Posted March 01, 2013 in Blog, Uncategorized
“Ultherapy’s effects did seem almost supernatural, as my resuscitated collagen began slowly knitting together the familiar pattern of a slightly younger me“
Last week, Ultherapy was featured on what is arguably the most-popular lifestyle internet publication, iVillage.com! Reporter Katherine Rentmeester shared her recent Ultherapy experience on iVillage. Here is her Ulthera experience:
Before and After Ultherapy (Author)
“Six months ago, I set out to see if time travel was possible. It wasn’t a very long journey
I was hoping to go on—backtracking five years or so—but then, a half decade’s not bad for an hour spent in
a Midtown Manhattan dermatology clinic. I was there to get zapped with the latest beauty technology, an
outpatient procedure…to kick-start my skin’s deadbeat collagen.
What led me to the practice of Dr. Francesca Fusco to test out Ultherapy was pretty standard stuff. For the
past decade, the skin I’d known in my twenties had been on a slow slide that left my cheekbones a little lower,
my jaw line looser, and everything settled just a couple tattle-tale millimeters below where it used to be. I felt
bad about it, but not that bad. It certainly wasn’t worth going under the knife for. But what if I didn’t have to
go under the knife to get the effects of a facelift—or at least a subtle version of one?
A surgery-free micro lift is precisely what Ultherapy purports to offer. “This is a step in the direction of a
sutureless facelift,” explained Dr. Fusco. “I really believe this is the technology that’s going to evolve toward
that.” Swapping the tools of more invasive methods for an ultrasound wand, the procedure harnesses heat
produced by precisely targeted sonic waves to startle slacking collagen into rebuilding, which in turn tightens
and lifts skin and underlying tissues.
Male Ultherapy Patient After 4 Months
The cutting-edge technology might be a giant leap towards making the scalpel obsolete—but that doesn’t
mean a risk of pain isn’t still a very real possibility. One of the most common complaints about Ultherapy is
discomfort…. The company, in fact, recently addressed these concerns by adjusting the intensity to minimize
this risk. But while I’d braced myself for the worst, pain was not a part of my experience—or at least didn’t
have a starring role.
Here’s what happened in the treatment room: I downed
a pain killer and the Valium pill that they dole out to
nervous patients, and 30 minutes later my face was
being slathered with sonogram gel. For the next hour
Dr. Fusco inched an Ulthera wand over my neck and
jaw, cheeks and forehead, gliding, pressing firmly,
and zapping with the device, millimeter by millimeter
while we chatted about show dogs and fashion week.
The sensation of each of the hundreds of blasts was
strange one: like that split-second before you actually
register that something’s too hot. It was the build-up
to pain, without the pain. A few times, she squeezed
the trigger and a nerve jetted through my face, but
again, it didn’t hurt, it was just startling, similar to the
jerk of your leg when a doctor hits your knee with
a rubber hammer. The only moments that made me
push back hard into my chair were the first couple
zaps over my cheeks, which sent vibrations ringing
through my dental work. A wad of cotton between
my cheek and teeth dampened the sensation
completely.
Ulthera Patient Note Improvement of Jawline
After working her way from neck to forehead, Dr.
Fusco did a second pass, repeating the whole thing
over again, then handed me a mirror that reflected
back…well, pretty much the same-old me. My cheeks
were a little flushed and marginally tighter, but
other than that, there really wasn’t an immediate
difference—which was to be expected, since any
razzle-dazzle happens as collagen rebuilds over the
coming months. Although Ultherapy is billed as a
lunchtime procedure, I decided that returning to my
office in a Valium haze might earn me a reputation
as a secret pill popper, so I headed home for an early
weekend instead.
The next morning I woke up, looked in the bathroom
mirror and began my post-treatment diary. “Jowly
Freakout” headed the entry, which went on to
describe the set of mumpsy cheeks that had inflated
overnight. While most patients experience little to no
visible swelling, I found myself among a very unlucky,
very puffy minority. It wasn’t the kind of thing that
I couldn’t leave the house with, but I didn’t exactly
want to run into any acquaintances or exes either,
so I holed up in my apartment for a Walking Dead
marathon. By Monday my cheeks were a little tender
to the touch, but I looked good enough to head back
to work without raising eyebrows.
On day 13, my diary noted, “Cheeks, jaw line—
magical!” And from this point on, Ultherapy’s effects
did seem almost supernatural, as my resuscitated
collagen began slowly knitting together the familiar
pattern of a slightly younger me. Edges were
softened, curves reset—both without the realityhousewife-
induced fear of overcorrection that
comes with fillers and surgical lifts. Two months
in and my double chin was a singleton again. The
time-worn circles beneath my eyes, while still there,
were diffused. By month four, my hollowing cheeks
were plumped just the fraction needed to subtract
a few years.
Ultherapy’s results were everything I had hoped for…
but less. Perhaps because I was so happy with the
direction my face was heading in, the subtlety of
the transformation made me want more. I looked
five years younger, so why not ten? Or fifteen? Near
my five-month mark I headed back to the offices
of Dr. Fusco for a follow-up, and my first question
to her was: If I did it again, right now, would it take
another half-decade off? “There’s no formula like
that—wouldn’t it be great if there was?,” she laughed.
“If we were to do it a second time, would it look
better? Probably. How much? Can’t say. It’s not like
architecture.” But even if a handful of appointments
won’t let me jump decades into the past, I know one
thing: I will be booking a session every couple years
to keep pushing the younger me back to the future.”
Please feel free to contact us with any questions that you may have regarding facial rejuvenation. Be well!
If you are interested in a Facial Rejuvenation procedure, please schedule your consultation with Dr. Persky by calling (818) 918-9252. Join our newsletter to receive special offers & promotions exclusively available for subscribers.
Dr. Michael Persky and Dr. Sarmela Sunder are located in Encino, California and Beverly Hills, California (The Lasky Clinic) but service all of Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley. Including, Beverly Hills, Hollywood, Hancock Park, Brentwood, Santa Monica, Pacific Palisades, Malibu, Sherman Oaks, Studio City, Calabasas, Woodland Hills, Tarzana, Westlake, Thousand Oaks, Agoura Hills, La Canada, Pasadena, and more. Please subscribe to our blog by clicking the link above, right, and “Like” us on Facebook. Thank you!
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