As we age, our bodies produce less collagen, which results in sagging, droopy skin and fine lines and wrinkles. If you’ve been struggling with skin that has lost its laxity and life, it might be time to try Ultherapy. Ultherapy is an innovative, nonsurgical treatment that harnesses the power of ultrasound waves to stimulate collagen production in the deepest layer of the skin. The result is lifted, toned, youthful skin as your body produces collagen again. Call the experts at Procerus Skin Care in Ann Arbor, MI to find out how we can help you revitalize your mature skin with Ultherapy.
What Is Ultherapy?
In the past, a facelift was your only hope of turning back the clock to reverse the tell-tale signs of aging. But many men and women with visible signs of aging want a treatment that can eliminate their cosmetic concerns without having to go under the knife. Ultherapy provides a highly effective solution to this common problem. With Ultherapy’s nonsurgical, innovative technology, you can enjoy smooth, youthful skin without costly or invasive surgery.
Ultherapy is an FDA-approved treatment that uses precise ultrasound waves to smooth and lift areas on the face, neck, and chest that have fallen with age. This revolutionary treatment stimulates your body’s own collagen production to revitalize aged skin and provide long-lasting results- minus the downtime and expense of traditional facelift procedures.
How Does Ultherapy Work?
Ultherapy is a nonsurgical treatment that uses ultrasound waves to deeply penetrate the skin’s surface and stimulate collagen production in the deep muscular tissues of the face. The ultrasound waves focus on improving the superficial layer of skin and toning the muscles underneath simultaneously to stimulate collagen production and eliminate surface level fine lines and wrinkles.
The treatment activates a process known as neocollagenesis within the skin to give you long-lasting firm, youthful skin where you want it most. Unlike invasive surgeries or temporary fillers, Ultherapy works with your body’s natural processes to give you long-lasting, firm, toned skin after your treatment. It is especially helpful in addressing smile lines, jowly cheeks, drooping jawline, and sagging skin around the neck and chest.
What to Expect at Your First Visit
Ultherapy treatments are just as fast as they are effective. Don’t worry about spending hours of your day at your doctor’s office. Instead, you’ll be in and out within one to two hours depending on your targeted areas. Face and neck treatments take anywhere from 60 to 90 minutes, while chest treatments take about 30 minutes.
Plus, there is no downtime after your treatment, and you are free to resume your daily schedule immediately following your visit. Ultherapy is a popular choice among busy working adults who don’t want to take time off work because it can easily be scheduled into a busy day, with zero downtime following treatment.
The Treatment
Before your treatment, your technician will thoroughly cleanse the skin and then apply ultrasound gel to the treated areas. During your treatment, your skilled technician will apply the ultrasound device to your targeted area. They will be able to see an image of the current state of your deep muscular tissue to decide where you will benefit from concentrated ultrasound waves the most.
Ultherapy is the only treatment that allows technicians to see an image of the areas to treat with an ultrasound viewer, which makes the treatments more precise and exact.
After Treatment
To enhance comfort, you may be given pain medication before your treatment to make sure that you are comfortable and relaxed. While comfort levels vary from person to person, Ultherapy is generally very well tolerated by most.
Ultherapy uses your body’s natural processes, so you don’t have to worry about uncomfortable side effects like you would with fillers or other chemical treatments. Plus, the effects are natural so you don’t have to worry about looking overly done.
What Is Unique About Ultherapy?
Ultherapy is the only nonsurgical treatment that has been FDA-approved for lifting and tightening the skin on the face, neck, and chest. Not only has it been cleared for safety, but it has also been proven to be highly effective in the treatment of drooping skin, fine lines and wrinkles, and other cosmetic concerns associated with aging. Because Ultherapy uses ultrasound waves that deeply penetrate the outer layers of the skin, it can reach deeper muscular tissues in the skin for a more effective end result.
While laser treatments are another popular nonsurgical treatment used to treat fine lines and wrinkles, they are not able to penetrate the outer layers of the skin in the same way as Ultherapy. This makes lasers effective at treating surface-level imperfections, such as hyperpigmentation and small lines and wrinkles, but limits its effectiveness in treating deeper wrinkles or sagging skin. Ultherapy can address these common concerns in a much more effective way, making it a leading treatment for sagging skin, drooping necklines, and deep folds on the face, such as smile lines.
When Can You Expect to See Results?
Ultherapy works with your body’s natural processes to restore collagen production in aging skin, which results in tighter, firmer, more youthful skin over time.
Some clients may experience an immediate visible improvement following treatment, but most clients notice bigger changes about two weeks following treatment. Your results become more dramatic and apparent for three months following the first treatment as your collagen production naturally increases. After this time, the full effects of Ultherapy are visible and you will enjoy a new, youthful glow!
Depending on the severity of skin laxity and the body’s natural collagen-producing process, some clients may find that a second treatment is beneficial. We ask that you wait 6 months following the first treatment to see how your body naturally responds to Ultherapy before getting a consultation for a second treatment.
How Long Do Results Last?
Ultherapy addresses wrinkles and sagging skin directly at the source, providing long-lasting results. Rather than correcting the cosmetic appearance of aging, Ultherapy works with your body’s natural processes to not only eliminate them but lessen the chance of their return. Of course, your body will continue to age, but because Ultherapy stimulates collagen production, the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles will be reduced following treatment.
On average, you can expect the results of one Ultherapy treatment to last for two to three years, depending on your lifestyle and daily habits. To make results last longer, it is recommended that you schedule an Ultherapy session once every two to three years and follow a healthy lifestyle.
It’s important to keep in mind that someone who follows a healthy lifestyle, with consistent skincare habits will see results longer than a person who has unhealthy daily habits, such as smoking.
Top 8 Ways You Can Make Your Results Last Longer
Collagen provides the building blocks for bouncy, youthful skin, and there are many supplements and treatments you can use to increase collagen production in the body. During Ultherapy, ultrasound waves deeply shock slacking tissue to produce collagen to give you that youthful tone once again.
To help your body produce more collagen, it is important to make sure that you’re feeding your body plenty of collagen-boosting foods and supplements. Keep reading to find out all the many ways you can
1. HydraFacial Treatments
The HydraFacial, also known as the “red carpet facial” for its popularity in Hollywood, is an excellent maintenance treatment in between Ultherapy treatments. During a HydraFacial, your face is deeply cleansed, rejuvenated, and hydrated with a combination of collagen-rich peptides and amino acids. You can even add a red LED light treatment to your facial for even more collagen-boosting power.
HydraFacials leave your face refreshed and rejuvenated without any downtime and is perfect before weddings or other big events to make your skin look its absolute best. The youthful glow you get from a HydraFacial pairs incredibly well with the results from Ultherapy treatments and can give your skin an extra boost of radiance.
2. Retinol & Retinoids
Retinoids have been shown to be the most effective ingredient for slowing the aging process, which is why it is such a popular ingredient in most anti-aging serums. They do this by stimulating collagen production, helping your body maintain that youthful Ultherapy glow.
Retinoids are derived from vitamin A and are used topically to improve fine lines and wrinkles, address hyperpigmentation, tighten pores, and reduce acne breakouts. By increasing cellular turnover, retinoids help reverse the signs of aging by promoting new collagen formation and exfoliating dead skin cells. The result is a smoother, more radiant complexion.
3. Vitamin C
Vitamin C is a powerhouse when it comes to collagen production. It protects your skin from free radicals and environmental stressors that trigger collagen breakdown, which includes pollution, sun exposure, and smoking. Lowering free radicals in the skin helps the skin maintain firmness, elasticity, and most importantly, collagen levels. Plus, it works as an antioxidant that reduces inflammation and promotes healing, which is excellent for acne-prone skin. Adding a vitamin C serum to your daily skin routine is a great way to keep collagen production at its peak.
4. Sunscreen
We all know that sun exposure is one of the biggest culprits of collagen breakdown, but it is even worse if you never wear sunscreen. Investing in an SPF of 30 to 50 each day will help your skin continue to produce collagen without stunting the process.
The last thing you want to do is sabotage your body’s ability to produce collagen, and sun exposure will definitely speed up collagen breakdown. Sunscreens with vitamins C and E, along with green tea extract will provide your face with defense from the sun and environmental free radicals for extra protection when you’re out in the elements.
5. Peptides
Peptides are strings of amino acids that form the building blocks of collagen production, adding the youthful firmness and elasticity to the skin that we want to maintain.
Moisturizers, eye creams, and serums with copper peptides help you generate and maintain current collagen production. After your Ultherapy treatments, you will want to invest in collagen-friendly products to keep your skin looking its best post-treatment and peptides are an excellent place to start.
6. Eliminate Smoking & Drinking Regularly
We all know that smoking has damaging effects on the body, and when it comes to collagen production, the story is no different. Cigarettes and alcohol both cause collagen to break down at an exponential rate, which results in fine lines, wrinkles, and sagging skin. These elements activate pathways that damage collagen production and reduce its formation, which speeds up the aging process. It also impairs the body’s ability to heal and repair, which also results in lessened collagen production.
While we aren’t saying you should give up your happy hour cocktail or two, we are saying that you should be wary of consuming too much alcohol on a regular basis. To keep your collagen production at its peak, try to moderate your alcohol intake and eliminate cigarettes altogether if you can. Your skin will thank you!
7. Food Fixes
What we eat has a huge impact on how our skin looks, and there are many foods you can incorporate into your daily diet to help keep your collagen production at its best. Focus on high-quality lean protein, omega-3 fatty acids, fiber, and plenty of fruits and vegetables. Don’t worry about eating too much protein. Your body and skin need it! Because lean proteins contain all the essential amino acids your body needs, they help you build and maintain firm, youthful skin.
Plus, antioxidant-rich fruits and anti-inflammatory vegetables help defend the body against environmental stress and free radicals from the inside out. Foods that are recommended for collagen production include lean meats, salmon, leafy greens, nuts, beans, lentils, quinoa, berries, and citrus fruits. Of course, limiting sugary foods, caffeine, and processed foods will also keep you from losing collagen.
8. Collagen Supplements
Collagen supplements are an excellent addition to your daily regimen and provide you with a wealth of benefits. In addition to supporting heart health, preventing bone loss, and promoting lean muscle growth, collagen supplements are excellent for your skin.
They are especially helpful following Ultherapy treatments because the body will respond to unusually high amounts of peptides and amino acids floating around by producing even more collagen. Both the collagen supplements and Ultherapy treatments will trigger your body’s collagen-stimulating response, resulting in double the amount of collagen being produced!
The best collagen supplement to use for collagen-building is bovine collagen because it is most similar to human collagen. Make sure your supplement has hydrolyzed peptides, as these help collagen-stimulating molecules effectively reach your bloodstream. Lysine and vitamin C are also incredibly beneficial additions to your collagen supplements to help further stimulate collagen production.
Are You a Good Candidate for Ultherapy?
You are an excellent candidate for Ultherapy treatments if you suffer from mild-to-moderate skin laxity of the face, neck, or chest. A jaw that has drooped or sagged due to age or areas of the neck that have lost firmness are perfect examples of the types of cosmetic concerns that Ultherapy addresses. A lower brow line, smile lines, and fine lines and wrinkles on the chest or face can also be treated effectively with Ultherapy treatments.
The best way to find out if you are a good candidate for Ultherapy treatments is to call our center directly to set up your initial consultation. Reach out to us at Procerus Skin Care in Ann Arbor, MI today. We are here to help you reveal your best skin. Call us today to see how we can help you welcome back the skin of your youth!
