Every now and again, a technology is introduced into the field of aesthetic medicine that proves to be a game changer. Something that fundamentally alters the way we can treat patients. Ultherapy® is just such a technology.
Ultherapy® provides a way of both visualizing the layers beneath our skin and non-invasively delivering — and here is the critical point — focused, high intensity ultrasound energy, which generates heat leading to both tissue tightening and collagen stimulation. Ultherapy® allows me to target multiple levels in a patient’s face by choosing different “lenses” that focus the energy to different depths. Therefore, I can tighten the deeper facial layer in your cheek that we would otherwise routinely tighten with a facelift while also tightening the skin itself, which of course is also routinely tightened with a facelift. Finally, we can target the energy within your skin to help soften unwanted lines and wrinkles such as those under your eyes or around your mouth. For the right patient, Ultherapy® can even provide a non-surgical brow lift!
The procedure takes about one hour to treat your whole face and about one-and-a-half hours if you include your neck as well. You can also choose to limit the treatment and target a particular facial area of concern. Depending on your facial sensitivity, the treatment may feel like anything from a tingling light massage to a hot rubber-band snap. To keep our patients comfortable, we often pre-treat our patients with a high dose of ibuprofen before the procedure and use a special distraction device during the therapy when treating a sensitive area of the face.
Ultherapy® is FDA-approved as a one-time treatment for skin tightening. In my opinion, it is the first device that provides meaningful non-surgical facial rejuvenation by tightening the facial tissues at multiple depths. The results are immediate though the effects continue to improve for several months after the treatment and are expected to last about three to four years. To achieve additive benefit, a small number of patients choose to have a second treatment about three months after the initial therapy.
Perhaps the best news of all: there is no downtime and no healing whatsoever! Costs for the procedure are about a third of what a facelift costs and you can return to your normal routine immediately! You can have it done at noon and be in the gym that evening.
Like any procedure, Ultherapy® may or may not be right for you. At Marietta Facial Plastic Surgery & Aesthetic Center, we offer Ultherapy® as one of may treatment options. The only way to know what’s right for you is to visit us for a consultation. Call 770-425-7575 today to schedule an appointment.
Seth A. Yellin, MD, FACS
Director, Marietta Facial Plastic Surgery & Aesthetics Center
Diplomate, American Board of Facial Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery
Fellow, American Academy of Facial Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery
