ Following weeks: the treatment area settles as the tissue response develops
✓ Following months: collagen remodeling may contribute to gradual improvement
✓ Longer term: results and longevity vary by patient, treatment area, and plan
5. Who May Be a Good Candidate?Matching expectations to realistic outcomes
Smooth PDO threads may appeal to patients experiencing early skin changes who want a minimally invasive approach and understand that improvement is generally subtle and progressive. A consultation is necessary to evaluate skin condition, medical history, medications, anatomy, and treatment goals.
✓ Early or mild signs of skin aging
✓ Interest in collagen-focused rejuvenation
✓ Preference for subtle rather than dramatic change
✓ Realistic expectations about results and longevity
6. What Should a Good Result Look Like?Refreshed skin without looking overtreated
The goal of smooth PDO thread treatment is not to create a different face. When appropriately selected and performed, the desired change is subtle—skin that appears refreshed, smoother, firmer, or healthier without an obvious sign that a cosmetic treatment was performed.
✓ Subtle improvement in skin quality
✓ Softer appearance of selected fine lines
✓ Improved appearance of firmness or texture in appropriate cases
✓ Natural facial expression remains unchanged
“The goal isn’t to make someone look different. It’s to help the skin look naturally refreshed while preserving what makes the face individual.”
— Marielaina Perrone, DDS
7. Can Smooth PDO Threads Be Part of a Larger Plan?Facial aging rarely has only one cause
Muscle movement, volume loss, skin quality, pigmentation, texture, and laxity are separate components of facial aging. For appropriate patients, smooth PDO threads may therefore be considered as one part of a broader rejuvenation strategy rather than expected to correct every concern by themselves.
✓ Botox® for selected dynamic expression lines
✓ Dermal fillers for selected volume concerns
✓ Skin treatments chosen for texture, tone, or surface concerns
✓ Professional skincare and sun protection for ongoing maintenance
8. Are Smooth PDO Threads Worth Considering for You?The answer depends on the result you actually want
Smooth PDO threads may be worth considering when your goal is gradual skin rejuvenation rather than dramatic lifting, muscle relaxation, or volume replacement. They are less likely to satisfy someone expecting an immediate or surgical-level transformation. The decision should follow an evaluation of your anatomy, health history, skin condition, and expectations.
✓ You prefer subtle improvement
✓ You understand results develop gradually
✓ Your primary concern involves skin quality rather than major volume loss
✓ You have realistic expectations about nonsurgical treatment
“Good aesthetic treatment isn’t about doing everything possible. It’s about choosing what makes sense for that person, at that moment.”
— Marielaina Perrone, DDS
A Personalized Approach to Facial Rejuvenation
Smooth PDO threads are not appropriate for every patient or every aesthetic concern. Treatment recommendations should follow an in-person assessment of skin quality, facial anatomy, medical history, medications, goals, risks, and available alternatives. Results, recovery, and longevity vary.
A Natural Approach to Facial Rejuvenation
One of the reasons Smooth PDO Threads have become increasingly popular is that they don’t dramatically change your appearance. Instead, they gradually improve skin quality over time.
Patients often notice:
- Firmer skin
- Improved texture
- Softer fine lines
- Better elasticity
- Healthier-looking skin
- More youthful facial contours
Because collagen develops gradually, the improvements appear subtle and natural. Friends often notice you look refreshed without realizing why.
Areas That Can Be Treated
Smooth PDO Threads are versatile and can improve skin quality in several areas, including:
- Cheeks
- Jawline
- Neck
- Around the mouth
- Smile lines
- Forehead
- Under the eyes
- Décolletage
Treatment recommendations are customized according to each patient’s anatomy and aesthetic goals.
More Than Skin Tightening
Smooth PDO Threads do more than stimulate collagen.
Many patients appreciate improvements in:
- Skin texture
- Skin tone
- Fine wrinkles
- Mild laxity
- Overall facial quality
Rather than creating an artificial appearance, the treatment supports your skin’s own ability to repair and rejuvenate itself.
Combining Treatments for Beautiful Balance
Facial aging rarely affects just one area.
For many patients, Smooth PDO Threads become part of a comprehensive facial rejuvenation plan that may also include:
- Botox® Cosmetic
- Juvéderm® dermal fillers
- Professional skincare
- Cosmetic dentistry
- Smile enhancement
By addressing both the smile and surrounding facial features, Dr. Perrone creates results that appear balanced, refreshed, and completely natural.
Precision Matters
Facial aesthetics require an in-depth understanding of facial anatomy.
As both a cosmetic dentist and facial aesthetics provider, Dr. Perrone has extensive knowledge of the muscles, soft tissues, lips, and facial proportions that influence overall appearance. Every treatment is carefully planned to enhance, not overpower your natural features.
Advanced Technology for Greater Comfort
Dr. Perrone also incorporates AccuVein® technology to enhance patient safety and comfort.
AccuVein projects a real-time map of superficial veins beneath the skin, allowing injections and thread placement to be performed with greater precision.
Benefits include:
- Reduced bruising
- Improved accuracy
- Greater patient comfort
- Enhanced safety
- Faster recovery
Few dental facial aesthetic practices offer this additional level of technology.
Why Patients Choose Dr. Marielaina Perrone
Patients throughout Henderson and the Las Vegas area choose Dr. Perrone because she combines:
- More than 25 years of clinical experience
- Advanced facial aesthetics training
- Expertise in facial anatomy
- Conservative treatment philosophy
- Artistic eye for facial harmony
- Personalized one-on-one care
Every treatment is designed around one simple principle:
Natural results that help you look refreshed, not altered.
A More Youthful Appearance Starts With Healthy Skin
Beautiful skin isn’t created overnight. It’s built by supporting your body’s natural ability to repair, strengthen, and rejuvenate itself.
Smooth PDO Threads offer a minimally invasive way to stimulate collagen, improve skin quality, and restore youthful facial balance without surgery or extended downtime.
If you’re looking for subtle, natural facial rejuvenation in Henderson or the greater Las Vegas area, schedule a consultation with Marielaina Perrone, DDS, to learn whether Smooth PDO Threads may be the right choice for your goals.
Because the most successful facial aesthetics don’t change who you are. They simply help your natural beauty shine through.
Frequently Asked Questions About Smooth PDO Threads
What are Smooth PDO threads used for?
Smooth PDO threads are designed to stimulate your body’s natural collagen production and improve skin quality rather than dramatically lift sagging tissue. They can help soften fine lines, improve skin firmness, enhance texture, and create a smoother, more youthful appearance in areas such as the cheeks, jawline, neck, and around the eyes.
How long do Smooth PDO thread results last?
While the PDO threads naturally dissolve within several months, the collagen they stimulate continues to support the skin. Most patients enjoy noticeable improvements for approximately 12 to 18 months, although individual results vary depending on age, skin quality, and lifestyle.
Are Smooth PDO threads better than dermal fillers?
They serve different purposes. Dermal fillers restore lost facial volume, while Smooth PDO threads stimulate collagen production to improve skin texture and firmness over time. In many cases, combining PDO threads with dermal fillers and Botox Cosmetic provides the most balanced, natural-looking facial rejuvenation.
Is there any downtime after Smooth PDO thread treatment?
Most patients experience only mild swelling, tenderness, or bruising that typically resolves within a few days. Because the procedure is minimally invasive, many people return to normal daily activities shortly after treatment, although strenuous exercise should be avoided for the first few days.
Can Smooth PDO threads help me look younger without surgery?
Yes. Smooth PDO threads are an excellent option for patients seeking gradual, natural-looking facial rejuvenation without the downtime associated with surgical procedures. By stimulating your body’s own collagen production, the skin often appears firmer, healthier, and more refreshed over the weeks following treatment.
Why choose Marielaina Perrone, DDS for Smooth PDO threads in Henderson, NV?
With more than 25 years of experience in facial aesthetics and cosmetic dentistry, Dr. Marielaina Perrone takes a comprehensive approach to facial rejuvenation by combining artistic judgment with advanced treatment techniques. Serving patients throughout Henderson, Green Valley, Las Vegas, Summerlin, Anthem, Seven Hills, and surrounding Southern Nevada communities, she develops personalized treatment plans that may incorporate Smooth PDO threads, Botox Cosmetic, dermal fillers, and smile enhancement to achieve subtle, balanced, and naturally youthful results that complement each patient’s unique facial features.
About Marielaina Perrone, DDS
Dr. Marielaina Perrone, DDS, is a highly skilled cosmetic and family dentist based in Henderson, NV, dedicated to transforming smiles and
improving lives through compassionate, patient-centered care. With over 20 years of clinical experience, Dr. Perrone blends advanced dental techniques with an artistic eye to deliver exceptional results in porcelain veneers, dental implants, smile makeovers, periodontal therapy, dermal fillers, Botox, and comprehensive facial aesthetic treatments.
A graduate at the top of her dental class, Dr. Perrone continually pursues advanced training to remain at the forefront of modern dentistry and aesthetic medicine. Her integrative approach focuses on oral health, facial harmony, and personalized treatment planning—helping patients achieve natural, confident smiles that enhance both appearance and overall well-being.
Dr. Perrone is passionate about patient education, preventive care, and creating long-term relationships built on trust, comfort, and communication. She proudly serves the communities of Henderson, Green Valley, and the greater Las Vegas area. When she’s not caring for patients, she enjoys cooking, staying active, and spending time with her family.
Reviewed for Clinical Accuracy
Every article published on drperrone.com is personally written or clinically reviewed by Marielaina Perrone, DDS to ensure it reflects current evidence-based dentistry, modern treatment recommendations, and her philosophy that beautiful smiles are created through personalized care, facial harmony, and long-term oral health.
Last Reviewed: July 2026