I Tried Ultheraphy Skin Tightening—Here are My Honest Thoughts
I was in my third trimester of pregnancy when my jawline simply ghosted. I've always held a little excess fat in my face; still, with the addition of edema from soon-to-be-diagnosed pre-eclampsia, my invisible jawline was just another thing to add to the list of humbling pregnancy symptoms.
I remember Googling "what is Ultherapy?" while standing in front of my bathroom mirror, squirreling away the information about the skin-tightening procedure for when I recovered after birth. While I lost the weight and swelling from my pregnancy in about a year, my jawline—like other parts of me—just never bounced back. When my son was one, I did three sessions of Morpheus8 radiofrequency microneedling on my lower face. The results were subtle and good, but I was looking for great. Just before my son's second birthday, I finally booked a two-hour Ultherapy appointment with dermatologist Jaime Glick at New York Dermatology Group.
What Is Ultherapy?
"Ultherapy is a non-invasive skin-tightening treatment that can stimulate the production of collagen and elastin," Glick says. "Ultherapy is FDA-cleared to lift the skin on the brow, neck, and under the chin, and improve lines and wrinkles on the decolletage." Unlike lasers or microneedling, the treatment bypasses the top layers of the skin, instead sending ultrasound energy deep into the dermis to create a thermal effect. "The ultrasound energy penetrates the skin’s surface and heats the targeted tissue, which triggers the body and its natural healing response and leads to the production of new collagen," adds Michael Bassiri-Tehrani, a board-certified facial plastic and reconstructive surgeon in New York City. I was drawn to the procedure by the promise of noticeable results after just one session with little to no downtime—an ideal scenario for busy moms.
What Is the Ultherapy Appointment Like?
The day before my appointment, a nurse from Glick's office called me to confirm the time and to warn me that the treatment could be painful. She walked me through the pain management options that would be available to me when I arrived. I appreciated the warning, but I have a freakishly high pain tolerance. I also didn't want to numb the sensation to understand what it truly felt like for this story. When I arrived for the appointment, I spoke with Glick about what to expect, washed my face, and ultimately decided to take half a Vicodin, with the other half waiting should I need it. Laughing gas was also offered (I declined). Unlike for fillers or lasers, Glick does not offer any topical numbing for the treatment.
Glick marked the treatment areas with a white crayon—the surface area spanned from my upper collarbone to my cheeks—and then used the device to measure my skin's depth. Then, the zapping commenced. "Ultherapy allows for real-time visualization of the skin tissues," Glick says. "The procedure is then performed using multi-level transducers curated to the specific patient's needs."
How Long Does Ultherapy Take?
The treatment takes some time because the device needs to be passed over each area 40-60 times for two rounds. "Depending on the areas treated, the procedure can be anywhere from one to three hours," Glick says. My appointment took about two hours.
How Painful is Ultherapy?
As I previously mentioned, I took half a Vicodin about 15 minutes before we started the treatment. As Glick ran the device over my cheeks, it felt like being snapped by a rubber band—with a lingering sting that went away after a minute. "One side always hurts a little bit more, but it's definitely tolerable because we don't do numbing, and that's because we want to gauge your sensation," Glick says.
But on a scale from one to ten, ten being induced vaginal childbirth, Ultherapy on my jawline and neck was a solid 8.5. I was squirming as Glick worked and decided to take the other half of the Vicodin. I also squeezed two stress balls while trying to recall Lamaze breathing techniques. The pain from Ultherapy burns and then aches, and the transparent number of zaps you have to do on each small area makes it more of a mind game than anything. But Glick swiftly moved on to the next area, which lent a cooling relief, so you're never uncomfortable for too long. If you're sensitive to pain, there are other pain management techniques available, like laughing gas, which can help soothe. "Patients vary in their pain from the procedure," Glick notes. "Some patients can tolerate the procedure without any numbing and sometimes we provide patients with pain medication as well Pro-Nox (nitrous oxide and oxygen)."
What Was the Recovery Like?
"This is a procedure with almost no downtime. You may notice some slight swelling immediately post-treatment and some mild soreness in the area, usually on palpation," Glick notes. "Occasionally, patients also may have some mild bruising and tenderness. However, most patients have limited to no side effects and can go about their normal lives immediately following treatment."
My face was sore to the touch for about a week after the treatment, but there was no visible bruising or swelling. This is the kind of procedure you could book at lunchtime and go right back to work afterward.
What Are the Risks of Ultherapy?
Other than the aforementioned bruising and tenderness, there are a few risks to consider. "Patients may experience temporary discomfort and pain during the procedure, as well as swelling, redness, or bruising in the treated area. Rarely, facial nerve damage or temporary numbness or tingling can occur," adds Bassiri-Tehrani. "Additionally, results can be inconsistent, with some patients experiencing minimal improvement."
As with any surgical or cosmetic procedure, be sure to chat with your provider thoroughly about any risks or health conditions.
Ultherapy Before and After
I am more than six months out from my first treatment, and I could not be more thrilled with the results. The horizontal "tech neck" lines across my neck are less noticeable, and my jawline is more defined than before the procedure. I noticed the most dramatic changes back toward my ear and under my chin, in particular, but was also pleasantly surprised to notice a small softening of the smile lines around my mouth.
Is Ultherapy Worth It?
Ultherapy is totally worth it in my opinion, especially if you're not ready to graduate to more advanced surgical intervention. I was impressed by how easily I recovered from the procedure, and I like how the results began to reveal over the first few months. The potential for pain might seem daunting, but an hour of discomfort is worth the lifting results.
If the skin laxity along your jawlines is more extreme, "often, it is better to skip a non-invasive option altogether in favor of surgery," adds Bassiri-Tehrani. "More advanced procedures like a neck or facelift may also be performed later when non-invasive treatments no longer produce satisfactory results. This typically occurs when skin laxity becomes more pronounced, and patients seek more dramatic and long-lasting improvements. Surgical lifts provide more predictable and permanent results compared to non-invasive methods."
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