How Ulthera Skin Therapy Is Different From Other Facial Treatments

Aging might be unavoidable, but there are ways to slow down the process or even reverse the hands of time. These days, you have a number of non-surgical, anti-aging treatments to pick from, from injectable fillers to lasers and from Botox to Ulthera. Each option is different from the others, offering benefits and disadvantages.

Let’s take a look at Ulthera, also known as Ultherapy, to see how it’s different from other options and whether it’s right for you.

Ulthera Uses Ultrasound

Perhaps the most notable way that Ultherapy differs from other treatments is the method it uses to treat signs of aging. Ultherapy is the only FDA-approved, non-surgical anti-aging treatment to use ultrasound energy.

Thanks to the ultrasound energy, a surgeon performing Ultherapy is able to see deep into the tissue of skin, as deep as 5mm into the dermis. The outer layer of skin is left intact, so there’s no lengthy recovery period afterwards and no need to hide out at home waiting for your skin to heal.

What does the ultrasound energy do? It helps kickstart your skin’s regenerative process, smoothing and tightening looser skin. Everyone produces collagen, a protein responsible for keeping skin firm and smooth. But as you get older, the amount of collagen your body produces starts to diminish.

Usually, the body reduces it levels of collagen production starting around age 20. In the 30s and 40s, the results of that start to become plain. The fall in the natural collagen levels in your skin ages you, leading to laxity and looseness. It’s possible to trick the body into producing more collagen, using treatments such Ulthera. The result is firmer skin.

Ulthera Tightens Your Skin

Another way that Ultherapy is different from other facial anti-aging treatments is that it actually tightens your skin. Before Ultherapy, if you wanted to smooth and lift the skin near your eyebrows or on the chin, you would need to have either a brow lift or facelift.

Other non-invasive treatments, such as lasers and injections, focus on treating different concerns. For example, when you have Botox injections performed, the goal is usually to relax wrinkles created by movements. Botox is often used between the eyebrows, on the crow’s feet or on the neck.

In contrast, injectable fillers are usually given to plump up certain wrinkles or to add volume to the cheeks. You wouldn’t have fillers or Botox if your main concern was loose or sagging skin. The same is true for laser treatments.

Lasers also stimulate the production of collagen. But their goal is different from the goal of Ultherapy. Usually, people seeking laser treatments want to improve the texture of their skin, they want to minimize dark spots or they want to reduce wrinkles.

Although Ultherapy does tighten the skin, it’s important to remember that it’s not a one to one replacement for surgeries like a facelift or a brow lift. The treatment is often best suited for people who have a mild amount of skin laxity. It won’t be particularly helpful if you have a lot of sagging or very loose skin. In that case, your surgeon might recommend surgery as the best option for you.

Ulthera Works on More Than Just the Face

At first Ultherapy was FDA-approved for treating the neck, chin and eyebrow area. More recently, it was approved for use on the chest area. It’s now the only non-surgical treatment that is FDA-approved for reducing fine lines and wrinkles on the chest.

The chest, or decolletage, is an area often ignored when it comes to fighting the signs of aging. But that’s to the combination of sun exposure and neglect, it’s an area that starts to show wrinkles and other signs of aging sooner, rather than later.

Ulthera Works–and Keeps Working

Right after a Ultherapy treatment, you are likely to see some improvement in the laxity and tightness of your skin. As the days go on, and your body begins to produce more and more collagen, the results from treatment become even more noticeable. Some people describe it as watching the clock move backwards. Each morning they look in the mirror and look a little younger.

Typically, it takes anywhere from two to three months before you’ll see the final results from the treatment. How long those results last depend on a number of factors, including your body’s ability to continue to produce collagen as well as external factors. Smoking and spending a lot of time in the sun can cause results to fade more quickly.

The good news about the treatment is that you can have it repeated every year or so, to help maintain the results you get. Since Ultherapy has limited downtime, getting an annual touch-up won’t affect your schedule or life too much.

Dr. Paul Vitenas offers Ulthera treatment at Mirror Mirror Beauty Boutique in Houston, Texas. To learn more about the treatment and if it’s the right option for your skin, call 281-810-9083 to schedule a consultation at Mirror Mirror today.