Ultherapy: Frequently Asked Questions

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1. Ulthearpy Vs. Thermage for Skin Tightening, which is more effective, what is the difference?

Ultherapy is an Ultrasound based therapy. Thermage is a radiofrequency based therapy. The results of

Ultherapy are felt to be superior to those of Thermage. Ultherapy helps tone and tighten the skin by

microfocused ultrasound. The ultrasound heats tissue at deep levels that creates an inflammatory

process which stimulates your body to produce new collagen and elastin, resulting in younger looking

skin. The treatment is done at three different levels of the skin to create improvement in the deeper

levels for general toning and tightening, and more superficial levels for improvement in fine line and

wrinkles.

2. What areas of the body can be treated with Ultherapy?

Brow, face, neck, lips, the lower lids and fine lines around the eyes as well chest

3. What risks are involved with Ultherapy?

Mild swelling, tenderness, numbness, temp bruising, and other rare side effects that can be discussed at

an appointment I would write that this is a very safe procedure. Temporary minor swelling, bruising

and tenderness can occur, but we have seen no serious issues occur in our patients. Due to the nature of

the technology, serious side effects would be extremely unlikely.

4. What is the recovery time for an Ultherapy treatment?

No downtime, 2 1/2 weeks of tenderness and possible bruising. Patient healing dependent on the

person. Agree with no downtime, you could go back to work immediately after procedure. Minor

tenderness occurs in some patients and is generally completely gone in a week or two. Bruising is

unusual to occur at all, and is mild when it does occur. It could last for a few days.

5. How long do Ultherapy results last?

The company says 18 months but results have been seen up to 3 years in office practices. The

improvement generally lasts for 18 months to 3 years. During that time the aging process continues so

you would generally continue to look better than if you did not have the procedure for quite a while.

6. When should I have Ultherapy, after I have reached my goal weight?

it depends on the person and they would have to been looked at in the office. It is generally best to wait

until a weight goal is reached before some facial procedures and surgery. If you are planning to lose a

large amount of weight, then that should definitely be done before undergoing something like a facelift.

If a facelift is done before losing the weight, then there will be more sagging after the weight is lost.

Regarding Ultherapy, this procedure improves general skin tone and fine wrinkles, so weight loss would

have less of an effect. That said, if a patient is planning to lose a large amount of weight, Ultherapy

alone might not be their best treatment option, and they might need to do that in conjunction with

possible surgery. There are many factors considered in managing these patients in addition to planned

weight loss, such as age, general health, and expectations. Each patient undergoes a comprehensive

consultation to help determine which procedures are best for them.

7. Is Ultherapy treatment painful?

Ultherapy is not a spa like treatment, there is some discomfort involved but we do a great job and try

and manage this on a case by case basis. There is some minor discomfort associated with the Ultherapy

treatment. Most patients do well with Ibuprofen (Motrin) 800mg, or Naproxen (Aleve) 400mg taken an

hour before the procedure. Occasionally a patient needs something stronger like a Vicodin. Patients

seem to know their own pain tolerance and take the appropriate medication. We have had only one

patient that chose to stop the procedure after taking only Motrin. That patient finished the procedure

easily the following day by taking one Vicodin.

8. Does Ultherapy treat under-eye sagging?

Ultherapy is used for under the eye for fine lines but we would need to look at the person....(most

people have bags and that’s entirely different) it may require multiple treatments dependent on depth

of lines. Ultherapy helps reduce fine line of the lower lids and skin around the side of the eyes. It will do

some mild tightening of the skin if it is sagging. If there is a large amount of excess skin, or bulging from

underlying fat, surgery may be necessary for optimal results.

9. How many treatments are needed before I see results?

One treatment for results, dependent on person and factor. More severe laxity would require a 2nd.

Most patients will need one treatment. If there is a lot of skin laxity, a second treatment may be

needed. The results will last 18-36 months or so in most cases, but your skin will continue to age. With

age is “deflation” where the skin thins and sags due to loss of underlying fat, collagen and fibrous tissue

also causing more fine lines.

10. How long before I see results from Ultherapy?

Some results of healthier skin is seen within a week, but most results can start as early as 2 months but

the patient keeps improving up to the 6 month period. Some immediate improvement in appearance

occurs due minor swelling. The long lasting results begin around two months after the procedure and

improvement continues for 6 months to a year, after which it is more stable.