Have you noticed the effects of aging are starting to change the way your skin looks, acts, and feels? Does your skin make you look tired or fatigued? Is there a certain area where the skin seems to be more loose than normal? If this describes you, then the experts at R Shaheen Vascular in Monterey, CA can help, with a remarkable and non-invasive skin tightening treatment called Ultherapy®.
This ultherapy treatment has several characteristics that make it special. First, it’s non-invasive, meaning that it doesn’t require a surgical operation like a facelift, brow lift, or laser treatment. Second, it is an “inside-out treatment,” meaning that it doesn’t seek to work just on the surface of your skin. Rather, it encourages your skin to repair itself by stimulating your body’s natural systems. As such, it is a more natural technique than some other options might be.
Why does ultherapy treatment work so well? What makes it unique? The answer can be found in the connective protein that is essential for maintaining your skin’s shape: collagen.
Collagen is a connective protein that naturally occurs within your skin. Along with elastin, collagen helps keep your skin supple and youthful. As we age, our collagen starts to break down, and our bodies don’t continue to produce replacement collagen at the rate that we need. The result is that our collagen levels gradually decline and we wind up with skin that starts to get lax and even loose.
Our experts encourage growth of new collagen through the use of targeted ultrasound energy. This energy causes the lower layers of skin to start producing more collagen. As a result, it can be used on the neck, chin, eyebrows, and many other areas, because all types of skin need some collagen in them. The net result is that the added collagen will tighten the patient’s skin, leaving your body’s largest organ both smoother and stronger.
By using this targeted ultrasound therapy, or “Ultherapy®,” a practitioner can slow and even reverse collagen decline by encouraging your body to create more of its own. After collagen production increases, the collagen begins to be absorbed by your skin. As these new collagen proteins are incorporated into your skin, they help it regain its tone and texture, leading to a more youthful look.
Patients love Ultherapy® because it is convenient, low-impact, and non-invasive. Your practitioner can target ultrasound energy into the lower levels of your skin while using ultrasound imaging to monitor their progress. When they do this, the energy goes right past the upper layers of your skin without harming them. They trigger the natural collagen-producing process of your body, and the surface of your skin will not be damaged as a result.
It’s important to note that this ultheraphy treatment is more of a long-term solution than a “fast fix.” Unlike facelifts, it can take several months before enough collagen is produced to see ideal results. However, the advantage here is that these results can last a long time, sometimes two or even three years.
Although the results might take a little time to appear, the treatment itself is very quick. A typical session lasts about an hour depending on the size and difficulty of the treatment area. Every patient is different, and in rare cases, a second session may be recommended in order to stimulate the most collagen. In most cases, however, one session will be enough to start the process and see real results.
This treatment is adored by A-listers and busy professionals for many reasons, but one of the biggest selling points is the fact that there is no downtime required as a result of your treatment. Facelifts and laser surgeries can often leave patients recovering for days, but Ultherapy is a quick session that will have you resuming your regular activities on the same day.
You won’t need to spend the entire day in treatment, and you won’t need to spend multiple days on an intense recovery plan. Given the ease of the approach, it’s small wonder that the treatment has become as popular as it has.
In 2009, the FDA approved Ultherapy for the purpose of toning and tightening skin, when clinical trials demonstrated its effectiveness and safety. It has remained a popular solution for those seeking to combat the effects of aging on their skin, with hundreds of thousands of successful treatments in the time since its approval.
Although the technique is revolutionary when it comes to stimulating collagen growth, the truth is that ultrasound energy has been a key medical technology for half a century. For 50 years, ultrasound has helped medical professionals get a glimpse of pregnancies, kidney stones, gallbladders, and an entire host of internal issues where surgery is not always the best option.
This ultrasound technology targets a lower layer of skin that exists roughly 4mm underneath the skin’s surface to start the process of collagen growth. This is a process known as neocollagenesis, and it begins when the heating of the lower layers of skin encourages the production of collagen. By targeting only this layer, the treatment is able to avoid damaging the surface or upper layers of the skin, as might happen with a more invasive treatment option.
After the session, the skin begins to produce collagen at a much higher rate. How significant will the change be? The results vary from person to person, depending on a variety of factors. But over the following weeks and months, this heightened neocollagenesis will add more collagen throughout your skin, and, as it becomes integrated, you will find that your skin becomes more toned, tighter, and youthful.
Everyone’s skin is unique, and as a result, the speed with which results appear will differ from person to person. As a general rule, many patients will find that they see some mild effects in the first few days as their skin gets a little extra lift. They may also experience some smoothing of wrinkles in the first week.
This is a good sign that neocollagenesis has begun. The body is reacting to the treatment, and the skin is responding. For full results, however, the body needs time to produce enough collagen to be noticeable on a larger scale. The entire process typically takes about 2-3 months, at which point enough time will have passed and the new collagen will be incorporated into the skin.
If you have to wait two to three months for something, you want to make sure it will stick around for a while. In most cases, the new collagen will be noticeable for two to three years after the treatment session. As with all your body’s collagen, it will start to decline over time, which is why follow-up treatments are encouraged at a later date.
In order to make the most of your treatment, our professionals will work with you to map out a plan for long-term care.
This is a common question when it comes to skin tightening, body sculpting, facials, and other medical spa services. There are many treatments on the market that require 6-8 sessions in order to achieve successful results, but Ultherapy® isn’t one of them.
Most patients will need only one session of roughly an hour in length. In a few cases, an additional session may be helpful to start collagen production, but this is not usually necessary. The key ingredient is time, as the body will need several weeks to complete the entire process. The best results typically come when maintenance sessions take place on a yearly basis. Annual follow-up sessions are recommended as this will help you maintain your results.
How old is the ideal candidate? It’s tempting to look for exact numbers, but in reality, skin laxity can vary significantly from person to person, based on each individual’s genetics and other medical factors. There isn’t really a “right age.”
Although we all age differently, each one of us will ultimately find that our skin loses some of its firmness as we get older. We can all use some help in this department, and now there are more options than ever. With this Ultherapy® treatment, our dermatologists can firm up those troublesome loose spots, whether it’s around the face, neck, stomach, chest, or even the buttocks.
The typical patient for this treatment is experiencing a marked increase in skin laxity and looseness. They want to combat this change and restore the consistency and firmness of their skin. Although Ultherapy can accomplish this in many areas of the body, one thing it does not address is skin pigmentation or blemishes. For this, you will need a different form of treatment.
Candidates should also know that this particular treatment cannot be rushed, so some patience will be necessary before the ideal results are realized. Unlike a facelift, ultrasound energy causes the body to start its own natural process, so it will take several weeks or months in order to achieve the look you are waiting for. As a result, the best candidates are those who are willing to be patient. In exchange, they will get a minimally-invasive and more natural result.
If this sounds like you, then the next step is waiting for you: calling for a consultation with our staff.
When you call for your personal consultation, our staff will arrange to meet you to discuss your wishes and individual goals. We’ll go over your medical history, medications, and any questions you have. The important thing to remember is that this consultation is for you as well as for us. You are free to ask us any and all questions you may have about the Ultherapy® treatment. Our job is to make sure you’re as comfortable and informed as possible.
Loose skin may be an unavoidable part of aging, but that doesn’t mean that you are stuck with it. With Ultherapy®, we have a powerful tool to help your body repair itself, all without invasive methods. If you dream of getting a firmer, tighter, and smoother look, just one session can give you years of positive results.
Are you ready to take the next step and feel comfortable again in your own skin? Our experts are waiting. Call R Shaheen Vascular in Monterey, CA and schedule your consultation today!
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