What Is Ultherapy?
Ultherapy is a treatment that uses ultrasound energy to stimulate new collagen production in the layers of the skin. The Ultherapy treatment process is FDA approved and can deliver noticeable, attractive results without invasive surgery. During an appointment, one of our trained doctors uses a small, handheld device to deliver ultrasound energy to the skin on your face, neck, and décolletage, or chest area.
Ultherapy is typically quick and painless. The recovery period requires zero downtime, allowing you to return to your normal activities without delay. Collagen stimulation reaches its final stages 2-3 months after treatment, at which point you should be able to see your final results.
These results are long-lasting for the majority of patients and effectively erase or minimize signs of aging for 1 year or more. During this time, you can expect to enjoy your fresh new look with no maintenance or follow-up appointments required. For most patients, just one treatment is all they need to see their desired results appear.
What Does Collagen Do for My Skin?
Collagen, sometimes call the framework of the skin, is a structural protein that keeps your skin smooth, tight, and firm. As we age, the collagen structure in our skin begins to break down and new collagen production slows. This process leads to fine lines, wrinkles, and skin laxity.
The face and neck are often the most affected areas of the body, and many patients experience a loss of confidence as they see new signs of aging develop before their eyes. Restoring collagen through Ultherapy works with your body to rebuild your skin’s framework and create a new lift in your skin’s layers. This smooths away lines and wrinkles and tightens loose skin, which can result in a younger appearance.
In addition, collagen helps keep your skin healthy. This means that new collagen production will give your skin a fresh, natural glow. New collagen is long-lasting and can keep you looking and feeling more like yourself for a significant amount of time after treatment.
What Are the Benefits?
This treatment uses the power of sound to cause new collagen production in the deepest layers of your skin. This process is completely pain-free and is body-friendly, using the natural healing process of collagen production to refresh the skin. It is also gentle on the skin and causes no damage to the outer layers as it travels through them to deliver rejuvenation to the lower layers.
This is not always the case with some types of laser therapy, which may cause lasting discomfort, irritation, or burns to the outer layers of skin. In contrast to facelift surgery, this treatment requires little preparation, has lower risks, and no downtime.
While results develop over time, they are both noticeable and long-lasting, making this treatment an excellent option for patients who may wish to avoid surgery. Finally, our patients report experiencing a significant boost in self-esteem as they watch their results develop and enjoy their new, younger-looking skin.
What Concerns Can Be Treated?
This treatment can help restore the skin on the face, neck, and décolletage. It addresses several common skin concerns and, thanks to the new collagen production, can deliver overall rejuvenation and healing to the treated areas. Here are some of the most common concerns which can be addressed with treatment:
Fine Lines
Fine lines develop in the skin as the collagen framework begins to deteriorate. They often form around at the outer corners of the eyes, across the forehead, and at the outer corners of the mouth. While they are less noticeable than wrinkles, fine lines can deepen over time. This treatment firms the skin and helps smooth away these lines, making them virtually invisible after just one session.
Wrinkles
Wrinkles can begin developing in your early 20s. They can appear anywhere on the face, neck, and chest and may grow deeper and more apparent as you grow older. This treatment can address mild to moderate wrinkles by stimulating new collagen growth, which tightens the skin and makes wrinkles disappear.
Skin Laxity
Loose and sagging skin is a classic sign of collagen breakdown. As you age, it can feel like gravity is pulling your skin downwards and making you look older or more tired than you actually are. New collagen production helps firm the skin and reverse skin laxity. This can give your skin a smoother, softer appearance in the face, neck, and chest.
Sun Damage
It’s estimated that the sun causes over 90% of all common skin-related damage and concerns. This can include fine lines, wrinkles, dark spots, and skin cancer. Ultherapy can help treat some types of sun damage by providing the healing power of collagen to the affected areas. One of our skilled doctors can help you determine whether your unique concerns can be treated.
How Long Does Ultherapy Last?
Final results vary from patient to patient, but most patients see results that last 1 year or longer. After treatment, new collagen growth occurs over 2-3 months, after which point your final results become noticeable. Some patients need more than one session to achieve their desired results, and some opt to have follow-up treatments to help prolong or enhance their results.
In addition, other anti-aging treatments can be combined with this one to make it more successful or address other areas of concern. As your results develop, we can work with you to ensure that your ideal image is realized.
Who Is an Ideal Candidate?
If you are an adult man or woman who wants to see your skin rejuvenated and address common signs of aging, this treatment could be the right one for you! A good candidate is generally healthy, free of autoimmune or bleeding disorders that could interact negatively with treatment, and free of some types of acne, implants, or active infections in the target area.
You may not be an ideal candidate if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. In addition, this treatment may not be ideal for those with severe signs of aging or sun damage. If you are unsure of your candidacy, one of our doctors can help you evaluate your unique situation during an initial consultation.
What Should I Expect?
Here is a brief overview of what you can expect when you pursue this treatment at our professional office:
Consultation
To begin, you will have an initial consultation with one of our doctors. During this appointment, your doctor will examine your skin, determine which concerns may be improved with treatment, and review your medical history.
They will also give you a general idea of the results you can expect to see and how long those results may last after treatment. In addition, your doctor can recommend any other treatments which can be combined with Ultherapy to enhance your results. Once you are approved for treatment, you can begin preparing for your first session.
Treatment
Depending on your preferences, your doctor may have you take a mild painkiller before your appointment to ensure your comfort during treatment. We also recommend that you avoid applying makeup in the target area on the day of your appointment.
Your doctor will clean your skin, then use a handheld, medical-grade device to deliver the ultrasound energy to your skin. You may feel the sensation of these small blasts of energy permeating your skin, but this experience should be completely painless. Depending on the areas being treated, you can expect your appointment to last between 30-90 minutes in total.
Once your appointment is finished, you can return to your normal schedule immediately. Your doctor may give you specific instructions for your recovery period. It’s important that you follow these instructions carefully to ensure that you will see the best results possible.
Recovery
For the first several hours after treatment, you may notice that your skin is more flushed than normal. This is normal and should subside within the first day. Some patients report a gentle tingling in the skin, which also lasts less than 24 hours. As your skin heals, it’s important to stay out of the sun.
Sunburn or tanning directly after your appointment could cause skin irritation and affect your final results. You should avoid direct sun exposure as much as possible and wear sunscreen when you go outdoors. Most patients find that their skin feels back to normal just 3-4 days after their appointment.
Over the first 2-3 months after treatment, new collagen will be produced in your skin. While this process is invisible to the eye at first, you can begin to see the effects of your new collagen a few weeks after your appointment. You should notice that your skin is becoming smoother and softer, and that signs of aging are becoming less noticeable. For most patients, final results appear less than 3 months after their first treatment session.
Results
Your final results should appear 2-3 months after your treatment session. Once this happens, you can expect them to last 1 year or more, giving you plenty of time to enjoy your smoother, younger-looking skin without any maintenance or recurring treatments.
New collagen will lift and tighten your skin, and your results will appear completely natural with no negative side effects. This means that no one will be able to tell that you had treatment unless you choose to tell them. You can prolong your results by limiting your sun exposure, which could accelerate the aging process and undo your successful treatment.
In addition, you may want to combine this treatment with other anti-aging, skin-rejuvenating options to enhance your results. Over time, the body’s natural aging process will continue. This means that your signs of aging will slowly reappear as the collagen framework in your skin deteriorates again. At this point, most patients choose to have follow-up treatments to maintain their ideal results and continue to minimize signs of aging
Contact Us to Learn More!
If you’re unsatisfied with the appearance of your skin due to signs of aging, you aren’t alone. Thousands of patients seeking an easy, non-invasive treatment for lines, wrinkles, and sagging skin have found success with Ultherapy. If you’re ready to learn more about how this treatment can transform your skin before your eyes, contact Premiere Center for Health and Wellness in Cincinnati, OH today! We look forward to helping you achieve your anti-aging goals!