It can be easy to feel self-conscious of how age lines and minor skin laxity are affecting your image. While both are common signs of aging in the skin, they can lead to feelings of discomfort toward your appearance. Ultherapy offers a non-invasive dermal rejuvenation treatment that can effectively rewind time on the skin and promote natural-looking results.
R Shaheen Vascular is your leading destination for Ultherapy skin renewal treatments in the greater Mountain View and Monterey areas. Dr. Raymond Shaheen and his specialists offer unparalleled comprehensive care across a wide range of breakthrough vascular treatments and state-of-the-art aesthetic treatments. We’re excited to meet with you and give your a safe, comfortable, and fulfilling experience. Contact us today to schedule your initial consultation and find out if this treatment may be right for you!
What is Ultherapy?
Ultherapy is a non-surgical ultrasound treatment that remedies effects of gravity and time on the skin. As we age, our body’s production of elastin and collagen– the building blocks of youthful skin– gradually declines, resulting in wrinkles and skin laxity. Ultherapy harnesses the power of ultrasound technology to stimulate the body’s own skin-restorative process known as neocollagenesis. As new collagen is produced, the skin naturally appears firmer, softening the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, and tightening the skin for a younger-looking complexion.
Why Ultherapy?
Ultherapy utilizes tried-and-true ultrasound energy which, unlike laser therapies, allows it to bypass the superficial skin layer and stimulate collagen on a deeper level. This treatment promotes natural rejuvenation and, in turn, natural-looking results of youthful skin. Some other amazing benefits of Ultherapy include:
- No invasive measures such as needles or incisions required
- No downtime following treatment
- Patients may return to their normal activities immediately
After just one treatment, the process of collagen production and maturation begins, which delivers the benefit of results that continue to improve in the weeks and months following your treatment. This is due to the collagen fibers maturing and further enhancing the skin’s structure and elasticity over time, supporting that taut, plump, and youthful appearance. Because this system leverages your body’s existing healing processes instead of adding any synthetic materials into the treated area(s), it is able to produce effortlessly natural-looking, yet dramatic results over time.
Finally, Ulthera boasts a particularly impressive advantage over alternative non-surgical facelift treatments: it is FDA-cleared for non-invasive face lift treatment. In fact, Ulthera is the first treatment of its kind to receive clearance. This means that there is a robust knowledge base derived from clinical research certifying the safety and efficacy of this treatment platform for its stated use. Since its initial clearance in 2009 for non-invasive brow lift, Ulthera has received additional clearances for non-invasive neck lift, under-the-chin lift, and non-invasive decolletage rejuvenation. In other words, Ulthera has gone through several rounds of high-level scrutiny by authoritative bodies, and has been declared a safe and effective treatment that you can trust.
What is the treatment process like?
Like any other procedure, surgical or non-invasive, the first priority is to establish whether or not you are an ideal candidate. As we will cover in greater depth below, this entails ensuring that you are medically eligible, have reasonable expectations of treatment, and present with the kinds of aesthetic concerns that Ultherapy treatment effectively addresses. At Shaheen Vascular, we will carefully evaluate all of these factors with you in an initial consultation appointment. We are committed to not only ensuring a safe and effective treatment process, but also to keeping you in confident control of your own treatment decisions.
Once you are comfortable moving forward with treatment, we will plan your visit. When treatment day comes, this is the process:
- Preparing for the procedure: First and foremost, we will ensure that you are comfortably positioned and ready for the procedure. Then, the skin is cleaned and prepped for the treatment with ultrasound gel.
- Applying the treatment: The actual treatment process is as simple as a therapeutic or prenatal ultrasound. The handpiece will be gently moved across the treatment area, delivering ultrasound energy to the underlying tissues in order to stimulate collagen production.
- Monitoring and aftercare: While it’s common to experience mild redness, swelling, or tenderness following treatment, you will be able to return home on your own and resume your normal schedule immediately. The above symptoms should resolve within several days at the most.
In the majority of cases, the entire treatment process takes between 30 to 90 minutes, varying according to the size and number of treatment areas and other factors.
How soon can I see results?
Since Ultherapy gradually promotes collagen production, results from your treatment may not be immediately evident. Some patients may see an initial effect, however, more drastic results can be seen over the following 2-3 months. Additionally, while most patients may achieve their desired results with only a single session, others may benefit greater with an optimal treatment plan. Ultimately, results will vary from person to person.
Is Ultherapy right for me?
This revolutionary treatment may be the right choice for you if you are:
- Looking for a non-surgical, non-invasive skin rejuvenation treatment
- Self-conscious of how age lines and minor skin laxity are affecting your appearance
- Not pregnant at the time of treatment
While Ultherapy is a highly well-tolerated treatment that accommodates a very wide range of people, there are still some additional factors which may impede your ability to safely undergo this treatment. These include skin conditions and infections near or on the treatment area, metal implants or pacemakers, various chronic and/or immune disorders, and the use of some medications. While Ultherapy treatment can be applied over most areas, it is generally not applied over the thyroid gland, keloid scars, and large blood vessels.
Finally, an important component of the initial evaluation and planning process involves aligning your expectations with the results that Ultherapy is capable of providing. Even if you present with the kind of skin concerns that Ultherapy can treat and are well-qualified to receive the treatment medically speaking, gauging your potential results is a key component to being fully satisfied with the treatment.
Can Ultherapy be combined with other treatments?
Though Ultherapy can and has produced powerful results on its own for many satisfied clients, the beauty of this minimally invasive and versatile procedure is that it can also be paired with other treatments to broaden and enhance its potential effects.
Treatments commonly paired with Ultherapy include, but are not limited to dermal fillers, Botox, laser resurfacing, and thread lifts. Here’s how each of these treatments plays off of Ultherapy to deliver improved results:
- Dermal fillers + Ultherapy: Dermal fillers complement the collagen-boosting properties of Ultherapy by offering a highly targeted, more dramatic volume boost of the lips, cheeks, under-eye areas, and more.
- Botox + Ultherapy: Fine-line-reducing neuromodulator injections like Botox team up with the non-invasive skin-tightening effects of Ultherapy to create a more youthful and rejuvenated appearance. Like dermal fillers, Botox combined with Ultherapy allows you to target specific areas affected by dynamic wrinkles (e.g., Crow’s feet).
- Laser resurfacing + Ultherapy: As Ultherapy smooths over and tightens the skin, the laser resurfacing treatment balances and augments its superficial features, including texture, pigmentation, and various blemishes.
- Thread lifts + Ultherapy facial lifting: A minimally invasive treatment involving the use of very thin, biocompatible sutures to provide a gentle lift of the lower third of the face, thread lifts can enhance the rejuvenating (specifically, non-invasive skin-tightening) effects of Ultherapy.
While Ultherapy can in fact be combined with the above treatments and others to great effect, a successful combined treatment approach requires careful preparation, planning, and timing. Our team at Shaheen Vascular is happy to create a fully customized treatment plan that delivers the results you’re looking for on your schedule and within your budget.
How to preserve your Ultherapy skin rejuvenation results
As easy and convenient as Ultherapy facial lifting treatment is, both short-term and long-term aftercare are still important for protecting and prolonging your results as much as possible.
Immediately following your treatment, your top priorities are to manage any routine post-procedure swelling while letting the area rest and recover. This entails using cold compresses and/or any other methods recommended by your provider and avoiding strenuous exercise, alcohol, and any activities that may involve applying pressure to the treated areas. It’s also important to avoid extreme heat for at least 1-2 days, including hot showers, saunas, and hot tubs.
For one to two weeks following your treatment, use gentle skincare products only, avoid smoking, and ensure you are using at least SPF 30 sunscreen when venturing outside. During this window, you should be able to begin resuming your exercise routines and other activities gradually, and you may notice early improvements in skin quality.
In the near-long-term and long-term scenarios, standard skincare best practices apply: stay hydrated, use high-quality products while avoiding irritants, protect yourself from the sun, and so on. It’s also important to attend any follow-up appointments as recommended by your provider.
Experience the power of Ultherapy skin rejuvenation with Shaheen Vascular
Our knowledgeable and friendly team at Shaheen Vascular knows from firsthand experience how empowering it feels to achieve freshly rejuvenated, youthful-looking skin. This is why we are so passionate about delivering fully patient-centered, result-driven treatment plans for everyone who chooses us for their cosmetic needs.
Ultherapy is a powerful tool in enabling us to make our clients’ visions of renewed beauty come to life. As your trusted aesthetics partner, we are here to offer you the very best solutions available on the market, including this innovative non-surgical facelift approach.
Are you ready to feel more confident behind your skin? Contact us today to schedule your initial consultation and find out if Ultherapy may be the right choice for you!