Nearly endless sunshine is what draws in many of Tucson’s residents, but constant sun exposure can take a toll on your skin. Sun damage, paired with the natural aging process, might cause loose skin, wrinkles, and unsightly sagging that you wish you could erase in the most frequently exposed areas of your face, neck, and chest. In the past, the answer was facelift surgery, which can be an effective way to restore the youthful look of your skin, but it’s no longer the only option. Today, you can discover the benefits of Ultherapy under the care of a cosmetic surgeon and experience the only FDA-approved non-surgical skin tightening treatment out there. Before you schedule your Ultherapy consultation, you might have some questions about what this innovative treatment is, who it’s for, and how it works. Keep reading for answers before you sit down with your plastic surgeon.
What Ultherapy Treats
Ultherapy is a skin-tightening treatment that can target the whole face—including the brow line and eyelids—as well as the jaw, neck, and décolletage. Without the use of creams, fillers, or surgery, Ultherapy helps to tighten loose, sagging skin and reduce fine lines and wrinkles, restoring the natural beauty of youth to the skin. It’s particularly effective for individuals who’ve experienced premature signs of aging due to sun exposure and other lifestyle factors.
How Ultherapy Works
So, if Ultherapy is not a dermal filler or a surgical procedure, then what exactly is it? It’s an innovative treatment solution that relies on ultrasound energy as well as the body’s natural healing processes. Ultrasound energy delivered to the deep layers of the skin promotes collagen production, which is what helps to tighten the skin and restore its natural elasticity. As the aging process progresses, collagen production drops off. Restarting collagen production helps to prevent or reverse the visual signs of aging, so you can look as young and vibrant as you feel.
Because Ultherapy uses the body’s own mechanisms for restoring the appearance of the skin, results are not immediate. You’ll see a gradual improvement over a period of a few months, so everyone around you will simply assume that you’ve changed your skincare routine or made other simple, healthy changes—no one will really know that you’ve undergone treatment.
Results to Expect with Ultherapy
Unlike a facelift, Ultherapy will not have you recovering for a long period, nor will it have results that you see right away. There is also less of a worked-on look after Ultherapy, because nothing is being physically moved or cut away. Instead, you will see the clock start to turn back on your face and neck with a softening of wrinkles and lines as well as tighter, more elastic skin in problem areas like the jawline.
Just as results from Ultherapy develop gradually, it will take some time for you to see the effects fade. Usually, patients see an ongoing improvement in the appearance and texture of their skin for at least 2-3 years after their treatment, which takes place in a single session. You will see your peak results about 6 months after treatment, and you may consider having another Ultherapy session once you do start to see sagging skin and wrinkles return.
Possible Side Effects of Ultherapy
With all these positive aspects of Ultherapy, you may be wondering what the catch is. The good news is that there are few downsides to treatment. Ultrasound energy has no effect on the outer layers of skin, so there is very little risk of side effects or lingering damage to the skin. Some patients do, however, have some symptoms like light swelling, tingling, and tenderness, but these are easily managed effects and will subside quickly. After your treatment, it is best to avoid sun exposure and take it easy on physical activity for a few days, but you should be able to return to your routine right away, and you won’t have to schedule days off work to have the procedure done.
Who Isn’t a Good Candidate for Ultherapy
Like any medical procedure, it is important to understand the potential risks of Ultherapy and know when it may not be a safe procedure for you. Only your plastic surgeon can give you a definitive answer of whether treatment is right for you, but in general, you may not be an ideal candidate if you have existing skin conditions, chronic illnesses, or conditions that affect your body’s natural healing capacity.
Scheduling an Ultherapy consultation is your first step in looking years younger, so call Perfection Plastic Surgery and Skin Care to make an appointment in Tucson. You can reach us at (520) 323-7100 to ask about our UPP package, which includes Ultherapy treatment, the PiQo4 toning procedure, and 6 Neocutis products.