The threads must have notches! 20 years of APTOS

Biography and general information about the plastic surgeon

He has been practicing plastic surgery since 1993, before that he specialized in maxillofacial surgery and has performed over 25 thousand operations.
Full member of OPREH, IPRAS, member of the National Society of Aesthetic Surgeons of France, honorary president of the Japanese Liposuction Society. Author of more than 70 scientific papers published in Russia and abroad. Takes part in Russian and international conferences on plastic surgery (OPREH, ISAPS congresses), conducts training courses and demonstration operations in 48 countries.

Author of new methods and technologies, owner of several patents for inventions in medicine:

• For the first time in the world, he used the method of subcutaneous dissection of soft tissues;
• developed methods for contour compression in nose surgery, reducing the width of the base of the wings and changing the “trapezoidal” nose;
• was the first in Russia to perform a transconjunctival blepharoplasty operation using a new generation CO-2 laser “Ultra Pulse 5000C” from the Coherent company (USA);
• introduced computer modeling in aesthetic surgery in Russia using the Alter Image program;
• author of a patent for a method of continuous suturing of surgical wounds using threads with protrusions;
• invented the method of “horizontal mammoplasty”;
• owner of a patent for endoprostheses with angled projections;
• developed a new bra design for women with large breasts;
• performed elastic lifting of “sadness wrinkles” using a new method;
• for the first time in aesthetic surgery, he used the method of minimally invasive lifting of ptotic soft tissues of the face, female breasts, and inner surfaces of the shoulders using thread lifting methods - Aptos methods;
• patented a double needle and a new design of protrusions on the thread.
• Currently works as a plastic surgeon at the Lancet clinic.
• Head of the clinic of original methods of thread lifting “Total charm”.

Plastic surgeon Sulamanidze M.A.

April 2, 2012
An alternative to anti-aging facial surgery has always been sought, because the prospect of looking good without any traces of surgical intervention is attractive to many patients. Plastic surgery has always strived for minimally invasiveness, today, thanks to a proven technique thread lift APTOS, this was achieved. The past, present and future of APTOS technology from the lips of its author and developer - Sulamanidze Marlena Andreevich.

Golden threads of an Egyptian mummy

I remember it was the end of the 80s. Then I lived in Kutaisi and operated in clinics in Georgia. At first he was engaged in maxillofacial surgery, and then, with the flourishing and popularization of aesthetic plastic surgery, he began to actively carry out operations to improve appearance and eliminate cosmetic imperfections on the face.

The Soviet Union was a kind of conserved space, and we lived in conditions of a catastrophic lack of objective information about the events taking place in the global medical environment. The only “window to Europe” was the weekly newspaper “Abroad”, from where we greedily drew all the information about life in the West. This publication was also difficult to obtain; as a rule, those who subscribed to “Abroad” were those who had acquaintances in the district or city committee.

The surgeon has performed more than 20,000 surgical operations, of which 5,000 were nose jobs, 7,000 were APTOS.

At that time, I had already achieved some success in the professional sphere, I had connections in government agencies, so I had the opportunity to subscribe to the newspaper “Abroad”. One day I read a short article about a mummy being found in Egypt. An analysis of her remains showed that the mummy's face bore traces of a network of gold threads, with the help of which ancient Egyptian women probably did facelifts. This discovery did not go unnoticed by Western specialists, who developed gold threads and began using them to tighten the skin. In the article I read, this technique was described in the most vivid colors and presented as a revolution in the world of aesthetic medicine. Then I suggested: “Surely, these threads had protrusions on which the fabrics were “strung”, otherwise what is the point of installing smooth threads.” I thought about it and forgot about it.

First experiments with sponge and cotton wool

In the early 90s, the political situation in Georgia worsened - war, crime, the collapse of the Union. In 1993, my family and I moved to Moscow, where I continued to practice plastic surgery. At that time, in Moscow, now Professor Arnold Aramovich Adamyan was one of the first to begin using gold reinforcement. At the clinic where he was the head of the department at that time, I did rhinoplasty from time to time. In one of my parishes, Arnold Aramovich offered to come for an operation to install gold threads. I immediately remembered the note I had once read and did not refuse.

During the operation I saw these golden threads. Since the threads were very fragile and torn, they were implanted together with a catgut thread, which increased strength. The first question I asked Arnold Aramovich sounded something like this: “Are the threads smooth?”, to which I received the answer: “What else should they be?”

Sulamanidze M.A. has 16 patents

I spent several days thinking. From the clinic I brought home a regular polypropylene suture thread and a microscope. I made micro-notches on the thread using a scalpel. Then I passed the thread through a ball of cotton wool. She went there easily, and back she pulled out a clump of cotton wool. I did the same with the sponge. And again it’s normal to go there, but it’s difficult to go back. This is how the idea of ​​creating threads with notches was born.

He performed several experimental operations - first on himself, then on his wife, orderlies, nurses and other patients who agreed. I monitored the behavior of the threads and noted consistently good results.

By trial and error

The first steps were not easy, but we managed to overcome all the difficulties. We went through trial and error. At first, some time after the installation of the threads, I had to deal with their migration, the main reason for which was active muscle movement. Every year we improved the technique, improved the threads themselves (first non-absorbable, then absorbable), increased the scope of their application, thereby increasing the effectiveness and efficiency of the operation.

In 1996, we patented the method. It existed before, but it was used for completely different purposes - not for aesthetic operations. We received a patent, not only Russian, but also European, American, Asian, Middle Eastern and South American patents. They learned about us and began to invite us to international congresses and conferences. We introduced specialists from around the world to our methodology. At first I took my eldest son with me, and now he trains surgeons on his own. Not long ago our youngest son joined us; he also successfully conducts training courses around the world. So our activities took on an international scale, I personally visited 56 countries and in all 56 countries the APTOS technique was greeted with great enthusiasm.

It’s funny that over time they began to invite foreign specialists from Italy, France, the USA, and Brazil to Russia, whom we ourselves trained! They, in turn, were wildly surprised by what was happening, repeating every now and then: “Why are you calling us if the author of the method lives in your country?”

Most likely, in Russia they were afraid that the APTOS thread lift would reduce the number of patients applicants for a facelift. According to statistics, 70%-75% of women will never decide to have a surgical facelift; the APTOS technique is designed for them! Not every patient is ready to endure hours of surgery, rehabilitation, or put up with incisions. But complications and even deaths are possible.

Copies of the APTOS methodology

Recently, many copies of APTOS have appeared. Most of them do not contain anything conceptually new. The fact that surgeons rushed to install threads without special training somewhat discredits thread lifts. This can be explained by inconclusive results and frequent complications.

We have already passed the path that Silhouette Lift and other threads have now chosen for themselves. The only innovation introduced by the Silhouette Lift developers is microcones. On APTOS threads there are notches instead of cones - 20-25 pieces on each. The “Silhouette Lift” technique is characterized by vector tension, while we use loop-shaped fixation of soft tissues, which gives a more lasting and pronounced lifting effect.

Breast and buttock lift with APTOS threads

APTOS threads are used not only for face lifting, but with their help we eliminate ptosis of the mammary glands. In this case we use smooth threads. The mammary gland is “stitched” using the “subcutaneous bra” method, which allows you to lift the breasts and achieve harmony of shape. In addition, we use APTOS threads to lift the buttocks.

Work on creating new threads and developing new techniques continues. APTOS has a rich history, a confident present and a great future!

Get a consultation Sulamanidze M.A. For questions regarding APTOS thread lift, please contact the Mont Blanc . Address : Moscow, st. Vysokaya st., 19, bldg. 2, Art. m. "Kolomenskaya". Sign up for a consultation: +7 (495) 782-72-92, +7, +7 (495) 920-61-50.

Photos before and after rhinoplasty

All photos of works

Patient reviews

Elena Shcherbakova - Thanks to the whole team!!!

I am very grateful to the sensitive, sincere and professional staff of the clinic. First of all, all my life I will thank Marlen Andreevich for my new appearance. Thanks to …

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Svetlana Tyshkovskaya - All my fears are gone!

Two years ago I injured my nose while skiing. The damage was quite severe and brought me a lot of discomfort, so the question arose about turning to...

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Katerina Voevodkina - The result is simply super!

I got myself a beautiful nose from Marlen Andreevich! Now there are no problems with breathing and aesthetically my nose, which before was, to be honest, not very beautiful, with wide...

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All reviews Add review

Facelift by Marlen Sulamanidze

Now I have passed 40 years old, and the fact of aging has become obvious. It seems like you don’t want to admit it to yourself, but then you realize that the years go by, no matter what. The eyelids drooped, the eyebrows and corners of the mouth drooped. And in my youth I was a beauty, so it was hard for me to see these changes on my face.

I bought myself different creams, went to cosmetic procedures, but everything was to no avail. Nothing had changed, I still looked the same old. With my complaints about my appearance, I probably bored everyone around me, because one fine day my colleague said to me: “Why are you whining? Go to a plastic surgeon!” And you know, then I surprised myself! It seems like I tried so many methods, but didn’t think about a surgeon.

I understood that I needed to contact only a proven and experienced plastic surgeon

I started asking this colleague, because it was not in vain that she told me about this opportunity. At the end of my “torture,” she said that her sister had plastic surgery.

I asked Karina to introduce me to her sister so that I could see how well this doctor had rejuvenated her. I understood that you need to contact only a trusted and experienced doctor so that you don’t get disfigured, as they showed in some program on TV. As a result, my colleague relented and promised to introduce me to my sister.

Patient recommendation is the best way to find a surgeon

A week later I met Valentina, Karina’s sister. To be honest, I immediately began to peer closely at her face, trying to understand how old she was. I came to the conclusion that she was 35. Imagine my surprise when it turned out that Valentina was already 44 years old. It turned out she had a facelift. Her doctor was, as I later learned, the famous plastic surgeon Marlen Andreevich Sulamanidze. Valentina praised him as much as she could, so I decided to go to him for a consultation.

Consult with a pro

I signed up for a consultation in advance, while I was waiting for the date, I studied all the reviews about the surgeon on the Internet, read in general about lifting methods, all sorts of complications, in order to be “fully armed.” However, when I came to the appointment, Marlen Andreevich surprised me, saying that I looked great for my age, and a thread lift, and not a full-fledged operation with excision of excess tissue, could cope with age-related changes. “There are not so many of them that this is necessary,” I even remembered these words.

Of course, Marlen Andreevich told me everything in detail about the Aptos technique, what happens after the threads are installed, what cannot be done during rehabilitation, what possible complications can occur. And although I listened to all this information, I still could not get over the pleasant shock that I did not need a full-fledged surgical operation.

In the end, I received a list of tests for the examination and complete confidence that this surgeon would definitely make a “candy” out of me.

During and after installation of Aptos threads

The whole procedure took no more than half an hour. First, they made markings on my face, gave me local anesthesia, and the installation itself began. Each thread was inserted separately using a cannula, then the latter is passed through the lifting line and pulled out, while the Aptos thread remains in the tissue. The thread was then pulled up and then the tip was cut off. So Dr. Sulamanidze told me everything in detail about his actions.

After the facelift, I became simply beautiful for my age, and by the way, I am already 47 years old

There was, of course, swelling and minor bruising. But after 5 days everything went away on its own. Marlen Andreevich told me that after the operation it would be impossible to massage my face or sleep on my side or stomach for about a week. The latter was not easy for me, because I usually sleep on my stomach, and not on my back. You also can’t do sports during rehabilitation, but I myself wasn’t into any sports training, so this recommendation didn’t mean anything special to me.

Young and beautiful

After just two weeks, changes became noticeable. The oval of the face has tightened, as have the corners of the lips and eyebrows. The eyes became open due to the fact that the eyelids tightened. Of course, I didn’t become 20 years old again, but no one aspired to this. But after the lift, I became simply beautiful for my age, and by the way, I am 47 years old. After a few months, I generally became “simply beautiful,” as my daughter likes to say.

For all these changes and transformation, I want to say thanks to my plastic surgeon Marlen Andreevich Sulamanidze and my colleague and her sister, who recommended this doctor to me. Thanks to these three people, although the main honors and laurels, of course, go to Dr. Sulamanidze, I felt young and beautiful again!