Thermage... SO Worth It! - Charlotte, NC

My calendar shows I had my Thermage procedure on January 27, 2012. I note that date because on the 15th day, I woke up and those little jowls on each side of my jaw that I could pinch with my thumb and finger were nearly gone! More gone on my right side than my left but now (day 18) they are gone equally. It is unbelievable. I mean, I knew when I was shelling out the money what I was hoping for but I guess I really doubted I would see such results. Now, when I drop my chin to my neck, I can see them but they are not as puffy as before. When I face the mirror directly, with my chin at a natural angle, those jowls are gone!

Following my procedure...FOLLOWING my procedure, I decided to google 'thermage gone wrong'. This was a mistake.

What I read is that Thermage has caused divots in people's skin and/or caused dramatic fat loss in the face causing people to look gaunt. What I read is there is nothing to help them. They have tried fat grafting(?) but it is not working. Some people are not leaving their homes because they feel so uncomfortable about how they look. If I had read that before my procedure, I would not have gone through with it. I am now very concerned that my appearance will continue to improve for the next five months and THEN the fat will disappear from my face and I will hate my appearance. But I am kind of a fearful person.

I know it is a lot of money but I thought I may as well have her 'thermage' (as a verb, ha!) my eyes as long as I had taken the valium and percocet. I feared the pain med more than the pain of the procedure because I get panicky if I become nauseated. Took the Percocet with crackers and Ginger Ale. No nausea. Yay. Nina, the woman who performed the procedure, had me take the meds at the office so she could monitor me because she is very careful like that. It went beautifully! She started with my eyes. Drops to numb them and then she dropped in a metal? large contac. When doing my under lids, she moved the skin to press against the metal; thus protecting my eye. One eye was done at a time so I could always see out of the uncovered eye. Eyes were not painful. Then my gal went on to my face and neck. It was just as she described it. Some of the areas were painful but the worst was the jawline and neck as she had told me it would be. (She could not do the front of the neck) She said I would cuss her which I did not but I did have a several times where I said, "Okay, STOP, STOP, STOP! Just wait a second..." I caught my breath and was able to start again within about 10 or 15 seconds. This is where I think the Valium is critical to the process. Although I have heard of people who go through this without meds, it was only because they did not have a choice. When most people experience a shocking pain, their whole body reacts, tenses, and is on high alert waiting for the next jolt. Valium allows your body to relax right after that pain and be able to go on with the procedure. I was instructed to keep the areas moisturized and continue to use my vitamin C serum like I do every day. I was instructed not to take aspirin nor ibuprofen for two weeks to two months to maximize my result. Now on to the good part... I cannot believe how good the results are!!! I am thrilled! I joked with Nina that people said they saw a difference when they got up from the table and that it must be swelling. I didn't look in the mirror my first day because I was out of it from the Valium but the next day I could not believe the difference under my eyes! Before Thermage, I had a deep (seemed deep to me) crease where my dark circles looked even darker (that horizontal crease between your cheek and under eye skin that sags and gets deeper with age) and now that skin is taught enough there is no divot! I was in disbelief! Then my husband came home and said he noticed my jaw looks tighter and more defined! This man doesn't even notice when I get my hair cut! Had my hair colored this last week and the colorist noticed my jaw line was more defined. I am so pleased with my result AND I understand it continues to improve for up to six months. I will keep you all posted. Really glad I had my upper and lower eyelids done. She also did above my brow to try to lift my brow a bit thus reducing the sag in my upper lids. Cons would be the cost, obviously, and the day wasted by sleeping off Valium, but other than that, there was no down time. No redness, no swelling, no evidence the next day at all except my improved appearance. I am 48 years old in one month and have been struggling with accepting the signs of aging. My face, my mid-section becoming bigger around, etc. My procedure was done by a professional but not a doctor. I'm sorry I do not know her education. I've been going to her and to that office for a long time so have a trust level there and did not check out her credentials. She has also done photo-facials for me also.