In the current day and age, it is more important than ever for people to feel comfortable with their appearance. A ceaseless pressure exists to always be photo-ready because you never know when your image will find its way onto social media. At Peachtree Dermatology in Atlanta, GA, we want to help our clients feel confident in their appearance at all times. That’s why we offer Ultherapy.
We strongly believe that everyone should have beautiful, healthy skin at all times. Our hope is that even if you walk out of the door without a trace of makeup on, you will feel confident that your skin looks healthy and beautiful and not be fazed that someone has taken your picture.
What Is the Best Age To Get Ultherapy?
The time is right for you to schedule your first Ultherapy treatment when you start seeing moderate or severe skin concerns, like sagging, wrinkles, or inelasticity. Usually, people scheduling treatment sessions are between the ages of 30 and 40. However, it is perfectly fine to seek this treatment when you are in your 20s.
In fact, your skin starts to ramp down its production of crucial proteins and fibers between the ages of 20 and 25 depending on your genes and lifestyle choices. Also, you should be aware that there is no upper age limit preventing someone from qualifying for this treatment. If you’re in your 40s, 50s, or 60s, now is the perfect time to start taking extra care of your skin.
How Does This Treatment Work?
This treatment works thanks to soundwaves emitting a great deal of thermal energy. This thermal energy penetrates the outer layers of your skin easily, delivering heat to the foundational layer of your skin. In response to this heat, your skin’s deepest layer starts to produce collagen and elastin at an increased rate.
Collagen is a mesh-like protein that acts as crucial scaffolding, keeping your skin smooth, tight, and volumized. Elastin is responsible for preventing your skin from sagging. It is the fiber that snaps your skin back into place when you pull it away from your body.
A Long-Lasting Treatment
If you’re looking for long-lasting, natural-looking skin tightening, Ultherapy is the treatment for you. The results of other skin tightening treatments usually only last for six to 24 months. On the other hand, you can feel confident that your final skin tightening results will last for at least two years following your soundwave-based treatment.
Who Qualifies for This Treatment?
One thing that sets this treatment apart from others is that some skin tightening treatments have strict qualification rules. This soundwave-based skin tightening therapy is safe for virtually everyone, regardless of their skin type, tone, or texture. As a matter of fact, this treatment is even safe for pregnant women because it uses the same ultrasound technology used to capture images from a woman’s womb.
However, just because it is safe does not mean it is right for you. To find out whether you are a good candidate for this treatment, you need to attend an initial consultation and have your concerns evaluated. Sometimes, other treatments are required in addition to or instead of Ultherapy to provide idea results. For instance, if you have dynamic wrinkles in addition to loose, sagging skin and wrinkles, injectable muscle relaxants will be required.
Where Can This Treatment Be Used?
Most of the time, people seek this treatment to reverse the signs of aging showing on the neck and face. Nevertheless, it can be used to reverse the signs of aging virtually anywhere. Some of the most commonly targeted areas are the:
- Knees
- Neck
- Eyes
- Chest
- Chin
- Cheeks
- Jawline
What’s great about this treatment is its incredible safety means that you can use it to treat eye and mouth wrinkles. There is no need to worry about potential damage to your eyes or teeth.
What Can I Expect During the Treatment Process?
Coming in for an Initial Evaluation
The first step in the treatment process is scheduling and coming in for an initial evaluation. During this assessment, we will verify that this treatment is the appropriate solution to your cosmetic problems. We will determine your candidacy by reviewing your cosmetic concerns, discussing your health and what treatments or procedures you’ve had in the area recently, and evaluating your areas of concern.
Preparing for Your Session
If we determine during your initial consultation that this treatment is a good fit for you, we will advise you on how to prepare before your treatment session. One of the most important preparation steps you must take is protecting your skin from sun damage in the 14 days leading up to your treatment session.
It is also very important that you come in with clean, bare skin. If you come in wearing makeup or lotion, it will be removed before your treatment begins, adding to your appointment time.
Do I Have To Take Any Pharmaceuticals Prior to My Session?
There are no drugs you are required to take in advance of your ultrasound-based skin tightening treatment. However, some people choose to take an analgesic 30 minutes before their session because they are worried about the heat emitted by the soundwaves during their session.
Everyone has a different tolerance for heat, but you shouldn’t expect to feel any pain or discomfort during your treatment, even without taking an analgesic beforehand.
Coming in for Your Appointment
The third step in the treatment process is coming in for your Ultherapy session. It is highly advisable to wear loose, comfortable clothes, especially if you are using this treatment to tighten loose skin around your knees. To reiterate, we will remove any cosmetics from the treatment areas. Once the treatment areas are free from cosmetics, we will sanitize them and remove any excess hair from the areas.
Once your skin is prepared for your treatment, we will apply the ultrasound gel to the regions targeted for treatment. This is the same safe gel applied to the abdomen of pregnant women when ultrasound technology is used to take pictures of the inside of the womb. Once the ultrasound gel is applied to the skin, the applicator will be applied to the skin and turned on. As the applicator warms up, you may feel a little tingling, but the heat emitted won’t be painful.
Following Recovery Instructions
There isn’t a lot of recovery required following this non-invasive treatment session. In fact, there is no necessary downtime after your session, and you are free to return to work. However, it is still important that you follow certain post-treatment care guidelines, such as protecting your skin from sun damage and making sure you’re hydrated. Just a few short days after your treatment session, you will start to see your skin looking:
- Younger
- Tighter
- Smoother
- Brighter
Nevertheless, you shouldn’t expect to see your final results for around half of a year. The longevity of your results depends on several factors, including your genes and lifestyle choices, but most people can enjoy their ideal results for 24 to 60 months.
Steps You Can Take for Longer-Lasting Results
Even though there are factors that affect the longevity of your results, like your age or genes, you can take steps to maintain your results. Wearing sunscreen every day and reapplying it every four hours is one of the most effective steps you can take to extend the longevity of your results. You can also protect the health of your skin by minimizing how long you spend in direct sunlight between 10 in the morning and 4 in the afternoon.
Another important step you can take to ensure your skin stays as healthy as possible is to remain hydrated. Typically, men need to drink around a gallon of water daily. Women generally need to drink around half a gallon of water every day to maintain proper hydration.
Find Out Today Whether This Treatment Is Right for You
Do you feel a little self-conscious about your face? Do you wear makeup to hide wrinkles or dullness? If so, now may be the perfect time for you to consider Ultherapy. To find out for sure whether this treatment is right for you, contact us now at Peachtree Dermatology in Atlanta, GA to schedule an initial evaluation. Regardless of your cosmetic concerns, we can’t wait to develop a comprehensive treatment plan that will help you feel confident at all times.
