There are a dizzying number of “face skin tightening” treatments available to dermatologists and plastic surgeons these days. It can be a challenge even for us to pick the right device for our patients. Its important to focus on reproducible data points and consistent before/after photography. And don’t forget the mechanism of action has to make plain sense. That is, tell me you can reshape deep collagen with powdered ostrich feathers or snail secretions and I just don’t get it!
For my office, we selected Ultherapy. One of the limitations to my other laser devices is depth – even my most powerful carbon dioxide laser only penetrates 3-4mm into the skin. That’s great for acne scarring, but if I’m trying to tighten underlying connective tissue and subcutaneous fat, I need to get lower. Ultherapy uses target ultrasound to bypass the skin’s surface and direct energy right where I need it – 4-7mm where tightening begins from the “ground up”. By creating micro-injury to septal fat, overlying skin retraction occurs naturally over the next 1-3 months. It’s a very interesting process to watch unfold and my patients have never been more satisfied. Best of all, there’s a bunch of additional applications I believe are coming in the pipeline. Take a look here:
https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/results?term=ultherapy&Search=Search
