We all age, and eventually even those with “gifted genes” will start to show the tell-tale signs of aging we so easily recognize — eleven lines, marionette lines, hanging jowls and the dreaded double chin. Skin laxity strikes more than just the face. You might also notice increasing skin looseness behind your arms, in your décolletage or around your tummy as well. While aging is a can’t-be-stopped process that happens to us all, today you have a wealth of options available to help you roll back the clock, and the biggest question you may have to answer is just how far you want to roll it back.
For the face, a full facelift remains the gold standard for restoring youthfulness, but you may not want to engage in surgery just yet. You might not be ready for a full tummy tuck either. Fortunately, if skin laxity around your face, neck, and décolleté has got you down, there is an array of non-invasive and non-surgical options that can save you time and money, keep you out of the operating room, and help you look great with rejuvenation that lasts. Two popular options available right now are Thermage and Ultherapy. These out-patient, non-invasive procedures use two different technologies to try and solve the same problem — getting rid of that loose skin and helping you look toned, refreshed and ready for anything.
What is Thermage?
Thermage is an FDA-approved cosmetic procedure designed to tighten the skin without surgery and without downtime. Thermage uses thermal energy to heat the three primary layers of your skin in a targeted and controlled way. Heating your skin using radiofrequency energy initiates one of your body’s natural healing process, the result of which is an increase in the production of collagen. Collagen helps give your skin structure, and it is the decrease of collagen over time in your skin that causes the skin laxity you want to eliminate. You can have a Thermage treatment in all areas of your face as well as almost every other area of your body where you might be experiencing skin laxity.
After discussing this option with with your doctor, if you qualify, your Thermage treatment can be performed onsite at their office. A number of treatments may be necessary to see significant results. You may have some redness and tenderness in the treated areas, but this usually resolves quickly without special attention or medications. Optimal results are supposed to be seen in the weeks and months following the treatment, and can last for months.
If Thermage seems so great, why should I consider an Ultherapy treatment instead?
Now consider Ultherapy. Ultherapy treats the same problem but in a completely different way. An Ultherapy treatment also jumpstarts collagen production in the lower layers of your skin, but it does so using ultrasound, a technique used in the medical field safely for well over 50 years. Like Thermage, Ultherapy can treat fine lines and wrinkles throughout the face, neck, and décolletage. It’s what Christie Brinkley uses to get rid of her chest lines, and look far younger than her 64 years! Using ultrasound to stimulate the body’s natural collagen production versus radiofrequency energy has a couple of key differences. During an Ultherapy treatment, Dr. Lowenstein will actually be able to see the underlying skin layers being treated — just like an ultrasound in the ob-gyn’s office can show you that little bundle of joy. As you can imagine, this makes a big difference in the quality of the treatment you will receive, since there’s no guesswork involved during your treatment.
Ultherapy shares certain characteristics in common with Thermage such as the length of the procedure and the speed with which your results will develop. Ultherapy typically requires a single office visit to get the results you want. Some patients see results from their treatment immediately, but every individual’s experience will vary. Additionally, after your treatment, you won’t have any downtime or special skincare routine to follow. After Ultherapy, you can go right back to your daily routine with no lengthy downtime and no special post-care instructions to follow. Tenderness and redness in your treatment areas will typically fade quickly without special attention.
So which treatment should I have — Thermage or Ultherapy?
So which one should you get? Both treatments are meant to reactivate collage production. Both can be performed quickly — and safely — in your doctor’s office, and both have no downtime or recovery.
But does one have a distinct advantage? Yes. There are always pro’s and con’s, and you know that sometimes the “hot new tech” on the market doesn’t always live up to its hype — and you certainly don’t want to take a gamble with something so important as your health. Dr. Lowenstein has seen far better results with Ultherapy in his patients, which is why it is what he offers in his office in Santa Barbara. Ultherapy reaches deep into the skin’s layers and provides more heating where it can do the most good, and Dr. Lowenstein can see where you need the most rejuvenation and direct your treatment specifically to those areas. The result is that you will benefit from a qualitatively better treatment with greater and longer-lasting improvements. Exactly how long results will last will depends on you. You should see maximal results from the treatment after two to three months, and your tightened, youthful looking skin will likely last many months more. Ultherapy is also FDA-approved; so you can have total confidence in a safe, effective treatment.
Looking More Youthful With Ultherapy — the choice is yours!
We live in a marvelous time. You don’t have to live with the signs of aging if you don’t want to. Ultherapy can effectively treat the fine lines, wrinkles and general skin laxity that may be your first onset signs of aging in the facial region. However, surgery may still provide you your best option if you have significant skin laxity, you are older or you simply want the longest-lasting results and the most comprehensive anti-aging procedure you can have.
If you have just mild, early signs of aging, or you simply don’t want to undergo surgery, then Ultherapy is an effective option that won’t break your budget and will get you great results fast. Come into our offices for a full consultation and some helpful advice. We want you to have the right procedure for you and be ecstatic about your results.
When you’re ready to take that next step towards a younger-looking you, give us a call at 805-969-9004. Located on State Street in beautiful Santa Barbara, we treat patients from all over Southern California, and we would love to help you look great, too.
