In today’s times, due to our fast paced lives, we often find it challenging to remain fit. Fitness is something we all strive for, but only a few of us manage to attain it. Our skin is a very important aspect of our body, which too needs to be taken care of. Having a smooth skin not only makes you feel good but also makes you look younger. However, maintaining smooth skin can be a daunting task! It means sticking to a particular diet, avoiding your skin getting over exposed to the sun and numerous other things that demand persistence. Sometimes, you might get your skin damaged because of your sedentary lifestyle- be it your unhealthy eating habits, smoking or an allergy.
Luckily, there are various clinical treatments using which you can treat your skin in no time. Thermage (anti-aging treatment) is one such procedure which helps in attaining smooth and younger looking skin.
What is Thermage treatment?
It is among one of the clinically proven skin tightening treatments that improve your skin and makes it look younger. Not only is this treatment user-friendly, but it also delivers promising results in no time irrespective of the skin tone in just a single procedure.
How does it work?
The treatment consists of using radiofrequency (RF) technology for the treatment of the skin. It makes use of heat to strengthen the core layers of the skin. The RF technology heats the layers of collagen (which plays a vital role in the replacement of dead skin cells) in your skin, thus assisting in remodelling the existing collagen as well as producing new collagen. This, in turn, improves the texture and smoothness of the skin.
The procedure causes the skin to generate new collagen of its own as well as stimulate the already existing collagen fibres. It makes utilisation of the natural processes in the body instead of depending on surgery to improve a patient’s skin.
What can Thermage treat?
By undergoing this anti-ageing treatment, you can actually treat wrinkles and fine lines on your body including the eyes, arms, hands, thighs, buttocks, face, etc. Furthermore, it also helps in smoothening the uneven and dimpled skin of the body. Apart from this, the anti-ageing treatment can also reduce the appearance of the cellulite (the under skin fat that causes lumpiness of the skin) temporarily.
Who can undergo Thermage?
This procedure is constructed for patients who don’t want to do a surgical facelift. This does not mean that it is an alternative to a surgical facelift. Both these procedures i.e. Thermage treatment and surgical facelift have their pros and cons.
Those ideal for the Thermage treatment include-
- Those who don’t want to undergo a surgical face lift.
- Middle-aged women displaying signs of neck/brow/eyelid sagging.
- Middle-aged women displaying signs of drooping jowls/cheek folds.
- Those who want to strengthen their skin structure without undergoing surgery.
- Those who have earlier had facelift, but want to strengthen the structure of their skin further.
Before the procedure, an individual needs to consult a cosmetic dermatologist who will give an in-depth detail about the treatment i.e. how to go upon with it, its cost, the results of it, etc.
Skin Tightening Treatments
– Difference between Thermage (RF) and Surgical Face Lift
The effects of doing a facelift can last up to 5 to 10 years, while an RF treatment effect can last for up to 2 years at an average. In a facelift, there’s a surgery involving tightening of facial muscles, the rearrangement of underlying facial structures and the trimming of excess skin. On the other hand, the latter involves reducing fine lines, wrinkles, cheek folds and droopiness on the face through a noninvasive facial cosmetic procedure.
Regarding cost, the radiofrequency treatment (RF) is comparatively cheaper than the surgical face lift treatment.
Things you need to keep in mind before undergoing the RF procedure-
There is no doubt that radio frequency skin tightening treatment acts as an alternative to face lift. However, it shouldn’t be considered as a substitute for it. Those showing signs of ageing like loose skin, heavy faces, wrinkles, etc. may not experience considerable improvement after undergoing RF. Also, those who are seeking RF treatment must be well informed about the risks and benefits of the procedure. Consulting a skin specialist is recommended to identify your skin requirements and also make sure whether RF treatment is really required for you or not!
The number of sessions required-
Regarding duration, the treatment does not take more than an hour, although it may sometime go beyond the stated time due to the preparation and utilisation of anaesthesia. On the patient’s side, there’s no prior preparation needed apart from washing the face clean.
The effects of the treatment-
The recovery time for radio frequency skin tightening treatments are pretty quick as compared to related surgical treatments. The patient will find his/her skin firm and elastic almost immediately; however the physical results will be visible only after a few months. This will, in turn, make you look younger as compared to earlier i.e. before the treatment.
Thermage side effects, although rare include having mild redness, bumps and blisters in the areas- where one has undergone the treatment. This may vanish eventually (within a few days) or sometimes may last for up to a week or more. In the rarest of cases, there have been reports of a symptom known as surface irregularity (which lasts for a longer period of time).
The results of RF procedure vary from patient to patient. To be more specific, it depends on the patient’s underlying skin (the collagen). There is no doubt that the procedure improves the appearance of the skin to a certain extent. The results can be even better for those having healthier skin.
