Thermage Skin Tightening Treatment

Susan is a 61-year old former smoker and housewife from Mahopac, Putnam County, NY.

Sought treatment for:

• Fine lines around mouth and eyes
• Loose, draping skin around the jawline (jowls) and chin

Because Susan regularly confesses her embarrassment over wrinkled and sagging skin, friends have suggested she undergo a facelift. Susan cannot afford the high cost of such a procedure, and she also fears the over-tightened, “in a wind tunnel” look. She has tried numerous over-the-counter remedies, face tightening exercises, as well as facials and peels, which have helped her skin texture and complexion, but do not address her sagging skin. Additionally, after losing some weight, Susan no longer wears short-sleeved tops, because she is self-conscious about the wing-like, loose skin hanging from the back of her upper arms.

Recommended approach:

• Thermage for facial, eyelid and body skin tightening
• Wrinkle-filler, i.e., Restylane, Juvederm and Radiesse, for deeper creases due to collagen loss

Consultation

During the consultation, we discussed the skin tightening effects of Thermage, which uses radio frequency (RF) pulses of heat energy to tighten existing collagen, as well as stimulate new collagen growth beneath the surface of the skin. It is the most studied treatment for non-surgical skin tightening on the market. Susan was pleased to hear that Thermage can be safely used to tighten skin on the body, as well as the face and eyelids. She was also pleased that the discomfort of some of the pulses of RF energy can be mitigated by pre-procedure analgesics and by lowering the energy level to easily tolerable levels.

Treatment, results and maintenance

Susan decided to do her arms first, and then a facial treatment. She had been told that the results can vary from mild improvement in about 25% of treatment recipients to a “wow” result in about half, and the rest fall somewhere in between. Fortunately for her she noted an immediate slight improvement, and then a dramatic change in her skin tightness and elasticity over the next few months. She now uses less makeup and feels comfortable in short sleeved blouses. She has vowed to continue a healthy lifestyle and, when finances permit, add to her improved appearance with dermal filler injections, such as Radiesse, Restylane and/or Juvederm.