ULTHERAPY®

Sagging skin on the face and body is also associated with a loss of fat. It can often be challenging to treat sagging and wrinkled skin at home, which is why there is a viable, minimally invasive skin tightening and lifting option for 2024: Ultherapy^® at Portland, OR’s The Waldorf Center for Plastic Surgery.

This non-surgical face treatment uses ultrasound technology to lift and tone loose and sagging skin.* If the skin on your face has “relaxed“ to the point of looking and feeling less firm—meaning you are experiencing mild to moderate skin laxity—this treatment may be right for you. It is especially ideal for anyone who wants to address sagging but who is not ready for a facelift.

As we age, our bodies produce less collagen, a natural protein that gives skin its youthful strength, elasticity, and firmness. Happily, this doesn’t mean collagen synthesis stops forever. Collagen-creating cells can be “fired up” to begin renewed production, resulting in increasing levels of the protein once again.

Ultrasound energy is an ideal way to prompt renewed collagen synthesis. This safe strategy has a proven track record, as it has been used in medicine for more than 50 years.

So what is Ultherapy^® and how does it fit in with this collagen-renewal strategy? Ultherapy^®—also known as Ulthera^® or ultrasound therapy—uses microfocused ultrasound to lift and tighten loose skin. This ultrasound therapy is different from procedure doctors use for medical imaging, such as to “see” babies in the womb. However, traditional ultrasound imaging is used to allow us to see into the various layers of skin in order to deliver the energy to the exact areas that are most beneficial for you.

The Ultherapy^® device focuses energy at the deep skin layer and foundational layer to stimulate your body’s creation of new collagen and elastin. The treatment is designed to improve the appearance of moderately sagging or loose skin. Ultherapy^® provides subtle and natural looking results without any surgery or recovery time necessary—and no surgical scars left behind.

Ultherapy^® can be thought of more as an “uplift“ than a facelift. While it is not viewed as a replacement for surgical rejuvenation, Ultherapy^® from Portland’s Waldorf Center is a non-invasive alternative for patients seeking some lifting and toning for mild and moderate skin laxity. As the only FDA-cleared non-invasive treatment for lifting the neck, chin, and brow, as well as improving wrinkles on the décolletage, Ultherapy^® is an ideal way to keep pace with your skin’s natural aging process. The energy is delivered to the precise areas that will benefit from it the most.

Who is a suitable candidate for Ultherapy^®? On the other hand, who should not get Ultherapy^®?

If you have been thinking of getting a facelift but are unsure about surgery, ultrasound therapy is a non-surgical option you might want to consider. Ultherapy^® can be a great rejuvenating strategy for patients who want to delay their need for surgery.

Remember, however, that although some people think of it as a non-surgical alternative to a facelift, Ultherapy^® won’t replicate the results of surgery. Facelifts provide dramatic and comprehensive results that are visible right away for patients with moderate to severe skin laxity. Moreover, there aren’t any non-surgical or topical products that can yield results that come close to those of an actual facelift.

An Ultherapy^® treatment takes 10 to 60 minutes, depending on the area treated. Discomfort during Ultherapy^® treatment varies greatly between patients. For a more comfortable treatment session, discuss the option of taking ibuprofen or some other oral pain medication prior to treatment.