Dr. Sylvia Shares How Ultherapy Can Boost Collagen and Lift Sagging Skin

Cutis’s very own Dr. Sylvia is once again featured in Vogue Singapore in a recent article by Alli Sim. This time Dr. Sylvia shared the wonders of non-invasive face lifting via Ultherapy. She also discussed its benefits and what makes it different, especially from other skin lifting procedures. 

Getting to know Ultherapy

Ultherapy is a US FDA-cleared procedure for naturally lifting the skin on the face, neck, and chest area. It uses the body’s own regenerative response to lift and tighten the skin. It can also help sculpt or define contours of the lower face, as well as improve lines and wrinkles on the décolletage. 

What Ultherapy does is it delivers time-tested micro-focused ultrasound energy into the skin’s foundational layer called SMAS (Superficial MusculoAponeurotic System). This is the layer typically addressed in surgery, but with Ultherapy it can be treated without cutting or disrupting the skin surface.

Ultherapy uses real-time imaging to target the right layers or where the energy will be most beneficial. The heat from the ultrasound then triggers an immune response in the body, jumpstarting the production of new and healthy collagen. The result is a significant yet natural-looking lift over a period of 2 to 3 months. 

The wonders of Ultherapy

Ultherapy remains the only US FDA-cleared non-invasive treatment for lifting the skin on the face, brow, neck, and under the chin. It can be used as a means of depositing collagen into your own collagen bank, as we lose more of this essential skin protein with aging. This is one of the main reasons why Ultherapy stands out from other non-invasive procedures.

It works best if you have mild to moderate skin laxity or if your skin is beginning to look and feel saggy. You can also turn to this procedure if you want to treat lowered eyebrow lines, improve lines and wrinkles on the decolletage, or contour your facial profile. “Studies show over 70 per cent of patients note a visible improvement in skin laxity and marked improvement in collagen stores with Ultherapy,” Dr. Sylvia shares in the article. 

It is important to note that Ultherapy is different from HIFU or high-intensity focused ultrasound devices. These are blind treatments and have no real-time imaging, which means that there is always the risk of targeting non-beneficial areas. “There is also no evidence that other HIFU machines can consistently heat and target essential layers for neocollagenesis to happen,” says Dr. Sylvia.

It is worth noting that Ultherapy treatments performed worldwide have results supported by numerous peer reviewed studies in major medical journals and clinical trials. It has also received the European CE mark for non-invasive dermatological sculpting and lifting of the upper and lower face, neck, and décolletage. 

Setting the right expectations

One treatment every 12 to 18 months is usually enough, but this can still depend on a few other factors. Dr. Sylvia also shared in the article that touch-up treatments in the future are recommended, as the skin continues to age. These will help maintain the youthful results of the treatment.

It is important, however, to have realistic expectations with the treatment. As mentioned in the article, Ultherapy cannot produce dramatic face lifting results. It cannot duplicate the results of a surgical facelift and address volume loss. Nevertheless, Ultherapy improves skin quality so it is ideal if you’re not ready for surgery or want to extend the results of a surgical procedure.  

It matters where you get the treatment

Ultherapy is technique-dependent, so it matters where the treatment is done. As mentioned in the article, Dr. Sylvia suggests finding a doctor who does Ultherapy regularly. This is to maximize results while also minimizing complications. 

“Ask about the number of lines that the doctor will administer you will be getting. All clinical studies are based on a certain number of lines to ensure an effective treatment result,” she says.

The article also offers recommendations from Merz Aesthetics, the company behind Ultherapy. It is important to look for a licensed doctor in an Ultherapy-certified clinic and make sure that the doctors listen to and address your concerns before the treatment. Be wary of bargain or cheap treatments, as well as expensive packages. 

All excerpts/quotations were taken from “Lifted, tighter, refreshed: Why Ultherapy still remains the gold standard for non-invasive face lifting” by Alli Sim. This story was originally published in Vogue Singapore.