Thermage is FDA approved for tightening and thickening skin without surgery. This non-invasive choice is particularly attractive for patients who don’t want to undergo the more drastic effects of a traditional surgical facelift and its associated recovery period.

Thermage uses a radiofrequency (RF) technology to heat the deep layers of the skin while protecting the skin’s outer layers with a cooling cryogen spray. This deep heating promotes immediate collagen contraction beneath the skins surface and generates new collagen growth over time.

Thermage: Key Points

• Thermage is approved by the FDA for skin tightening and collagen growth.
• Thermage provides an alternative to traditional surgical face lifts.
• Thermage not only treats existing conditions, but is also a preventative treatment for future problems including wrinkles, loose skin and collagen loss.
• Thermage can treat any area of the body but is most commonly used on the face, around the eyes and forehead, cheeks and jowls, and the neck. Results actually increase over time. With maximum results usually achieved up to 6 months after the treatment.
• Thermage “Vectoring” can be used for more specific results. Vectoring uses a second, double row of pulses to tighten skin along specific lines or “vectors”. In this way we can perform eyelifts, neck lifts, bags around the eyes, crows feet, or any part of the face where loose skin is unwanted.

Thermage: Key Benefits

• Thermage tightens skin and stimulates new collagen growth.
• Thermage can be performed in 2-3 hours under local anesthetic.
• Thermage actually “tightens” skin rather than stretching skin.
• The results look completely natural
• The cost is less than traditional, surgical facelifts
• The results are very long lasting or permanent.
• Additional treatments can maximize the effects or just maintain results.

Thermage: Benefits in comparison to traditional surgical face lifts

• No cutting. No stretching. No stitches. No scars.
• Thermage requires no physical recovery time.
• The skin is tightened rather than stretched, eliminating the pulled look that can happen with traditional face lifts.
• The chance of complications or infection is almost nil.
• Thermage can be combined with other treatments like filler injections and Pointé Lifts for more dramatic effects.

Possible Complications with Thermage Treatments:

Thermage complications are very rare. The device contains three computers that constantly monitor the amount of energy being delivered. However, as with any medical treatment there exists the possibility of other results, including:

• Burns; in clinical trials for Thermage less than 1% of patients received any burns. (There were only two that healed completely and without complication). At Surface, we have never seen a burn.
• The effect is less dramatic than the client wants: However, Thermage can be used as a treatment more than once. Results can be improved or enhanced with additional treatments like Botox or Surface Pointé Lifts.

NOTE: Thermage has received mixed reviews from both patients and physicians. In our opinion this is because of the way that Thermage has been marketed to physicians as an “add-on” to their practice. Thermage results are highly dependant upon the treatment you receive. While Thermage is now widely available, our recommendation is that you only have a Thermage treatment from a physician who specializes in non-surgical cosmetic medicine and has a laser clinic, skin clinic, or laser treatment center with experience with this treatment.

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Post from: Laser Clinic MD

Thermage Skin Tighening

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Laser Clinic: Palomar Starlux 300 for sale.

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Plastic Surgery & Cosmetic Dermatology: Used Thermage Tips.

Thermage Skin Tightening treatments from Solta Medical have ushered in a new type of anti-aging and skin laxity treatments for cosmetic dermatologists, plastic surgeons and medical spas that adds another nonsurgical treatment to a cosmetic medical practice Radio Frequency Skin Tightening.

Thermage has implemented a change in cosmetic medicine.

Pricing strategies that charge the plastic surgeon or cosmetic dermatologist for each Thermage treatment by ‘killing’ the Thermage tip after a preset number of treatment pulses or predetermined length of time, even if the Thermage tip could still be used for additional pulses. This leaves the plastic surgeon or cosmetic dermatologist (and patient) in the position of paying for a Thermage treatment tip that would still work, except that they’ve been turned off by Thermage.

With tips costing up to $800 for a single treatment and medical practices under increasing pressure to maintain profitability, many doctors are turning to third parties to ‘reactivate’ these Thermage tips for additional use by bypassing the counter inside the chip and effectively resetting the device to allow for continued use.

According to Thermage, tips are disabled only to ensure patient safety.

The Thermage position on reactivating  used Thermage tips:

“The largest study we know of involving Thermage is a four year study conducted by Weiss,1 and it only involved 600 patients. In addition, the claims in the Stevens publication are also wildly inconsistent with immense quantities of Thermage quality and reliability data we have compiled on our own products over the years. We know for a fact the dielectric membrane on our treatment tip will break down when subjected to a tiny fraction of the repeated use this publication alleges can be done. Dielectric breakdown can result in patient harm.”

Potential complications can arise from treating patients with damaged Thermage tips that can include burns or the destruction of underlying fat that can leave permanent depressions in the skin. But, with more and more cosmetic dermatologists and plastic surgeons looking to squeeze out a profit wherever they can and grey-market suppliers able to sell a reactivated Thermage tip for hundreds of dollars below the retail price, refurbishing or reusing Thermage tips may be used in an increasing number of cosmetic practices and medical spas.

Post from: Laser Clinic MD

Is Your Local Laser Clinic Reusing Thermage Tips?

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