Ultherapy was an accidental finding in the science of anti-aging. As many discoveries in medicine, the happy accident came when looking for a way to treat something else. Investigators wanted to non-invasively target liver metastases using bi-directional ultrasound energy to destruct malignant lesions without invasive surgery. Unfortunately, liver metastases treatment using Ultherapy failed but from this came Ultherapy as an aesthetic option. It is a non-invasive treatment which can effectively treat the soft tissue planes beneath the skin, by heating the tissue to the perfect temperature to allow for neocollagenesis, the creation of new collagen.
As collagen is a protein which is so important to youth and beauty, and our ability to keep up with that collagen decreases over time with aging, most anti-aging procedures and products are centered on an attempt to replace, build or mimic the effects of collagen, and its close cousin, elastin, another protein which gives the skin its ability to bounce back or retract easily. With any collagen-stimulating procedure, it takes approximately 90 days to see optimal results.
Ultherapy does not affect the overlying skin, and therefore it is a no-recovery treatment that gives an immediate tightening and lifting to the treatment area. What differentiates Ultherapy from other energy-based devices are two factors. Firstly, the bi-directional ultrasound ensures that it will most definitely achieve the endpoint of neocollagenesis. Predecessors to Ultherapy would claim tightening, lifting and new collagen formation, but often times to actually achieve those proper endpoints, the patient would insist the provider dial down the energy due to pain intolerance, and thus, effective outcomes were not always achieved. With Ultherapy, the temperature of 60–70°C could be ensured.
Secondly, Ultherapy offered the visual See, the ability for the provider to actually see what plane of tissue was being treated for best outcomes. If the tissue was more crepey, a superficial transducer could be used. For deeper lines and wrinkles on the face and neck regions, a deeper transducer could be selected for better depth of penetration. A typical Ultherapy treatment involves treating multiple planes for both an immediate ,and a delayed lift and tightened effect to the face and neck with zero recovery time.
From an advantage standpoint, Ultherapy offers a “once and done” approach. If a patient is traveling to Dallas from El Paso, an only has one afternoon to prepare for their daughter’s wedding, then Ultherapy is a great option. There are a couple of disadvantages to Ultherapy. One is that it does not produce any real effect in the overlying skin when it comes to production of elastin. Additionally, it is quite painful, which is why the treating provider must be an expert in pain control. The Dermatology Office of Dr. Ellen Turner has a pain algorithm, or recipe, which is laid out at the time of the consultation so that every patient has a realistic expectation when it comes to the control of their pain during this procedure, and they are comfortable through the entire treatment, as each person ultimately has a different threshold when it comes to pain.
Emface is a revolutionary technology launched in September 2022, but I was able to preview it for use in some of my patients as early as July of that same year. A painless device, Emface utilizes applicators which are placed on the forehead, midface and submental regions. Both electromagnetic and radiofrequency energies combine to achieve a 30% increase in muscle tone and a 23% increase in lift. As the underlying muscles are toned, an overall lifting is achieved in both the upper and lower face, as well as the neck when the submental applicators are used. Wrinkles are reduced by as much as 37%, and the entire treatment only takes 20 minutes. Typically, a series of four treatments is required in ordered to see results, but for a painless treatment with no recovery time, patients and consumers are happy to abandon more archaic treatments of the past which require one-two dedicated hours of their time, as opposed to four 20 minute sessions, spaced one week apart.
Additionally, Emface is not a one-trick pony. Not only will it address the deep tissue by toning muscle but also addresses the overlying skin by increasing both collagen and elastin. Clinical studies showed an increase in collagen by 25% and elastin by 200%. Thus, patients can now receive treatment outcomes to both the deeper tissue for lifting and toning, as well as the overlying skin texture and tone.
As a provider, I want my patients to consider the best of both worlds, and receive optimal outcomes with little to no recovery or pain. Why choose? Why not combine both Ultherapy with Emface for a mind-blowing result in a non-surgical approach to the correction of the aging process? It’s quite a thought to ponder.
Written by Dallas Dermatologist, Ellen Turner, M.D.