Have you noticed that your skin isn’t as tight as it used to be? Do you wish your skin looked brighter, younger, and healthier? If so, Ultherapy at Rejuvenate Med Spa in Oak Brook, IL, and Woodridge, IL may be right for you. We understand that the number of anti-aging treatments on the market is overwhelming, so we’ve put together a comprehensive overview of this treatment to help you determine whether it is right for you.
How Long Does Ultherapy Last?
You can generally expect your ideal Ultherapy results to last for five years. From there, you should expect to start noticing small changes in the appearance of your skin, like dullness or ruddiness. You also may start to notice the subtle emergence of fine lines and mild wrinkles. However, several factors affect the longevity of the results, so you may find that your ideal results only last for a couple of years.
What Factors Affect How Long the Results of My Treatment Will Last?
Your age is the most significant factor affecting how long the results of your treatment will last. This is because everyone experiences a significant slowdown in the production of collagen, elastin, and hyaluronic acid when they are in their mid-20s. The results of this treatment are derived from boosting your skin’s collagen production rate. If there is only a small lack of collagen, your results will last far longer.
In other words, the younger you are, the longer your results will last. On the other hand, if you’re in your 50s or 60s, your skin is producing crucial supportive structures, like collagen, very slowly. Even worse, the older you are, the more likely it is that your existing collagen is no longer strong and healthy. Therefore, your results will fade faster. Here are some other factors that will affect the longevity of your results.
Whether You’re a Smoker
Even though collagen is a protein, if you looked at it under a microscope, you would see that it is mesh-like, structured similarly to a lacrosse net. Nicotine, whether it comes from e-liquid, chewing tobacco, cigarettes, or other products, gets caught in your collagen. Just like the lacrosse net extrudes past its frame when a ball is lobbed into it, the collagen that usually supports your skin starts to sag when nicotine gets trapped in it, affecting the appearance of your skin.
The bottom line is that if you are a smoker, nicotine will weaken your existing collagen. Even worse, nicotine slows your body’s ability to produce new collagen, in part due to its vasoconstriction properties. If you want your results to last for as long as possible, you need to scale back on your nicotine consumption as much as possible. Ideally, you should quit smoking for the rest of your life.
How Much Alcohol You Consume
The longevity of your results will also be affected by how much alcohol you consume. Alcohol is similar to nicotine in that it can act as a vasoconstrictor. However, this only occurs when alcohol is consumed in excessive quantities. If you consume alcohol in moderation, the opposite occurs. In other words, if you drink one to two units of alcohol per day, depending on your gender, your blood vessels will actually relax and open up.
According to the American Heart Association and other health organizations, like the CDC, moderate drinking is defined as no more than 14 drinks per week for men and no more than seven drinks per week for women. You should stick to this guideline if you want your results to last for as long as possible. Just make sure that you’re drinking plenty of water and eating nutritiously, especially on days you drink alcohol.
How Hydrated You Remain
Most Americans are chronically dehydrated. However, you need to make hydration one of your top priorities if you want your results to last for as long as possible. There are several key components required for your skin to produce collagen, not the least of which is water. Make a point to drink enough hydrating fluids that your urine is pale. If it’s dark, you need to drink more. If it’s clear, you’re drinking too much. Overhydration is real.
If you find yourself struggling to drink enough water throughout the day, take a minute to identify your sticking point. Do you fail to drink the water because it isn’t palatable? If so, squeeze a little lime or lemon juice in your water. You can even add tons of flavor to your hydrating beverages by opting for blackberry-infused tea or mango-infused tea. Just make a pitcher of your favorite green, black, or white tea, add some fruit to the pitcher, and wait.
How Well You Eat
Your diet also plays a very important role in the longevity of your final results. To ensure your results last for as long as possible, you need to take a two-pronged approach. The first prong involves minimizing your consumption of foods with added sugar. As a general rule of thumb, all processed foods should be approached with caution. Even if a particular processed food doesn’t have lots of extra sugar, it probably has trans fats and too much sodium.
The second diet prong involves eating nutrient-dense foods. It’s not enough to eat a salad instead of canned soup if there aren’t lots of fruits and veggies in your salad. Lettuce is essentially water, which is great for hydration. However, it doesn’t provide your skin with what it needs to produce extra collagen – protein and vitamin C. If you enjoy eating salads, opt for kale, broccoli, or spinach as a base instead of lettuce. These veggies are packed with:
- Protein
- Vitamin C
- Soluble fiber
- Many other micronutrients
How Diligent Your Sunscreen Use Is
Another significant factor affecting how long your results last is how diligently you wear sunscreen. Like nicotine and alcohol, UV rays damage your existing collagen and make it harder for your skin to produce more. For results that last as long as possible, make sure you’re wearing sunscreen every day with a sun protection factor of at least 55.
Am I a Good Candidate for This Ultherapy Treatment?
We can’t advise you on whether you are a good Ultherapy Chicago candidate until you come in for an ultherapy initial consultation. This FDA-approved skin tightening treatment is safe for most people, but it isn’t right for everyone. During your initial consultation, we will discuss your health, both past and present, to ensure you are healthy enough to receive this treatment. Then, we will talk about your cosmetic goals to verify that this treatment will be effective.
Once all of that is complete, we will evaluate your areas of concern to further ensure this treatment will be effective for you. If at any point in the process, we determine ultrasound-based skin tightening is not appropriate for you, we will advise you on the best way to achieve your goals. Sometimes, clients need to combine this treatment with other anti-aging treatments, like injectable muscle relaxants, to achieve their goals.
Who Isn’t a Good Candidate for This Treatment?
You will not be considered a good candidate for ultrasound-based skin tightening if you are currently ill. Similarly, you will not qualify if you are currently healthy but were ill within 14 days of your appointment. Also, this treatment is not appropriate for individuals who are experiencing skin irritation in the areas targeted for treatment.
Where Can This Treatment Be Used?
You can use this skin tightening treatment virtually anywhere you are experiencing skin concerns. Since this treatment works by boosting collagen production, it can be used to drastically improve the appearance of the skin by repairing damaged skin cells or replacing them altogether. In other words, you can use this treatment just about anywhere you are experiencing skin sagging, dullness, ruddiness, or other tone or texture issues, like the:
- Upper face
- Lower face
- Chest
- Buttocks
- Abdomen
- Back
- Hips
Book an Appointment Now
It can take around half of a year for your final Ultherapy results to become apparent, but you can expect them to remain for two to five years. After that, you will start to see slow changes to your skin that eventually warrant being addressed. If you think your self-confidence would improve after a skin tightening treatment or two, drop us a line at Rejuvenate Med Spa in Oak Brook, IL and Woodridge, IL to book an appointment and find out if you qualify.