Supermodel, actress and designer Christie Brinkley has joined more than a million patients who’ve chosen Ultherapy, and she loves her natural looking results…
What is Ultherapy?
Ultherapy is a non-surgical ultrasound treatment that counteracts the effects of gravity on your skin. Ultherapy uses the body’s own regenerative response to gently and gradually lift skin on the eyebrow, under the chin and on the neck, and smooth lines and wrinkles on the décolletage. What makes Ultherapy unique is that it is the only non-invasive treatment cleared by the FDA to actually lift skin. Ultherapy is also the only cosmetic procedure to use ultrasound imaging, which allows practitioners to see the layers of tissue targeted during the treatment to ensure the energy is deposited to where it will be most beneficial.
How Does Ultherapy Work?
Micro-focused ultrasound energy is delivered non-invasively and heats skin tissue at multiple depths, without affecting the surface of the skin. This triggers a natural, regenerative response that stimulates the growth of new collagen. Unlike other types of ultrasound, there will be a sensation of heat. After Ultherapy, weak collagen is reorganized and strengthened by the growth of new collagen, which tightens and lifts the skin. While Ultherapy does not duplicate the effects of cosmetic surgery, it is a great alternative for patients not ready for surgery or for those who want to continue building collagen after a surgical lift.
The Role of Collagen in Skin Aging
Collagen is the protein latticework that provides structure to the skin and the deep supportive connective tissue below the skin. Weakened Collagen in the superficial skin layer can cause fine lines and wrinkles. Weakened collagen in deeper connective tissue causes the skin to become prone to gravitational forces and begin to stretch, sag and shift downward. This is where Ultherapy plays a non-invasive and unique role. Ultherapy deposits focused ultrasound energy deep beneath the skin at the optimal temperature for collagen regeneration. The treatment jumpstarts a natural process, known as neocollagenesis, to produce fresh, new collagen.
How is Ultherapy Different from Lasers?
Lasers rely on light energy, which cannot reach deeper skin layers at an optimal temperature, so laser treatments typically only treat superficial skin and are not FDA-cleared to lift skin.
Ultherapy uses sound energy, tried-and-true ultrasound, which has unique properties that allow it to bypass the surface of the skin to treat depths not matched by any other non-invasive cosmetic device. Ultherapy ultrasound stimulates collagen production in the skin’s foundation, resulting in a clinically significant lift of tissue over 2 to 3 months.
What Kind of Results Can I Expect?
Upon treatment, the regenerative process is initiated, but the full effect will build gradually over the course of two to three months with continued improvement up to six months post treatment. Since the procedure stimulates your own collagen production, how long the results last really depends on you. The treatment produces new collagen on the inside, but your natural aging process will dictate how long that translates into visible results on the outside.
How many Ultherapy treatments will I need?
Most patients only need one treatment. However, based on the degree of skin laxity, the biological response to ultrasound energy and the individual’s collagen-building process, some patients benefit from additional treatments. Each treatment is customized based on the area of concern, skin thickness, and degree of skin laxity. Because skin continues to age, future touch up treatments can help patients keep pace with the body’s natural aging process.
Who is a good candidate for Ultherapy?
A good Ultherapy candidate has mild to moderate skin laxity where the skin begins to feel and look less firm. Examples include a lowered eyebrow line, loose skin on the neck, sagging under the chin, and lines or wrinkles on the chest. Ultherapy is not a one-size-fits all treatment. Of course, the best way to find out if you’re an Ultherapy candidate is to consult with a practitioner.
This article first appeared in Saddle River Magazine, July 2018