I have been performing Thermage treatments for about 6 years. Obviously, I believe in the technology and, "yes", I have seen good results from the treatments. During this time, I have tried a number of different protocols to help my patients obtain the best possible results. The patients... more
How long do Thermage results last?
I am thinking about getting Thermage for my turkey neck and some facial skin tightening but I don't want to have to go back every year for more treatment series to maintain the effect. How long do Thermage results typically last, and how likely is it that several maintenance treatments will be required?
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109 posts
5 Feb 2009
Hi Jane, Great question! I try to discuss with my Thermage patients a different way to think about the process and the results. A recent study came out of New York where they followed some twins; one had Botox once or twice a year and the other twin received none (sounds like a weird plastic surgery fairy tale eh?). The twin that received Botox looked on average 7 years younger than her sibling (via independent reviewers). So what do we make of this? I tell all my patients that yes, Botox does "last" 3-5 months. The wrinkles do come back. However, during that time period, you are not making any new wrinkles as the muscles that create new wrinkles are being temporarily weakened. Therefore you are actually halting the process of aging for a short period of time. So not only do you gain the benefit of the present appearance of no wrinkles, you also are preventing worsening wrinkles in the future as well. Think about Thermage the same way. You are building new collagen and tightening skin. The "results" that you get after 6 months are supposed to last 5-10 years (according to the company). I'll be the first one to say that there is no convincing long term date supporting this and personally I have only been performing Thermage for 2 years so I cannot validate or contradict that statement. However, since you are building new collagen, you are also in fact "halting" the aging process. There are many of my Thermage colleagues that recommend a treatment to maintain once every 1-3 years. I don't think that is a bad idea as I have some patients who come once a year as well for maintainance Thermage. However, my take home point is that no matter how often you get it done, a one time treatment can help you in prevention of aging as well. I hope this helps! Take care.