Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Tightening Saggy Skin

For years we have not had good treatment options for improving lax, saggy skin from the neck down other than surgical excision.  Many people will develop saggy skin after weight loss, hormone changes, pregnancy in women, sun damage and simply aging.  Non-ablative lasers, ultrasound and radiofrequency devices are capable of some modest skin tightening and stretch mark improvement but only after multiple treatments - three to ten depending on the device.  In addition, ultrasound (Ultherapy) is infamous for being very painful, yet no more effective than some of the radiofrequency devices.  Recently, subcutaneous radiofrequency treatment has been introduced as a more effective skin tightening option.

Subcutaneous radiofrequency skin tightening is known by the brand name ThermiTight or ThermiRF. It can be done for saggy skin of the jowls, lower face, neck, arms, abdomen, back, neck, and legs (buttock, thighs).  The procedure is done one time, outpatient, with local anesthesia and light or no sedation.  It takes one hour to a few hours depending on the size or treatment area.  Results after just one treatment are exciting and equivalent or much better to multiple treatments with the laser and device treatments I described earlier.

Results after any procedure designed to stimulate new collagen and elastin via heat ( as in laser, ultrasound, and radiofrequency) may take 3-6 months to see the full improvement.

No comments: