Washington Institute of
Dermatologic Laser Surgery Blog

Just in time to address your aging (sagging) concerns, a new treatment has become available for facial rejuvenation. It is called Ultherapy™. It is a non-invasive treatment that uses ultrasound to stimulate collagen production in the skin.

The skin has multiple layers that continuously undergoes repair. The top layer (epidermis) replaces old skin cells with new ones. The next (deeper) layer is called the dermis and one of its jobs is to produce collagen. It has a matrix of collagen fibers entwined with elastin fibers that supports the skin surface, keeping it smooth. Like the epidermis, the dermis creates new skin cells to replace old ones.

As we age and the body slows down, collagen production in the dermis is diminished and fewer cells are replaced. The dermal matrix develops gaps into which the top skin layer collapses, effectively creating wrinkles. Damage to the skin also occurs with sun exposure and wrinkles are further accentuated with repeated facial expressions. In addition to Ultherapy, other rejuvenating procedures include filler and botulinum injections.

How Does Ultherapy™ Work?
Ultrasound is a vibration of sound that we cannot hear. Its frequency is higher than our audible range, just as ultraviolet light is beyond the visible color spectrum that we can see. When ultrasound is directed beneath the skin’s surface into the dermis, it causes a controlled disruption of the skin which, in turn, reacts by producing collagen and tighter replacement cells.

Each Ultherapy™ treatment takes about an hour. No anesthesia is typically necessary, but pain pills are available upon request. Ultherapy™ rejuvenates many facial areas- smoothing out wrinkles on the brow and cheeks and providing tissue tightening on the neck and eyes.

Immediately after treatment, the skin has a flushed look for a few hours, but no external wound is evident. Makeup can be applied immediately so that you can return to work or other activities the same day.

Results may be evident after just one treatment, but additional treatments can be applied to enhance the clinical effect. After two or three months, when the skin has had time to replace many old cells with new, tighter cells and more collagen is supporting the surface, you should show noticeable improvement.

Please see our page on Ultherapy™ for more information.

If you are in the Washington D.C. area and would like to know more about Ultherapy™ as an option for your facial rejuvenation, please contact us today for a personal consultation.