Thermage Skin Tightening: Before & After

Thermage: the non-invasive, skin-tightening treatment of choice for Gwyneth, Demi, all three Jennifer’s.

You’ve heard of it right?

The rumble on its effectiveness has been building over the last decade, the consensus now is this is THE treatment for volume loss and sagging skin.

My skin is both those things - and a treatment that doesn’t involve injecting, needling or downtime appealed.

Remember I am a low maintenance skin creature who loves her Omilux and that’s where it ends. I was nervous but also ready.

My treatment was conducted at The Clinic, one of Sydney’s best skincare clinics (they only employ doctors and nurses which is key) and specialises in high-level appearance medicine treatments.

It hurt but the results have been fantastic and natural. Just me on a better day (see before and after below).

Here, Co-founder and Co-director of The Clinic, Kaye Scott, breaks down the Thermage treatment, - who it works for, who it doesn’t and what to expect.

Q&A KAYE SCOTT, DIRECTOR, THE CLINIC

Thermage in a couple of sentences.

Thermage can significantly improve the appearance of your skin by tightening, contouring and plumping areas that experience volume loss. The machine uses radio frequency to deliver bulk heating to the skin. This causes collagen in the dermis to denature which in then allows the skin to be contoured via the Thermage machine in the hands of a skilled technician.

The results is a natural, more youthful appearance - less sag and more volume - with no invasion, injectables or no downtime.

Who is the ideal candidate?

The best patient is the client with loose, crepey skin without too much muscular attachment.
We recommend Thermage to clients from 35 to 70 years of age. A client who is 50 will receive a better outcome in comparison to a client is 70 because collagen becomes less responsive as we age. 

Walk Us Through The Treatment.

After a thorough cleanse, the face and neck is marked up with a grid to divide the left from the right side. This washes off easily post treatment.

A fluid gel is applied to your skin and then the technician uses the grid to work systematically across the treatment areas. The Thermage machine has two operations: the first creates bulk heat in the skin via radio frequency and the second contours the treatment areas while the heat levels are optimum.

Once one side has been treated the treatment is applied to the other. The result is immediate and improves over time. Best results are seen after three months, as the collagen has completely re-modeled.

Can you treat the entire face at once? 

Yes, the entire face is treated in one sitting. As above, the left and right sides will be divided into two and further subdivided into the cheek and chin, under the neck and the forehead.

What areas is the treatment most effective at tightening?

Thermage is best at targeting areas of loose skin which needs tightening and shaping - for example the jowls, neck, post-partum stomach and clients whom have undergone significant weight-loss. However, Thermage Is in NO WAY a fat reduction treatment

What results can you expect straight after the treatment?

You can expect to see an immediate result that shows 10% of the overall result. Results will improve throughout the whole collagen remodelling process which occurs over three months.

You may experience some post treatment micro-swelling which is expected due to the depth of radio frequency and heat that is produced. Micro-swelling shows tissue stimulation which is the aim of the game for Thermage, this can last for 24-48 hours. Mild redness can be expected also due to heat, this will dissipate within a few hours.

And then in two weeks? Six months?

Clients do notice an initial result that continues to improve over 2-6 months, peaking at the 6-month mark and holding those results for up to 12 months.

We recommend you have Thermage once a year to keep stimulating collagen. 

Is Thermage safe for pregnant/breastfeeding women?

Thermage is NOT safe throughout pregnancy, however can be performed when breastfeeding.

What is the down time and what does it look like?

 There is no downtime. You may be red for approx. 20 minutes after the treatment, but as it is non-invasive and non-surgical the downtime is nil.

And potential adverse reactions?

Thermage is a very safe and medical based treatment in which clinical studies have been performed for a number of years. You may experience swelling for up to a few days post treatment. We do not treat clients with cardiac metal or electrical devices. Or clients that have had an injectable within four weeks of the treatment.

What products do you prescribe in conjunction with Thermage treatment?

 A great retinol serum such as Cosmedix Define or Cosmedix Serum 16 which will continue in preventing the ageing process, A good at home firming mask like Cosmedic Bio-Shape Firming Mask to continue in lifting and firming the skin.

Always and everyday a good SPF such as Aspect Gold Hydrashield SPF 15 or Colourscience Even-Up SPF 20.

Thermage FLX treatments cost $3000 - for a consultation call The Clinic (02) 9386 1533

WHAT IT DID FOR MY SKIN…

There is no sugar coating it - this treatment hurts. Particularly along the jaw line - anywhere there is less padding of fat or muscle - however there were parts of the face where it didn’t hurt at all. So the key is a high skilled nurse that works from one side of the face to another and is sensitive to your pain threshold.

The appearance of my skin straight after was amazing -this picture was taken two minutes post treatment. It was 300 percent better an hour later and then 300 percent better six hours later - there was no redness or swelling - just genuine glow and a tightness that kept getting better.

I loved the natural and real results from this treatment - it's been a good baby-step - and I will one hundred percent do it again.