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Cutting through the “Hype” and the “Hoopla!”

We all know we can’t believe everything we read on the internet; nor should we trust everything we see on TV. Many treatments exist that claim to tighten skin, but with so much “hype” and “hoopla” about every new treatment that enters the scene, how do we know what to believe? The truth is found in science and clinical evidence.

Years ago, when this industry was in its infancy, it was observed that treatments that were not designed, intended or expected to tighten skin, were causing a small degree of skin tightening. Patients undergoing treatments such as phototherapy, laser and chemical peels, micro-dermabrasion, even laser hair removal, were reporting that their skin felt tighter after the treatments. Research confirmed that the mild superficial injury caused by these treatments was responsible. Thus, it was determined that a greater injury, and a deeper injury, that could be controlled, could safely produce results that would be more dramatic and longer lasting.

The goal of all skin tightening procedures is to cause controlled injury to the skin to induce collagen denaturization, and subsequent neocollagenesis. In layman’s terms, the purpose is to trigger a healing response that will produce collagen. Simplifying this as much as possible, the greater the injury, the more dramatic and long-lasting the result will be. Devices vary greatly but I will attempt to say a lot in a few words:

Radio Frequency: The first non-invasive treatment that was introduced specifically for skin tightening was a radio-frequency device known as Thermage. It was coined “The Non-surgical Facelift” and was accompanied by lot of media attention. Patient expectations were high…unrealistically high due to the exaggerated claims. Thermage, like other radio-frequency devices that have since been introduced, delivers bulk heating to the dermal layers of the skin. Temperatures high enough to cause skin tightening will usually be concentrated at 1.5 to 2 mm and up to 3.5 mm with some technologies. No Radio-frequency device can control the depth of injury precisely.

Lasers and Light: Lasers used for hair removal (ND Yag, Alexandrite or Diode) and Intense Pulsed Light machines (IPL’s), which can also treat brown and red pigment, do result in a subtle degree of tightening. In my opinion, the results are too subtle to represent these treatments as solutions to tighten the skin. Minimally invasive laser treatments done with Erbrium Yag or CO2 lasers can, indeed, tighten skin superficially, but they are better suited to skin resurfacing. Two light-based devices designed specifically to tighten skin, Titan and SkinTyte, can freshen a patient’s appearance and reduce creepiness nicely with a series of 3 to 5 treatments. Skinpossible offers SkinTyte and we do a very thorough treatment. The depth of penetration for laser and light based treatments is limited to about 1 mm.

Ultherapy: Ultherapy is the newest modality designed to tighten skin. New does not always mean better, but Ultherapy has been clinically proven. It uses focused ultrasound to safely and precisely deliver higher temperatures deeper into the skin, than other treatments within the aesthetics industry. In a single treatment Ultherapy can injure the skin at three depths:

  1)   At 1.5 mm for superficial tightening where it is needed.

  2)   At 3.0 mm to injure deeply into the dermis. 

  3)   At 4.5 mm to injure the muscle beneath the dermis. The only other way to injure the             SMAS in a controlled way is with a surgical facelift. Thus, Ultherapy is the only device that has received FDA clearance for a “Lift.”

Skinpossible’s advanced Ulthera-pists customize treatments to suit the needs of the patient.  Ultherapy can reduce sagging on the neck, lift jowls, define the jawline, elevate the brows, reduce hooding of the eyelids and more.  It also works very well for tightening skin on the body.  

Ultherapy is an award-winning treatment, and Skinpossible recently won an award from Ulthera. We are the top Ultherapy clinic in Canada!  Ultherapy has a very high patient satisfaction rating. It can not deliver facelift results, but it is as close as you can get to a facelift without going under the knife.